KATHMANDU: Amnesty International has launched Rights Arcade, a free human rights game app that aims to educate the next generation of human rights defenders about rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly on the occasion of International Day of Education, which falls on January 24.

Rights Arcade is designed to strengthen the human rights movement through action-oriented education. The games will boost players’ knowledge about human rights and encourage people to take action on human rights issues.

One of Rights Arcade’s key features is a self-paced approach that allows players to learn, reflect and take action at their own pace while navigating through the game’s stories.

“This game has been designed to empower and encourage people everywhere, but especially younger audiences, to learn about human rights in an engaging manner,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General. “Young people are pivotal in setting the human rights agenda, today and for the future. Reaching them in the spaces they inhabit, or with which they engage regularly, is key to enabling new generations of activists and empowering them to fight for, and protect, human rights – now and in the future.”

The players take a human rights journey through the experiences of three real-life people: Ahmed Kabir Kishor, a cartoonist unjustly charged under the Digital Security Act in Bangladesh; Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist sentenced to four years in prison for reporting about Covid-19 in China; and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, a student activist facing more than 25 charges for protesting in Thailand.

“This game is a tool that not only provides some very basic knowledge about human rights to young people but also empowers and inspires them to stand against injustices and speak out for truth and justice”, said Nirajan Thapaliya, Director of Amnesty International Nepal. “We hope to engage with our thousands of young members and supporters in Nepal through this game to enable them to learn and take actions for human rights change.”

The game’s stories, which are fictionalized experiences inspired by real-world events, are driven by a player’s choices. The player gets to play the role and navigate the experiences of the three central characters, making decisions based on their own understanding of human rights and unpacking how human rights concepts apply in daily life.

People around the world will be able to access a collection of three games currently available in four languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Thai and Korean. Rights Arcade can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices, ensuring its accessibility in regions with poor internet connectivity. Rights Arcade will be regularly updated to accommodate learning in more languages, and with new game offerings in the months and years to come.