Reflecting civic protest - the Occupy Istanbul game

The Occupy Istanbul game engages several topics pertaining to the relationship of the individual and the political sphere, including civic obedience, resistance against state power and citizen media. The project allows players to develop and test different strategies of (non)engagement, from being a passive bystander to violent activism. At the same time this decision is complicated by divergent goals in the public and the private sphere and by ambiguous decisions whose consequences become apparent only at later points in the game narrative. The paper presents the game’s design, initial user reactions, and plans for later modifications.