Amnesty International has launched Rights Arcade, a free human rights game that aims to educate the next generation about rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The game is designed to strengthen the human rights movement through action-oriented education, and was launched on the occasion of the International Day of Education, which falls on January 24 of each year.
A key feature of the game, according to the organization, is “a self-paced approach that allows players to learn, think and take action at their own pace as they navigate its stories.”
“This game has been designed to empower people everywhere and encourage them, especially young people, to learn about human rights in an interactive way,” said Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard.
The organization cautions that young people play a pivotal role in setting the human rights agenda, today and in the future. Reaching them, she says, is “the key to empowering new generations of activists and empowering them to fight for and protect human rights, now and in the future.”
The players take their human rights journey through the experiences of 3 real people: Ahmed Kabir Kishore, a cartoonist accused of “unjustly” under Bangladesh’s digital security law, Zhan Zan, a journalist who was sentenced to 4 years in prison for spreading the news of Corona in China, and Panusaya. A student activist faces more than 25 charges for protesting in Thailand.
In the game based on fantasy experiences inspired by real-world events, the player must role-play and navigate the experiences of the three central characters, making decisions based on their own understanding of human rights, and deconstructing how human rights concepts apply in everyday life.
