Ramzi’s Rumble: 'Arabs in games are rarely shown as the good guys'
Ramzi’s Rumble: 'Arabs in games are
rarely shown as the good guys'
A young boy battles against settlers
in this politically charged exploration of the Palestinian conflict. But can
games deal with such provocative themes?
Ramzi’s Rumble – a provocative and
deliberately simplified take on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict Photograph:
Public Domain
Although it
is not always obvious, most games, particularly shooters, are politically
charged. While the first-person games I grew up playing were mainly concerned
with emulating the second world war (Medal Of Honour, Call Of Duty), over the
past 10 years or so, new theatres of conflict have emerged: the Middle East,
Africa, South America, Asia.
And in games such as Delta Force:
Land Warrior, Full Spectrum Warrior, Counterstrike, as well as the modern
versions of the Call of Duty and Medal of Honor franchises (which have switched
to commonly Arab enemies), the heroes come with guns, grenades and American
accents. The overwhelming narrative is that there are clear heroes and
villains, and the heroes are strong, militant, and ready to kill.
London-based game developers Paolo
Caravajal and Vinay Chaudhri are trying to challenge that. Their game, Ramzi’s
Rumble, is a platformer, which aims to subvert the traditional narratives of
victim and villain – with some of their own political agenda thrown in.
Developed in June over snatched
weekends and evenings, Ramzi’s Revenge sees a young boy Ramzi, who comes home
to find his land invaded by settlers. It’s not subtle, but the game is focused
on a clear and pointed agenda: to raise the issue of illegal occupation.
“At the heart of the conflict is
the story of someone big taking something from someone small,” says Chaudhri.
“It’s about the systematic injustice being carried out against the occupied
Palestinian people. We felt we needed a new approach to telling an old story.
Gaming involves people in a much more immersive way. We wanted to experiment
with a new medium, to see if that could disrupt and refocus the discussion.”
Fortunately, the platform format
ensures the game is not as complex as the issue – with only four characters,
(Ramzi, Settler, Soldier, and Builder) it has a relatively simple conceit. The
aim is to help Ramzi save his land by throwing pebbles at construction workers,
dodge their hammers, and squash soldiers.
Co-developer Caravajal says that
the simplicity of the design is deliberate. Despite seemingly making light of
complexity, the game is aimed at adults, and they hope to give it an age
restriction at a later date. The project is currently onKickstarter
and is picking up support.
Games
as provocation
But is it too provocative? Critics
may argue that the uncompromising message is pro-Palestinian propaganda. “It’s
not meant to be,” says Caravajal. “What the game is doing is addressing a very
specific issue, about illegal settlements. It is not about religion or
politics, it’s about illegal occupation. A bunch of folks stealing land and
homes from other people. The supreme court in Israel rejects settlements, as do
the international community, the EU, many Jews and non-Jews.”
Mainstream gamers being challenged
to politically engage on global issues is arguably no bad thing – and it is
becoming more common. Last year saw the release of the critically acclaimed
Papers, Please, a simulation that puts players into the role of a border guard
controlling immigration into a fictitious eastern European state. And released
in November, This War of Mine from Polish studio 11Bit, is based around helping
civilians to survive in a war-torn city. Like those titles, a game that focuses
on illegal settlement is a chance to create discussion.
Sarah Colborne, director of the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, supports their ambition: “Israel’s settlements
in the West Bank are just one aspect of Israel’s illegal occupation of
Palestinian land, and are rightly condemned by the UN and by governments
worldwide, including our own,” she says. “Using video games to get that message
across is a novel way to continue to raise awareness, and, hopefully, to reach
new audiences of people who will then join their voices with ours to end
injustice.”
Certainly, the concept of the
little man fighting back is a theme that most gamers will recognise – it’s just
that here, the man in question represents a different culture than we’re used
to.
So is this kind of social
commentary going to become more common in gaming? Chaudhri certainly hopes so.
“In games, movies and comics,
Arabs are rarely the good guys. So there are millions of intelligent young
minds out there, playing shoot-‘em-up games for hours on end, where the heroes
are American special ops machos and the villains are swarthy foreigners.
“When [players] see real-world
stories about those guys, it’s hard to empathise with them on a human level,
because they’ve been the bad guys until then. How are you supposed to feel when
those same ‘bad guys’ are the victims of a bombing or an invasion?”
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