We have all grown up hearing that video games will rot our brains and stunt our overall development. Our parents always tried to force the controllers from our hands and wanted us to partake in socialising so as to not become an introvert in our formative years. Well, with the advent of technology, that has become increasingly difficult and as a fallout, a lot of our youngsters are indeed having trouble maintaining healthy relationships with peers of their age group.
To address this very real problem, the folks over at BBC Action Media have developed a fantastic game called Nugget. Based on the simple premise that “Every protagonist needs an antagonist”, the hero, Nugget, faces six enemies that represent the facets of daily lives that pose challenges to teenagers in their daily lives.
The very premise of the game is to sensitise teenagers and their parents about the crippling nature of peer pressure, bullying and being ostracised by your fellow peers for being different. Having been developed from the direct inputs from those affected and how they overcame their problems. The core gameplay revolves around overcoming gender stereotypes and sensitising teens to the telltale signs of the same.
The game is as much as a tool to cope with bullying as it is a learning tool for youngsters to recognise the telltale signs and dangers of gender based bullying and why it’s bad to partake in the same.
In a country where gender based crimes and discrimination is reaching its zenith, it is high time that professionals from all fields lend their expertise and do their part in combating this horrendous demon that exists in our society still. I for one am glad that new mediums like gaming are being explored to reach out to todays youth in what is sure to be a more impactful campaign than most.
