A game about intimate partner violence, a game that tells the stories of victims through words, pictures and music.
What is this for?
- The Final Year Project of a student pursuing a diploma in Psychology Studies in Ngee Ann Polytechnic
- A Change Maker Project for We Can! Singapore, a campaign under AWARE
What is the purpose of this?
Initially, I was ambitious. I wanted to change people’s mindset, I wanted to change people’s beliefs and attitudes. But then I realise that it is not realistic. I cannot change people’s mindset, but I can act as a stepping stone towards the change I want to see. With a little more understanding and a little more knowledge, it will be possible.
How is this made?
Programming and designs are done by Min, a psychology student who have never attended any art or programming class. Fortunately, RPG Maker exists and the ability to self-learn art is possible as well.
The script is done by Min, Claris Teo and Meowticon. Claris helped to make the characters as real and 3D as possible, while Min and Meowticon incorporated psychology concepts into the game.
The plot and story is derived from Min's experience, as well as from four case studies from real clients of AWARE.
Voiceovers are done by awesome friends: Claris, Chouko and Kurogane
Why is a psychology student making a game?
Psychology seeks to understand the human behaviour. By examining why victims and perpetrators behave the way they do, I can understand the underlying causes of it and translate it into a way to allow people to understand it as well.
Psychology also seeks to change behaviours. By examining why victims often find it hard to get out of an abusive relationship, I can understand the societal and psychological reasoning behind it and seek to alter it.
Psychology also equips one with knowledge of how human emotions are triggered. By using the correct words, the correct images and the correct sounds, we can immerse players into a world that allows them to experience the character's ups and downs.
Any future plans?
Yes!!! I'm hoping to make a similar game but this time, it will be to illustrate that males can also be a victim of intimate partner violence. However, any other social causes that might benefit the society works too! Recently, AWARE is shifting their attention to single parents, so maybe a game about single parents would be good as well. I already have a concept in mind.
Since I'm a psychology student, I do hope I can pass the job of programming and designing to someone who is more skilled in the field. So that I can focus more on the script, research, gameplay and inputting psychological concepts into the game.
It'd be nice to be able to form a term of people who are passionate about using games to raise awareness about social causes
I have no time to play the game/I don't like the game-style but I wish to know about the content and how you incorporated psychological concepts into the game.
Email me, and I will send you a script of the game. Do note that the script is slightly messy.
How to contact you?
To contact Min, do email min@enlightened.sg
To visit Min's main blog, visit www.psychology-er.blogspot.com
To contact We Can! Singapore, do visit www.wecansingapore.com
To contact AWARE, do visit www.aware.org.sg
Why this? (The long and academic story.
Intimate partner violence refers to any act of physical, psychological or sexual harm from one party to another in an intimate relationship and can apply to both dating and married couples in this context.
With regards to prevalence of intimate partner violence, globally, 30% of women who have been in a relationship will experience intimate partner violence. South-east Asian reports the highest rate of 37%, with Singapore standing at 6%. The AWARE Helpline received 3089 calls and conducted 1065 counselling session in 2014, with 26% of them regarding abuse and violence issues. A survey by AWARE in 2015 also reports that 87% of sexual assault victims were assaulted by someone they know.
Despite the rate of violence, not many take action or choose to leave the abusive relationship. In fact, eight out of ten Singaporeans will not intervene even if the victim is someone they know. Less than 25% of victims will report a recent violence case to the police, and only 13.1% of victims will contact a victim support agency. Compared to America, unreported sexual assault cases stands at 67%, and 18% of victims receive help from a support agency.
This may be the result of the lack of supportive friends and family and the fear of social stigma. Unsupportive attitudes from society may also play a part in the numbers, such as how 80% of people believe that a victim should continue staying in an abusive relationship. With regards to consent, 40% and 24% of people do not find it to be essential in married couples and in dating couples respectively. With such alarming numbers, intervention to change these attitudes and behaviours is sorely needed.
References
World Health Organisation. (2002). World report on violence and health. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/full_en.pdf?ua=1
Burke, J., Denison, J., Gielen, A., McDonnell, K., & O'Campo, P. (2004). Ending intimate partner violence: an application of the transtheoretical model. American Journal Of Health Behavior, 28(2), 122-133.
Baranowski, T., Buday, R., Thompson, D. I., & Baranowski, J. (2008). Playing for real: Video games and stories for health-related behaviour change. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 34(1), 74-82. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2007.09.027
Morrongiello, B. A., Schwebel, D. C., Bell, M., Stewart, J., & Davis, A. L. (2012). An evaluation of The Great Escape: Can an interactive computer game improve young children's fire safety knowledge and behaviors?. Health Psychology, 31(4), 496-502. doi:10.1037/a0027779
Bouhours, B., Cheong, C. W., Bong, B., & Anderson, S. (2013). International violence against women survey: Final report on Singapore. Retrieved from: http://www.ncss.gov.sg/documents/Singapore%20IVAWS%20(final%20report).pdf
AWARE. (2013). AWARE launches We Can! Campaign. Retrieved from: http://www.aware.org.sg/2013/05/most-singaporeans-will-not-try-to-stop-domestic-violence-survey-shows/
AWARE. (2015). Annual Report 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.aware.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/AWARE-Annual-Report-2014.pdf
AWARE. (2015). Survey: 1 in 3 young people have faced sexual violence; few seek or receive help. Retrieved from: http://www.aware.org.sg/2015/03/survey-1-in-3-young-people-have-faced-sexual-violence-few-seek-or-receive-help
Kitzinger, J. (1994). Challenging Sexual Violence Against Girls: A Social Awareness Approach. Child Abuse Review, 3(4), 246-258. doi:0952-9136/94/040246-13
Sinozich, S., & Langton, L. (2014). Rape and sexual assault victimization among college-age females. Retrieved from: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsavcaf9513.pdf