TURKISH VIDEO GAME PART OF MEMORIAL FOR SLAIN JOURNALIST
By Michael Thompson
Ars Technica
h-game-part-of-memorial-for-slain-journalist.ars
F eb 27 2009
A memorial for slain journalist Hrant Dink has captured a lot of
attention for a number of reasons, but one of the most interesting
things is that it happens to include the first editorial video game
to come out of Turkey.
Hrant Dink is not a well-known name in the United States, but the
man has come to be a symbol of many things in Turkey. During his
life, the newspaper editor was one of the loudest voices advocating
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and demanding human and minority
rights in Turkey; it was his criticism of Turkey’s denial of the
Armenian Genocide that ultimately led to his assassination at
the hands of a seventeen-year-old Turkish nationalist. Since his
murder, allegations of a cover-up and the involvement of government
officials in helping protect those associated with the assassination
have resulted in public outcry and scandal. As a result, a number of
artists have created the "Forgetting is losing" campaign in Dink’s
memory; noteworthy in several ways, but one of the most interesting
is that it contains the first editorial game produced in Turkey.
The game, Huys (Armenian for "hope") actually uses the same engine
as the flash game Madrid, where players have to click on hotspots
within a limited time frame. However, while Huys uses the same
mechanics as Madrid, it utilizes different graphics: in Madrid, the
hotspots light up candles held by people, in Huys, players have to
"illuminate" signs held by people that read, "We are all Armenian –
We are all Hrant Dink." Meanwhile, facts from the murder case and
subsequent trial are displayed in a sidebar on the right-hand side
of the game’s screen. If players run out of time, an image of Dink
appears on screen with the message, "to lose is to forget."
Huys may not seem like a terribly impressive piece of software
based on its mechanics and length, but it is noteworthy for the fact
that it’s the first editorial game out of Turkey. The game helps to
simultaneously remember a man who championed human rights and spread
his message. The game can be played in Turkish, Armenian, and English.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
