Ways and Means

Another World Is Possible, But Only If Reed Richards Gets Feedback from the Slums

When I shared my last post via Facebook, it generated some interesting feedback about the function of technology in development. (In the socio-economic sense of the word, that is.)

Miam Tan-Fabian -- a science educator with experience in business development -- asked:

Why did you choose mobile games over say any other development initiative that is tech driven?

There's a whole range of tech-driven devt initiatives in the work of Pralahad and Hammond about how businesses have tapped the base of the pyramid.

The short answer: mobile games are form of pop media, and this blog deals primarily with how the developing world both consumes and creates pop media, and specifically how the ‘Global South’ -- with all its nuances and complex social dynamics -- participates in geek culture. As far as the subject matter goes, the “development initiative” aspect was ultimately a secondary issue, callous as that sounds.

Part of this is related to the fluid, amorphous nature of geek culture, writ large, and the fact that my own personal interests are closer to the more blatantly entertaining and leisure-oriented aspects of it -- be it superhero comics, or Dieselpunk aesthetics, or chiptune music. Most of it boils down to the idea of play.  As an individual blogger, mobile games were simply the most interesting form of tech-oriented development project (and to my hypothetical readers).

   [eKindling teams up with One Laptop Per Child Philippines - image not credited - source]         

As Miam observes:

The case studies that Pralahad and Hammond did aren't theories. They are real cases. They are saying that the traditional business model does not work for the places where one can reach the poorest of the poor...so there are models like shared ownership, super low deposits for microfinance, etc.

Frankly, to get into a discussion of the relative merits of these alternative business models would be straying from the remit of this blog. There’s a time and place for discussing larger-scale development initiatives, but for now, this isn’t it.


"Blind philanthropy"

Likewise, anthropology specialist and erstwhile Dtoid blogger Lori Navarro cautions against "blind philanthropy - a waste of time and resources, with some adverse effects on communities as well if you haven't done your research":

I do believe that tech brings a huge benefit to alleviating poverty, but it has to be done cautiously and linked to broader systemic issues... Otherwise you'll have smartphones with no electricity, teachers with low computer literacy, water filter straws that are too expensive/unusable, etc.

IRL what I'm struggling with is to see people inspired, or should I say Kirkin' it to help developing countries with their ideas on apps / social commerce / design / whatever, working through anecdotal insights and assumptions. 

Other tech-related efforts to boost literacy, or food security, or hygiene are commendable and worth discussing, but that’s not the conversation I hoped to start with this post. It was precisely the pleasurable element of the mobile games -- even as ostensibly ‘Serious’ titles -- that made the Half The Sky Movement noteworthy to me, selfish as that might be. (And indeed, the monitoring and evaluation report for the HTSM suggests that it’s the leisurely quality of the games that make them especially useful as tools for improving quality of life among the sample in India.)

I’ll get into this in further detail before the month ends, I promise.

For the meantime, suffice it to say that there’s a massive disconnect between the kinds of games being produced by and for the Third World, and the ones we actually consume, even when it’s not ostensibly created or marketed for our region. And that’s really why I hope to explore in greater depth, over the coming months.

And if you do know of any interesting blogs where others might discuss alternative models for development, please hit me up in the comments below.

Live Long and Prosper

On the Prime Directive, Half The Sky Movement, and mobile gaming

[Edited on 3/19/13 with help from Matthew Arcilla.]

To what extent should levels of technology be used as a criteria for interaction between cultures? That’s the big question I’d like to address in this post.

In the Star Trek universe, the Prime Directive declares that the United Federation of Planets is forbidden from making first contact with an alien civilization unless they have unlocked the warp drive technology achievement. It’s a credo that goes largely unquestioned, but Marie-Pierre Renaud of the Geek Anthropologist challenges its core assumptions:

What I find problematic is the notions that underline the directive: evolution as a linear process with technological progress as a necessary outcome, protection of cultures that are considered more “primitive” and gullible, etc. Even more problematic are cases in which the directive dictates not to interfere with the “natural development” of a culture even if it faces impending doom.

Simply put, this “humble moral posture” presumes that warp technology serves as a galactic benchmark for sociological, evolutionary and technological progress. Ultimately, Renaud concludes:

There is no way one culture can know what is best for another. 

[ source ]

This may well be true in the context of interplanetary politics or diplomacy between imagined sentient lifeforms (and it's here that I find relative value in the troublesome Hierarchy of Foreignness from the Ender's Game saga by Orson Scott Card).

However, does this criteria make sense among us (mundy/flatscan/muggle) baseline human beings?


Skill Unlocked: Mobile Game Literacy

I ask this because developer Games For Change have started releasing mobile games intended as an educational tool for women in developing countries, to address issues of public health (Worm Attack!), women's education (Family Values), maternal health and responsible parenting (9 Minutes). All of this is made possible by the rise of widespread non-smartphone mobile usage in developing countries -- which makes this a real-world example of the Prime Directive in action.

