The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

Nelson Mandela's island prison hell to become game

Win and you become the boss

Cloud based data management

Computer game violence continues to raise hackles around the world, having been fingered as a cause of gun violence in the USA and suggested as an underminer of civility just about everywhere else.

What to make, therefore, of an imminent game that will simulate nearly two decades of imprisonment and mind-numbing labour on a hellish prison island?

The folks behind this imminent game believe it will have historical and educational value, because the software will offer players the chance to understand Nelson Mandela's long ordeal on Robben Island, where he spent 18 of 27 years as a political prisoner.

Mandela developed a philosophy of forgiveness when on the island and, after release, became South Africa's first President elected by all South Africans of all races.

The game offering insights into his life may therefore sound banal, but needs to be understood in its context, namely a project called Mandela 27 that aims to help children understand Mandela's life.

The EU-funded project will see Coventry University's Serious Games Institute do some of the work on the game, which will offer an interactive map of Robben Island, the site of the prison where Mandela was held. As visitors to the exhibition leave a replica of Mandela's cell, they will “... go outside to the prison yard [and] play the serious game – a dark graphic novel about his time at Robben Island.” The game will simulate activities like breaking rocks.

The Mandela 27 project will tour the UK, South Africa, Sweden and Belgium from 2014. Once the physical component of the project concludes, the online content will remain online for three years. ®

Regcast training : Hyper-V 3.0, VM high availability and disaster recovery

Re: Games are never realistic

> 27 years of breaking rocks (clicking the mouse) is not going to be fun.

My son seems to spend a lot of time doing just that on minecraft

5
0

If you manage to find the rocket launcher and jump nelson up to the quad damage on the prison roof you can pretty much wipe the map and win in 10 minutes

4
0

Re: Stupid

I'm sure WW2 veterans are united in their anger at the Medal of Honour franchise.

Or not.

2
0

More from The Register

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Proof the pen is mightier?
Sammy’s iPad Mini killer has a stylus to stab other rivals too
Microsoft lures buy-curious vixens, corduroys with a cheap fondle
Surface slab sales latest: Will no one rid Ballmer of these turbulent tabs?
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
No, Apple hasn't released it yet, but that doesn't stop intrepid devs
 breaking news
Curtain drops on Apple Store ahead of WWDC: What lies behind?
Steve Jobs watching from on high. No pressure, lads
 breaking news
Cold, dead hands of Steve Jobs slip from iPhones: The Cult of Ive is upon us
Billionaire biz baron's death clears way for uber-shiny iOS 7
Airbus imagines suitcases that find themselves
Point your mobe at your smalls to track their every move
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
Samsung plans LTE Advanced version of Galaxy S4
1Gbps download capability could stiffen drooping S4 sales forecasts
Ex-HTC execs launch UK-based smartphone maker Kazam
Startup threatens to 'disrupt status quo' this year