All images are screen captures from (UN)TRAFFICKED. Fair use.
(UN)TRAFFICKED is a browser-based, choose-your-own-adventure video game that allows players to control the fate of Alisha, a 13-year-old Indian girl at risk of being trafficked into slavery. Developed by the foundation of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, and available in both English and Hindi, it is designed to raise awareness of child trafficking as part of a much larger campaign. It has been reported that the game has been played more than 100,000 times since its launch, with most players being based in India.
While the Satyarthi Foundation’s efforts have been widely praised, there are problems with the way in which players get to toy with the exploitation of a girl child. Like so many recent campaigns to raise awareness of trafficking, the design of the gameplay invites players to see themselves in the story as the potential hero, rather than concentrating on getting them to empathise with the victim. In this game, the player is not acting as the victim, they are acting upon the victim.
