EN GenderAdventure - Citizen Games

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Welcome to this e-learning module!

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Gender Adventure: a serious game for high-school students

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CONTEXT &MAKING-OF

GAMETECHNICALITIES

BACKGROUNDINFORMATION

Creation process

Have you seen the first three sections? Move on to the fourth part of this module!

Game storyGame instructionsQuiz questions

DefinitionsConcepts in the game

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Menu - Introduction

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Three NGOs and five universities across Europe have joined forces to deliver a serious game on the topic of gender discrimination. This game is meant for high-school students and is available in six languages. A teacher's manual and this module have been created to help teachers use the game in their class as a starting point for a discussion on gender discrimination. This project was financed by Erasmus+ and the tools will remain free to use in the future.

SURVEY

01

06-09/21

MOBILITY

02

01/22

PROTOTYPE

03

02-04/22

FINAL GAME

04

05-06/22

MANUAL

05

06/22

Creation process

Project partner organisations:

Surveying high-school students across Europe to know their interests and chose the topics for the mobility

Gathering university students across Europe to develop the best possible game proposal

Creating a first version of the game, based on the winning proposal & testing the game in high-schools across Europe

Improving the game into a final version and finalising everything in the different languages

Writing a pedagogical manual and developing the e-learning module to help teachers using the game with their students

‘Gender Adventure’ is a serious game that allows the player to experiment gender discrimination in public places. In this serious game, each student plays as Maverick, an alien that found the Pioneer Plaque in space. Two human bodies, male and female, are represented on this Plaque.All aliens being non-gendered and looking similar at birth, Maverick was intrigued by these representations. Maverick thus decided to come and visit Earth in order to do a small experiment with how gender works for humans in daily life. Maverick gets the chance to follow three humans in their daily life, one person identifying as a female, one as a male, one as non-binary.

For each of the threemini-games, discover the chosen scenario, and related scenery by clicking on the corresponding alien-character:

Game story

Let's walk the street

Time for sport

Welcome to our high-school

Move on to the next page to discover the game technicalities and instructions.

Have you seen the first three sections? Move on to the fourth part of this module!

Move on to the next page to discover the game technicalities and instructions.

Pioneer Plaque

The alien-character, Maverick, walks down a street as a woman and experiences catcalling. This type of discrimination was chosen for the female character to be confronted with because it is a major issue and one of the main sources of harassment that women have to deal with in everyday reality. Born from the hypersexualisation of women’s bodies in a generally patriarchal context, catcalling most intensely crystallises the discrimination that women can experience in public places.

The alien character, Maverick, in a man’s shoes, is confronted with the concept of toxic masculinity. Maverick wants to engage in a few sports activities and goes to a running track, then the gym, and finally to a football field. This scenario was designed around situations that induce physical strength, in which men are especially confronted with what they should or should not be.

The alien character, Maverick, is now a non-binary high-school student. The alien lives an ordinary day in different high school places: registration, classroom, schoolyard, bathroom, canteen and library. This scenario was designed to showcase the difficulties that people with diverse gender identities can experience in everyday life, when some people show discriminatory behaviour towards those who do not identify with the sex they were given at birth.

Discover the specificities of the different elements present in the game:

Platforms

Comments

Frustration meter

Hearts

Laser beams

Game instructions

Move on to the next page to discover the game technicalities and instructions.

Have you seen the first three sections? Move on to the fourth part of this module!

Each mini-game is followed by a series of three quiz-questions. Find them on the next page!Answering these questions correctly can give extra points to the player,

INSTRUCTIONS:You will follow each of the three humans during an everyday activity. You will encounter a number of ‘situations and comments.’ Depending on your character gender some might frustrate you, and others might cheer you up. It is up to you to choose wisely! Depending on your choices your ‘frustration-meter’ will reflect how well you manage to keep your spirits up and your frustration down. You can jump using the UP and DOWN KEYS.

Your objective is to jump through the comments that you consider POSITIVE, while avoiding those that you find NEGATIVE.

Pick up extra energy on the way by jumping through HEARTS, your frustration-meter will go towards GREEN.

Your frustration meter will reflect your gameplay: towards GREEN (100) is good news, towards RED (0) the opposite.

Try to avoid all LASER BEAMS, otherwise your frustration-meter will move towards RED.

