14 DAY TRIAL // In an unprecedented effort, MTV offered 50000$ to anyone that will create a game to raise social awareness on the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
Graduate student Susana Ruiz from the University Of California eventually rose up to the task and created "Darfur is dying". In an interview with BBC News she explained: "We were always trying to make something that would be accessible to the audience that wouldn't go to see a documentary about Darfur, or wouldn't read a newspaper article".
The flash based game depicts life in a refugee camp, where even the easiest tasks can become perilous death traps. You can choose a character to play, ranging from ten year girls to thirty years old adults, and the most important part is finding food and water. Exploring the surroundings proves to be a life changing experience. With a gas can in your hand you have to run towards the water pump while hiding from the ever present militia groups. Luck runs out eventually and after getting caught, you are told what happens to your character. The reality is not pretty, as rape, abuse or even death never is.
The game can be played online by anyone and it's totally free. More than 700000 people visited the website since its launch in April, this year. The parties involved seem satisfied with the result as activism and social awareness amongst young people has seen an increase. "Young people don't necessarily know what Darfur is, or even how to spell it. Where's Darfur? Where's the Sudan? Clearly the game is an oversimplification of the crisis. But it is an entryway into the crisis, and answers basic questions like that."