Download ConflictDiamond.zip (5.6MB Windows executable)
This past weekend we ran the first annual Boston Game Jam in The Education Arcadelab here at MIT. I've written a summary of the event as a guest blog for Henry Jenkins. In this post, I want to describe the game that I created, called Conflict Diamond. It's a game for change designed to draw attention to segments of the diamond trade that support violence. Here is the description of the issue included in the game on its About screen:
Conflict diamonds are most definitely not a girl’s best friend. According to Wikipedia, “A blood diamond (also called a conflict diamond or a war diamond) is a diamond mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgent or invading army's war efforts.”
Synthetic diamonds are molecularly superior to “genuine” diamonds, but are stigmatized by many consumers as not being “the real thing.” Unfortunately, some “geniune” diamonds fund brutal organizations that not only kill but conscript child soldiers, keep soldiers drugged and out of their minds, and amputate limbs in whole villages. Synthetic diamonds don’t fund these atrocities.
The issue is a complicated one. Most "genuine" diamonds sold do not fund conflicts. There is a certification process by which diamonds can be verified as coming from conflict-free zones, however it is not entirely effective. Ideally, the money coming from the sale of "genuine" diamonds would go to support the lands where they originated, which are frequently desperately poor. In reality, the regions where diamonds come from in Africa remain impoverished, due to corruption and other factors. Synthetic diamonds do not support poor African villages, unfortunately, but since "genuine" diamonds don't actually support much growth either, that's not a crucial factor in deciding which kind of diamond to buy. In fact, any growth "genuine" diamonds do support in these troubled territories is undone many times over by the conflicts they also support. One can argue that getting verified diamonds from conflict-free countries like Canada is the best option, because it supports local industry without also supporting violence. However, synthetic diamonds are a legitimate choice for consumers, and promoting verified diamonds over synthetic ones reinforces the stigmatization synthetic diamonds have already suffered. The desire for "genuine" diamonds in turn supports the conflict diamond market.
You can read more about this issue at RealDiamondFacts.org.
The game I designed to educate consumers on this issue asks players to take on the role of a diamond salesman facing both financial pressures and consumer attitudes. Players choose one of two salesmen to role-play. One salesman only sells synthetic diamonds, and the other only sells "genuine." As each salesman makes sales, he gains experience and eventually increases his ability to sell more and more expensive diamonds. The synthetic diamond salesman begins life with a lower salesmanship level, representing the added challenge of selling synthetic diamonds to consumers. If he tries to sell a diamond above his level, there will be a high probability that the consumer will respond, "Synthetic? I'm not interested." On the bright side, he can more cheaply restock his diamond inventory. The "genuine" diamond salesman begins life with a higher salesmanship level, since it's easier to sell "genuine" diamonds to consumers looking for "the real thing." However, he must pay more to restock, and when he tries to sell a diamond above his level consumers may respond, "I don't want to fund violence." In reality, consumers are rarely aware that they are funding violence. The game is suggesting how they might respond if they knew more about the issue.
As a game, the play experience is pretty thin. The Boston Game Jam only allowed me 36 consecutive hours, so I wasn't able to implement many features. I would be surprised if players played for more than 5 or 10 minutes. However, I think the simple act of adopting the perspective of both the humanitarian and financial pressures may help players see the issue in a new way.
Credits:
Dan Roy - design, programming
Geoffrey Long - art
Duncan Watt - sound
Screenshots (click thumbnails for larger images):
Did you know that I was
Did you know that I was purchased from a conflct diamond zone? Kidding aside, I look forward to reading the full write-up!. Keep up the good work!