Red Cross get into video games

The Red Cross have launched a new game to teach players about the brutality of war.

The Red Cross have launched a new game to teach players about the horrors of war.

Called Traces of Hope, the alternate reality game has you directing Joseph, who’s home in northern Uganda has been destroyed. His family is missing and he needs to contact the Red Cross to find out if his mother is still alive.

Vicious war in Northern Uganda has destroyed Joseph’s home and torn his family apart. He has one goal, to find out from the Red Cross if his mother is alive or dead.

Now he has arrived in the dangerous refugee camp they call Hopetown, he has 24 hours to track down the Red Cross messenger and he needs you to be his guide.

He has a satellite phone, you have the web – together you’ll make a great team. Time is running out; guide Joseph through sickness, fire and violence as together you follow his traces of hope.

– Traces of Hope website

Charles Williams, editorial manager for the British Red Cross said the game was like a puzzle. “It will put players in the shoes of people in conflict situations who have to make difficult decisions.”

“For a teenager alone in a war zone it’s very disorienting, very scary, very difficult to know what to do. There are no easy decisions,” Williams said.

Players have to use the Internet, email and the telephone in-game to make the experience more engaging. Upon registering, the game starts without warning when Joseph gets in touch asking for help, and they have to track down information and clues planted on websites like publishers Penguin and humanitarian news service Reuters AlertNet.

To register, head over to the website at http://tracesofhope.com. Registration is free.

Source: IT News