Pac-Man it ain’t
Homeless game gives insight into life on the street
BY Jeff Nield
Video games aren’t generally hailed for their social conscience, but Vancouver grad student Terry Lavender has designed a game that tackles a crucial social issue head-on. “Homeless: It’s No Game” (www.homelessgame.net) was created to educate players about the day-to-daystruggle of the homeless.
“One of my courses called for me to design a game,” says Lavender, who is studying at Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology. “So I decided to design it about an issue in my neighbourhood, and homelessness seemed like a logical issue to tackle.” (Low incomes, lack of affordable housing and absence of support services have Vancouver’s homeless population on the rise.)
The object of the game is simple: survive on the streets for 24 hours while maintaining your selfesteem. Along the way, you navigate the streets in search of things you can sell or bottles you can collect. You deal with all the things most of us take for granted but that homeless people cope with daily—like keeping your belly full and your bladder empty. If your esteem hits a level of 25 you win the game.
Lavender unveiled his game to favourable reviews in New York this past June at a conference organized by Games for Change, a group dedicated to creating and promoting digital games that educate and encourage social change.
In Vancouver, progressive politicians and activists are some of the game’s biggest fans. “What I really like about the game is that it is very accurate in replicating the experience of people on the street,” says Judy Graves, coordinator of the City of Vancouver’s Tenant Assistance Program. “It’s an excellent awareness-raising tool.” Both Graves and Lavender have had homeless people play the game and all of them have said it’s true to their situation. Lavender hopes that games like his will illustrate that gaming has come a long way from Pac-Man, and is developing a conscience. “It’s just another medium. You can use it for frivolous things or you can use it for serious things.”
