Just in time for the holiday shopping frenzy, Serious Games Interactive is releasing “Global Conflicts: Sweatshops” a game that zooms in on the ethical dilammes behind child labour and the clothing industry in Bangladesh. Following up on the award-winning computer games “Global Conflicts: Palestine”, “Global Conflicts: Latin America and “Global Conflicts: Child Soldiers”, the latest title promotes awareness around the isssue and reminds consumers that their spending choices have real consequences. 

 

4,9 million children in the age 5-14 years are working in Bangladesh. Extreme forms of poverty play a crucial role. Child labour is a part of a vicious cycle with poverty as a main cause as well as a main consequence. 

 

Global Conflicts: Sweatshops is a 3D role-playing simulation game based on real-life personal accounts from the region. You arrive in Bangladesh as a representative of European Leatherwear Industries to investigate a case of child labour in a tannery. A couple of days ago, you received an e-mail from a woman that claims she has spoken to a girl that works in the tannery. You have to investigate the case and find proof of child labour as well as coming up with a solution that will not damage the tannery or your company´s reputation. Should you stop buying leather from the factory knowing that it will probably shut down? The more information you gather, the better you stand in the final interview with the factory owner. 

 

“The level of awareness on the issue of child labour and laws prohibiting it is still low in some countries. Society in general has a rather indifferent attitude towards the problem. Our main goal with this game is to raise awareness about the problem and encourage social chance through game-based education” says Mikkel Lucas Overby, commercial director at SGI. 

 

Serious Games Interactive wants players to be able to relate to the problem in a more personal way by interviewing child labour victims and listen to their story. The game offers players a unique opportunity to experience the realities of sweatshops, which so far they’ve only been able to relate to through the news. The players get to experience the culture of Bangladesh and the underlying factors contributing to child labour, such as the bad working conditions, adult employment and the exploitation of workers. 

 

For the first time, Serious Games Interactive has added spoken language to a Global Conflicts title, which increases the player´s engagement and enjoyment of the title. Now you can both read and hear the conversations between the characters in the game. The game is developed for teaching subjects such as citizenship and media studies and challenges the players’ grasp on international affairs, child labour, globalization and human rights. The game will be availble to download in English and Danish from November 12th 2009 on the Global Conflicts portal: www.globalconflicts.eu