The platforms allow you to land while jumping and choose the comments you want to pick.

When asked in an Irish survey carried out by upper secondary students, some 60% of young women and girls under 20 questioned said they had been the subject of ‘catcalling’ in the previous week.True or False?

‘Catcalls of …’ is a world-wide initiative towards awareness and fight-back. It focuses on: A. making catcalling visible. B. shaming catcallers.

French anti-street harassment laws differ from those of many other countries. They: A. hand out stricter sentences. B. work out on the spot.

Ireland’s youth information website ‘spunout’ mentions a number of ways to tackle ‘toxic masculinity.’ Most effective is:A. to talk about it.B. to challenge it.

In a Luxemburg-based gender information centre, a ‘gender drop’ entitled ‘Boys will be boys,’ a Gilette video advertisement, is presented as:A. positive campaigning.B. misleading colourwashing.

According to a UK -based feminist-led charity news post, which of these two examples of ‘toxic masculinity behaviour’ is highest in their top 10 ranking?A. Being stoic.B. Being dominant.

July 14 is International Non-binary People’s Day. UK-based Stonewall campaigns for non-binary inclusion and strongly focuses on: A. people’s experiences. B. people’s language.

By 2025, Dutch ID-cards will be gender-free. ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) Europe welcomes this as a: A. first step forward towards non-binary registration. B. breakthrough in non-binary registration.

EIGE, the European Institute for Gender Equality, claims ‘education is key for breaking gender stereotypes.’ New research indicates that a major challenge is:A. gender segregation.B. traditional career choices.

Quiz questions per scenario

The correct answer is: B. Law officers fine perpetrators on the street. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniefillion/2021/01/26/2-years-later-what-we-can-learn-from-frances-anti-catcalling-law/?sh=7c90569b75dc

The correct answer is: A. True, 60%, indeed, in only one week. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/it-s-scary-and-uncomfortable-schoolgirls-seek-end-to-catcalling-1.4520281

The correct answer is: A. Catcalls are chalked down on the spot where they occurred. https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/video/panorama-cat-calls-of-mainz-100.html

The correct answer is: B. The video fakes positive action for business purposes. https://cid-fg.lu/en/drops/8-boys-will-be-boys/

The correct answer is: A. ‘Being stoic’ is top of the list! https://www.aurorand.org.uk/news/top-10-toxic-masculinity-behaviours

The correct answer is: A. Talk, whatever you do! https://spunout.ie/life/bullying/how-to-challenge-toxic-masculinity

The correct answer is: A. Good for the Netherlands only. https://eige.europa.eu/news/education-key-breaking-gender-stereotypes

The correct answer is: B. Young people tend to choose careers based on traditional gender roles. https://eige.europa.eu/news/education-key-breaking-gender-stereotypes

The correct answer is: B. Inclusive language-use is a strong tool for stepping up as an ally to non-binary people. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/10-ways-step-ally-non-binary-people

Deepen your understanding of these concepts and how they are addressed in the game:

refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviour, expressions and identities of girls, boys, and gender diverse people. It influences how people perceive themselves and each other.

refers to a set of biological attributes at birth (chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and functions, and reproductive/sexual anatomy). Sex is usually categorized as female or male but there is variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed.

Sex

Gender

Read details and discover more concepts in our teacher's manual!

Gender-role socialisation: how do societies create men and women?Consequences: how do differences lead to inequalities and discrimination?Preventing and reacting: what are the solutions to limit gender discrimination?

Definitions

Catcalling

Toxic masculinity

is “a loud shout or whistle expressing disapproval, especially made by people in a crowd”. (Cambridge dictionary)

is a set of “ideas about the way that men should behave that are seen as harmful. For example, the idea that men should not cry or admit weakness”. (Cambridge dictionary)

Concepts in the game

The comments below are a selection of those that the players will be confronted with in the game.Hover over these comments to understand the real-life concepts they reflect.

Hey good looking!

This comment reflects how women are often reduced to their appearance and how good they look. Although it might appear as a compliment, it shows little respect to the person and implies a judgment.

Look at that ass!

This comment reflects the hypersexualisation of a woman's body. In addition to reducing the person to her body, this comment also implies that her only worth lies in her sexual attributes.

