South Africa’s gender-based violence (GBV) statistics are consistently ranked amongst the highest in the world. Our games were designed for 4th graders as a primary intervention to change perceptions around gender based violence.
The concept is simple – it takes a novel approach to the problem by addressing it from a preventative measure. It is evident that gender stereotypes and biased opinions passed through generations are a big factor in the normalization and perpetuation of gender-based violence. As such, we decided to design a fun, interactive game which directly deals with some of these stereotypes and problematic mentalities, whilst maintaining the interest of the child (player).
First, a basic idea and a potential business model were worked out (GBV-Hackathon presentation). Later, additional material and ideas were added (Superhero Theme Concept).
A few initial ideas were prototyped with Scratch. The scenarios give an idea about which topics could be tackled and what the game could look like. They are by no means final and would still have to be refined with the help of experts. Psychologists could assist with child-friendly and non-triggering content. Programmers could implement a professional game in Unity.