Global Conflicts: Palestine begins to make headlines

Written by Melanie Greeley — July 5, 2007 at 01:22

It's rare for a game to feature current real-world events, and rarer still to tackle complex and controversial issues in a mature, meaningful way. Serious Games Interactive has managed to do both in its debut title, Global Conflicts: Palestine.

As its name implies, the game revolves around the ongoing, ever-present tension in the Middle East. While not fitting neatly into a single genre classification, the self-described mix of RPG and adventure elements places the player in Jerusalem as a freelance journalist whose primary objective is to write an article to be published in a newspaper. "Armed with a pen, a notepad and your sharp wits," the player will interview people on both sides of the conflict in response to events based on real life stories. In the game's six different scenarios, the player can choose to gain trust or be confrontational with those being interviewed. This will affect what kind of information is gathered and what the player ultimately chooses to get published can change their standing with each side.

Given the divisive nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, great care has been taken to present a balanced, non-partisan perspective. Advised by a dozen experts during production, including both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli viewpoints, the developers’ claim that "certain themes and topics -- such as suicide bombs and settlements -- will provoke the player's perception of the situation and facilitate a clearer understanding of both sides. Things are never as simple as they seem at first glance."

By taking this approach, the developers are also attempting to provide a strong educational component, saying, "the game challenges the stereotypical view of video games as violent and anti-social and shows how games can contribute to a new learning experience. Global Conflicts: Palestine does what other media fail to do: put you inside the conflict and interact with both sides."

Global Conflicts: Palestine is now available for both PC and Mac. It can be purchased at the Serious Games website as a download or a physical product. A playable demo and further information about the game can be found at the official website.