(click on the title to play the game)
Playing this game reminded of myself during that time. The 2020-2021 academic school year was my senior year in high school and I specifically remember that first day back. I was very anxious and ensured I was following all the precautions even if others were slacking a bit. This game was exactly me during that time as I would feel confused on what to do if someone else is not following COVID precautions while I am. I always had that fear if I said something, people would make fun of me and especially as a male in an Arab country. Toxic masculinity is a serious issue in the region and any male would is very hygienic could be made fun of easily as males are perceived as strong individuals, where nothing can hurt even viruses. This game helped me acknowledge my feelings and realize the reasons behind some of my actions. I would have liked of the game included more choices and chances for the user to decide on which action they are going to take as that could highlight the core reasons behind each move.
This game couldn’t be closer to the truth. Anytime somebody posts something on a social media platform, especially Facebook, a quick analysis occurs and then I decide to what extent I want to believe the piece of information they are mentioning. If I don’t know the person very well, I think I take into account their generation and that could be a significant determining factor for myself. I really liked the order of the game and how it pinpointed each aspect that we take ourselves. I think it would have better if they would have provided more information on the person posting the fact or piece of information.
This has got to be one of my favorite games by far. Even though, I don’t think I “technically” did well, it was very beneficial. It highlighted how I look at each action I take especially those that are taken in a split second. We never know the context of a situation and only base our thinking on what we see in front of us. A while ago, I listened to a podcast that spoke about our actions are based on love or fear. In these quick actions, it is not the context that makes us decide which action to take rather it is either love or fear that is making that decision for you. I loved the simplicity look of the game and wouldn’t change a thing about it.
This game was quite surprising for myself as the actions I thought I would take as president were completely different than to what I would take as a citizen. I though if I were to ever be president, I would do what is only good to the people and the environment; however, most of my answers did not benefit the environment, which lead me to making decisions that would have the best financial outcome. As a citizen, I was only choosing answers that would benefit the environment, which is weird as one would think that a citizen may bot have that much an influence, so why act good at all. I think this could be due to the theory of social proof and testimony, where if we see others doing a particular act then we would to intimate them, which would eventually encourage many people to do the same.
While playing this game, all I could think about is the double standards that Syrians and Palestines face especially nowadays since Russia’s invasion on Ukraine. Some countries that didn’t accept Syrian refugees before, like Denmark, are now fully accepting Ukrainian refugees just because they are white, christian, and “similar”. -When having to take a decision on where to go, it was very difficult as I feared people from other countries wound’t a Syrian, and could cause severe harm instead of any good.
This game certainly transported me to adulthood and made me feel very overwhelmed. I think it is because it is the most “realistic” and relatable among them. I had to constantly think of the benefits and risks of each decision and think long-term, so it was definitely difficult to navigate. I enjoyed the journey itself and how it pressured me into making choices and for putting me in difficult positions.
Reflection
All of these games were quite different in their own ways and I’m glad they were as they gave a different perspective into several areas. Some games showed how in several situations we do not the context into consideration, while in others showed that we take it to much into consideration which leads to negative outcomes. My favorite game has got to be Know Yourself as it highlighted faults within and helped me acknowledge them, which will hopefully male me a better person. September 7th, 2020, Reality Check, and Know Yourself were kind of similar in the sense that the situations are things we have experienced before, so it was very easy to connect to them. Something that I believe most of these games showed is the impact of “labels”. Every person has a label on them in any given situation and we tend to judge others based on it, not only that, but we place our own labels to ourselves. In Reality Check, we gain background information on the person to know whether the person is reliable or not, and in Know Yourself, it showcased how one person gets labeled as the “bad” guy just based on one action. In addition, when playing the BBC Syrian Refugees game, I felt that I was carrying the terrorist label around with me. We need to stop generalizing and take each individual as their own.
Omar's Thoughts 
Leave a comment