Don't be shy

This comment reflects how women can be confronted with insisting harassers. In real-life situations, this comment is often heard when a victim tries to ignore a previously said discriminating or insulting comment.

My dress is not a yes

This comment opposes the idea that victims of sexual assaults have a responsibility in it, and aims to deconstruct the idea that the way someone dresses can be interpreted as an invite to having sex.

Leave her alone

This comment is an example of how street harassment can be stopped. Helping victims out of discriminating or insulting situations, and not letting a harasser get away with the assault should be encouraged.

Do it if you're a man

This comment suggests that some things (sport performances in this case) are expected so that someone can truly be a man. It is a typical form of toxic masculinity that dictates male behaviour.

Weaky weaky

This comment is an insult that relates to the idea that men need to be strong.

All boys like football

This comment is a gender stereotype that can harm someone's confidence in building their own identity.

It's OK to cry

This comment is supportive and deconstructs the idea that men shouldn't show their emotions or any sign of "weakness" or empathy.

Never give up

This comment is supportive and invites the victim to keep fighting for their rights to be themselves and for self-accomplishment.

This is not a circus

This comment reflects how non-binary and other gender-diverse people are sometimes considered as abnormal.

Are you a girl or a boy?

This comment reflects how gender identity is too often reduced to a binary choice with which not everyone can identify.

You shouldn't exist

This comment reflects how far hate speech towards gender-diverse people can go and how it can lead to deep exclusion of social groups.

I like your self-confidence

This comment is an encouragement to someone expressing their own identity and acknowledges the courage that is required to sometimes be oneself in front of people who do not understand gender diversity.

Choose the bathroom you prefer

This comment is an open choice, respecting someone's preferences and placing their well-being over social norms.

To facilitate the discussion about the different comments in the game, you can use a "pause" function by pressing "p" while playing.

Chronologically, organise your class activity!

Drag and put the elements in the correct order. Then check if you are right in "solution".

1

2

3

5

4

6

Preparing the class: introducing the game concept and instructions

Identifying existing and possible ways to prevent and react to gender discrimination

Launching the debate: understanding of different gender discrimination

Taking the focus on gender social construction and fighting inequalities

SOLUTION

1. Organising the classroom: playing on computers and having space for a debate2. Preparing the class: introducing the game concept and instructions 3. Playing the game and ecouraging students to think about its meaning4. Launching the debate: understanding of different gender discrimination 5. Taking the focus on gender social construction and fighting inequalities 6. Identifying existing and possible ways to prevent and react to gender discrimination

Organising two classroom set-ups: playing on computers and having space for a debate

Playing the game and encouraging students to think about its meaning

Got your session correctly organised?To make sure your students get the most of the game, find possible debate questions on the next page:

Debate questions

Find elements to answer these questions in our teacher's manual!

If you're ready to go,move on to the concluding slide!

A proposal to guide the most important part of the class activity!

First impressions

Scenarios

Female characterMale characterNon-binary character

Gender socialisation

Did you feel comfortable playing each character? Why?In everyday life, what influences our perceptions of each gender?

Solutions

What could help winning the game with a better score?What are solutions to avoid negative situations from the game in real life?

How would you feel sending or receiving such messages?What was the general objective of the game?What happened and what did you understand?

1

2

Click on the numbers to find questions for each scenario.

3

What is catcalling? Why do women experience more catcalling than men? Can you imagine men hearing the same comments while walking down the street? Why? What are the consequences of catcalling? What did you learn from and were you surprised by the answers to the wrap-up questions?

Have you ever heard of toxic masculinity? What does it mean? Can you imagine women hearing the same comments? Why? What are the consequences of toxic masculinity? What did you learn from and were you surprised by the answer to the wrap-up questions?

What is the difference between someone’s sex and gender? What does it mean to be non-binary? Why are those comments targeted towards non-binary people? Who else could receive this type of comments? What did you learn from and were you surprised by the answer to the wrap-up questions?

Thank youfor exploring thise-learning module!

Play the game! (Chrome/Opera)

Downloadthe manual!

Send us feedback!

Gender Adventure

Visit the project website to discover the serious game for middle-school students on cyberharrassment:

#YouToo

Start again:

carragon@lepartenariat.org