As part of an EU-funded information campaign, an on-line game launches today to draw attention to the issue of domestic violence. Aimed at young adults, and hosted on VKontakte and Facebook, the game sets the player in a variety of virtual situations in which violence occurs, and asks them to choose the most appropriate way to behave. The game inspires the player to think about violence in their lives in an entertaining and non-threatening way, and to stimulate positive behavior in the real world.

Players can join the game on the web site http://game.vsirivni.com.ua/game where they could use also their accounts on vKontakte and Facebook. Points are awarded according to the type of behavior chosen to resolve the conflict. All players will receive a prize, with the top 100 receiving a memory stick.

“Although intended to be attractive and entertaining, the game has a very serious message, that there are always alternatives to choosing or condoning violence. Playing the game puts you in the role of witness, aggressor or victim in a series of virtual situations in which violence is occurring, and you have to choose which way to behave in each case. This not only gets you thinking about violence, but also about how you as an individual can influence or act in real life situations to reduce violence and conflict”, stated Rick Flint, team leader of EU Project running the campaign.

“In one scenario, for instance, an evening gathering with friends ends in a fight which is seen by one young child. The player has to resolve the conflict ensuring that the child is not harmed psychologically. This presents an excellent opportunity for young people to think about their behaviour and is a powerful learning and education tool”, explained Maxim Protsenko, the game developer.

The on-line game is part of a wider national campaign against violence “Stay Human” aimed at breaking the wall of silence that surrounds this phenomenon. Over the summer a network of over 300 volunteers distributed 500,000 magenta bracelets in Ukraine supported by media relations, advertising and events across the country. The campaign is financed by the European Union and supported by the Ministry of Ukraine for Family, Youth and Sports within the framework of the project “Women and Children’s Rights in Ukraine – communications component”.