Amnesty International developed Rights Arcade, a free human rights game software. It was developed with the purpose of increasing awareness among the next generation of human rights advocates on rights including freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.
In particular, Rights Arcade is thought to be a self-paced technique that enables players to study, think, and act at their own leisure while traversing the game’s narrative.
In fact, the game will take players on a journey through three real-life stories. First, Ahmed Kabir Kishore, a cartoonist who was wrongfully charged under Bangladesh’s Digital Security Law; second, Zhang Zhan, a civilian journalist convicted to four years in China for disclosing on COVID-19; and third, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, a student activist facing 25 additional charges in Thailand for protesting.
Put differently, the game’s stories are fictional experiences based on actual events in which the player adopts the position of and guides the three characters, relying solely on their own knowledge of human rights and evaluating how the ideals are applied in everyday life.
According to Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, “[t]his game has been designed to empower and encourage people everywhere, but especially younger audiences, to learn about human rights in an engaging manner.”
In large, Rights Arcade’s three-game collection is accessible in four languages, such as English, Simplified Chinese, Thai, and Korean, with regular improvements including additional languages and games as well as assistance for locations with weak network access.