On 22 December 2009 Stichting DubbelX-Alternative View in Amsterdam launched a new internet game about the EU’s Security and Defence Policy. It was developed with the support of the ‘Europe Fund’ of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It’s objective is “to reach people who don’t read books or articles about the subject but who may be tempted to learn something about the subject through playing a game”.
The game is available on www.benjij007.nl (are you 007?). You need to understand Dutch to play it (an English translation is apparently on its way). “In the game the EU Anti-Terrorism Coordinator sends you on a mission to prevent a terrorist attack with a dirty nuclear bomb on one of Europe’s cities. While chasing the terrorists around the world you are fed with information about the EU’s security and defence policy. The game ends with a report about your qualities as an agent, invites you to deepen your knowledge and gives some suggestions to do it”.
Useful educational and counter-terrorism tool or shameless piece of state-sponsored, fear-mongering propaganda?
If only I could speak Dutch…
20 January 2010 at 1:14 pm
This from a Dutch friend:
haha. what is quite funny that sometimes by giving the “wrong” answers you still achieve the mission of the game – eg saying you want to torture and kill, shoot the woman in the burka etc. (choosing torture then tells you about the EU countries allowing US torture rendition flights)
what is interesting is that the game suggest you hire armed Touareg rebels to fight off “terrorists”, i did not know the EU did that/approved of that.
also funny is that it gives you the option to sympathise with a somali pirate, if you choose this it will tell you that italian and french companies dumped toxic waste on the somali beaches resulting in malformed births, but then the next screen says “you wasted valuable time talking to the pirate”.
it also gets you to fall in love with a handsome english doctor in a darfur refugee camp, giving you the option to choose love and abandon the mission ;-)
24 January 2010 at 9:37 pm
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