CAROLINE MEYERS ESF-Agency Flanders Working group raising awareness. Social Media Game

Overview gender mainstreaming Strategy: 4*C – Create a brand (that everyone –esf -, always, everywhere –Europe- uses) – Catch the attention: ‘a tool’ (movie, action, game,…) – Connect. (with information, tips and tricks,… and communities) – Communicate (the values of the brand) to the (different) targetgroups.

Actual situation Lot’s of campaigns and initiatives communicating about gender topics. – Different – Fragmented – Unfindable – Unpleasant – Rarely talk of the town (except: equal payday, Daniel Graig,…) A kind of ‘fatigue’ about the subject, (people say: ‘again a campaign’) Changing ancient habits, will take ages/centuries. Rarely embedded/connected. …

Why a game: Catch the attention ‘a tool’, ‘a movie’, …? A GAME! Launch a social game to generate the attention & raise awareness. – Game based learning (subconcious learning) – Emotional (fun) – Immersive (play) – Connecting (social) – Interaction (conversation) – Easy to find (facebook) – Easy to share(facebook) – Big audience and growing – Contemporary: new ways of communicating

Social Games? What is Farmville _.mp4 – ‘As of November 2011, Zynga's games on Facebook have over 200 million monthly active users.’ ‘Who plays Casual Games? Casual games appeal to people of all ages, gender and nationalities. It’s estimated that there are more than 200 million players via the Internet. A majority of those who purchase casual games, however, are over 30 and female. In addition, casual games are usually played for a short period of time, from five minutes to 20 minutes – though it’s common for people to play for hours.’

Social Games? 2009AA# million US2911,5 G283,3 UK295,2 F : Boomed AA: 43 Y in US

Social game?

Connect Game SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook WEBSITESINFORMATIONACTIONS CONVERSATION brand

Game introduction. ‘A Strange world’ (working title) ‘A Strange world’ (working title) A gender neutral alien comes out of space. ‘IT’ sees that there are differences between men and women. ‘IT’ thinks ‘Earth’ is A strange world. Earth doesn’t know how to handle ‘IT’, it is no man & no woman. ‘IT’ starts to live and work on Earth as – A CHILD (level 1) – A STUDENT (level 2) – AN ADULT (level 3) – A PENSIONER / RETIRED (level 4)

Game The Game: Lifecycle-based and labor related. principles: The choice was made for a work-related 'lifecycle‘. The choice was made for a work-related 'lifecycle‘. This means that the levels (4) of the game are built in four phases of the human life linked to labor issues in the broad sense of the word. This means that the levels (4) of the game are built in four phases of the human life linked to labor issues in the broad sense of the word. There was opted for both female and male gender issues to raise in the game. There was opted for both female and male gender issues to raise in the game. During each level you play a different gender. During each level you play a different gender.

Gameplay Gameplay:Twofold: Firstly there is the velocity component: the faster a level is played, the better the score. Firstly there is the velocity component: the faster a level is played, the better the score. Second there is the ‘collect’ component. The alien has to collect items to keep on living. Second there is the ‘collect’ component. The alien has to collect items to keep on living. The game is played against a CPU (computer character), this figure is always of the opposite sex (level 1: male, level 2: female, level 3: male, female level 4). The game is played against a CPU (computer character), this figure is always of the opposite sex (level 1: male, level 2: female, level 3: male, female level 4).

Game obstacles Obstacles (work in progress): Level 1: girls have to work more in household than boys: so the obstacles are household issues objects (dishwash, cleaning,...) Level 1: girls have to work more in household than boys: so the obstacles are household issues objects (dishwash, cleaning,...) Level 2: School is getting more and more feminin, boys are getting behind, so obstacles are things boys play with (distraction) Level 2: School is getting more and more feminin, boys are getting behind, so obstacles are things boys play with (distraction) Level 3: work - household related 'objects' (like babies and other...) the feminin character bumps into them, while the man has far less obstacles Level 4: retirement are all health related issues 'objects' (sickbed, wheelchair,...) Level 3: work - household related 'objects' (like babies and other...) the feminin character bumps into them, while the man has far less obstacles Level 4: retirement are all health related issues 'objects' (sickbed, wheelchair,...)

Gameflow Level 1 ‘IT’ is designated ‘female’, girls have to do more tasks in household than boys. (+-10%) ‘IT’ has to run through the level, and pick up apples to grow (and to live), there are dishwashers and tasks which slow down. Level 2 ‘IT’ is designated ‘male’, boys leave school more than girls (4%) Girls have 7% more higher education certificates than boys. ‘IT’ has to run through the level, and pick up diploma’s and numbers (education), there are balls and toy obstacles which slow down. Level 3 ‘IT’ is designated ‘female’, there is a pay gap of 17% in Europe between man and women. ‘IT’ has to run through the level, and pick up coins (earn money), there are flying babies and household obstacles which slow down. Level 4 ‘IT’ is designated ‘male’, men die sooner than women, 6 years. ‘IT’ has to run through the level, and pick up pills and medicins (health), there are sick beds and health obstacles which slow down. And at once ‘IT’ can drop dead.

IT Child Student Adult Retired

Level design

For more information ESF-Agency Flanders Caroline Meyers Tel.: World/ ?id= &sk=app_