How technology, gamification can be used to spread awareness on social causes

Authored by Sharmishtha Roy

Gaming has always been perceived as an activity of leisure but we have witnessed a paradigm shift in this notion in recent times.The significance of gaming as a tool has been recognized and the concept of ‘Gamification’ has become a rage across the world with people using game design elements and gaming principles in areas as diverse as learning, marketing, health etc. More than 3 billion of the 8 billion people on Earth (roughly 40% of the global population) regularly play games and the numbers are also impressive in India. According to a report by Sequoia, more than 300 million people play mobile games in India and the market is witnessing a surge of about 38% every year. Gaming has become a popular source of entertainment globally and has left the movies and social media behind.  

With this degree of engagement the time is right to use the world’s favorite activity as a tool to raise awareness and sensitivity around burning environmental and social issues. One such issue that deserves immense attention is Human trafficking. It is not just a grave crime committed in the society across the globe but what is also alarming is how rampant it is with millions of people falling prey to this evil.  In India, the statistics are shocking with an estimated 1827 women being trafficked every hour making it the second-largest organized crime.  Despite its severity, the issue has not found its prominence in public dis

With the aim of harnessing the power of gaming as a tool, in 2022, we partnered with Missing Link trust to introduce “ MISSING” the world’s first anti-trafficking game on our platform. With over 100 Million users, we at MPL, wanted to leverage the reach of our platform and the popularity of gamification to address this issue and raise awareness about human trafficking. With this, the game became the central medium to engage people about the issue.

Targeted for a mature audience, MISSING is a role playing game that unravels the dark world of human trafficking and enables the players to witness the plight of a trafficked victim. Through the power of storytelling, the game highlights scenarios that a victim can go through and also draws attention to the fact that in many cases, the perpetrators of the crime can be people who the victims know personally. The game tests players' understanding of human trafficking, the strategies used by traffickers, the options accessible to victims, etc., giving them a perspective on the complexity and gravity of the issue.

Conceptualized with the purpose of raising awareness among potential victims and educating them on the warning signs, MISSING has been strategically made available in 11 languages, including Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, making it accessible to the most vulnerable communities where trafficking is predominant.

Along with enabling the game to be accessed by millions of our users, we also engaged with strong voices who lent their support in amplifying our campaign on social media. To support our efforts in the awareness campaign, we collaborated with Organizations like Shakti Vahini and SNEHA that assist victims locally, as well as police departments in Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore, and Delhi. We also conducted discussions that looked at evidence-based solutions and collaborated with pioneers like Hasina Kharbhih, Founder of the Impulse NGO, which works to rehabilitate victims and Dr. PM Nair, the former director-general of the National Disaster Response Force & Civil Defence, GOI. These endeavors enabled us to reach millions of people and drive awareness in some of the most vulnerable areas like Assam, Orissa, UP, Jharkhand. MISSING has also received great response on our platform with the title consistently being featured amongst the top 20% most played games on MPL.

The success of the campaign clearly goes on to elucidate how technology and gamification, if used effectively, can be an immensely powerful tool to spread the word on larger social issues.  If embarked upon , this path can offer endless opportunities. We can use gamification and bring issues like drug abuse, Gender inequality, female infanticide and poverty to the forefront. We need India’s gaming community, developers, NGOs and government bodies to come together and use the powerful force of gaming to put out some of the most grave social issues to national prominence.