The games were released in late 2011 under the aegis of the Half the Sky Movement, based on the work of journalists Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. As reported by Co.EXIST, Michelle Byrd, co-President of Games for Change, defines the audience for Half the Sky:

We were looking at creating games that aren't necessarily about raising awareness in the West but are really about reaching the women and girls that are the subject of the stories.

Achievement Unlocked: Greater Quality of Life

In December 2012, Communication for Change (C-Change) did a monitoring and evaluation report on 9 Minutes in India. As Games for Change proudly notes:

The evaluation shows measurable positive shifts in knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward promoted safe pregnancy and delivery actions following exposure to the game.

[ no photo credit - source ]

So even if "there is no way one culture can know what is best for another", there are measurable, quantifiable ways to improve the quality of individual lives. However, achieving these ends may be contingent on reaching a target level of technological diffusion -- in this case, low-end mobile phones -- alongside the literacy required to operate them (both the game and the mobile unit).

Meaning that even with resources as vast as the United Nations' -- or the United Federation of Planets', for that matter -- it may be strategic to prioritize intervention in a culture that has already reached a target level of technological advancement. This provides ground-up, localized support for more effective development communication projects -- most especially when facing "impending doom".

Gaming in the Free World: Angry Brides

This is a biweekly review of free independent games that include developing countries 
as a key setting, or feature gameplay elements related to Third World experiences.


Angry Brides (Shaadi.com, 2012)   * requires Facebook login

Let's get the obvious part out of the way: yes, that is quite a groan-inducing title.

Having noted that, i'll get right to the heart of the issue. Angry Brides was designed as a social marketing campaign to raise awareness about dowry harassment in India. It received Bronze honors for Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions at the 2012 Internationalist Awards. So likewise, i'm gonna discuss it on those terms.

Regardless of intent, the dev team -- working alongside the campaign sponsor, dating site Shaadi.com -- opted to use a casual flash-based Facebook game to get their point across. So the real question to ask is: was it an effective medium for their advocacy? My short answer is: it depends on how familiar you are with the Indian dowry system.

Before I can even begin to discuss the game, let's be clear about the main issue: a dowry is a sum paid by the family of a prospective bride to her groom-to-be, as an unspoken condition for legitimizing the marriage. Usually, it comes in the form of money, but it can also be an set price worth of jewelry or consumer goods that the newly-weds can use to set up their home. Needless to say, this is a massive burden on the woman's family, and in India, it has reportedly led to sex selection and female foeticide, enough to upset the country's sex ratio. It has also resulted in an unprecedented number of "dowry deaths" -- suicides from pressure or harassment, and outright murder committed by the husband or his family.

Paying a dowry is still widely regarded as a standard custom in India, despite a 1961 law banning the practice, and the government's commitment to honor the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. So the campaign is not aimed at making people realize what's happening -- the goal is to convince users (Indian singles, in particular) that the dowry system is wrong.

And just in case you believed this is some antiquated rural tradition, consider that this game is only playable via Facebook. If that wasn't enough to clue you in, one look at the game's visual design will surely dispel any further misconceptions about its prevalence in contemporary society.

The game's landing page sets the tone for what's to come: an eight-armed bride in a red dress (resembling the Hindu mother-goddess Durga -- thank you, Wikipedia!) stares fiercely at the player. In her hands, she juggles implements of conventional feminine domesticity: a rolling pin, cooking pot, shower head, and broom, among others. And she looks just about ready to hurl them right at you. Below her, a message reads:

"A Woman will give you Strength, Care, and all the Love you need... NOT Dowry!"

And so we move on to the Game-and-Watch-simple interface. The player takes on the POV of the bride, as she is presented with three suitors: an engineer, a doctor, and a pilot (or maybe a ship's captain -- it's not clear to me). Bottom line: these are affluent -- or at least upwardly mobile -- professional dudes. Each guy is labelled with a 'bride price', which functions like a de facto life meter. In short order, you pick your weapon of choice and throw it at the recalcitrant men -- complete with FPS-style cross-hairs for targeting -- until all three give in, and the dowry meter is reduced to zero. At which point, justice is presumably served and you win. Like any arcade-style game worth its salt -- or cumin, if you prefer -- the men will attempt to dodge your blows, while a countdown timer ramps up the pressure. Meanwhile, a cartoonish little girl watches from the sidelines, mocking any of your failed efforts.

Let me say outright that Angry Brides is poorly implemented, even for a casual game. You're given an eclectic range of weapons to choose from, including high-heeled shoes, a flat iron, a laptop, and a cheeseburger(!). However, the controls are sloppy. The physics are off. Response times and damage levels do not correspond intuitively with the choice of weapon.  But really, all of this is so much nit-picking. The more fundamental question is: how well does it present its advocacy?

To a player who takes a more legalistic view of domestic squabbles, the game presents an obvious ethical quandary: how does mauling a prospective spouse address the systemic issue of economic violence and the threat of physical abuse? Maureen O'Connor at Gawker was especially unforgiving:

Here's a peculiar internet phenomenon that leaves me unable to discern ironic offensiveness from earnest idiocy from cultural paradox ... To express contempt for dowries, Shaadi encourages Facebook users to bludgeon their virtual husbands with virtual household objects.

But that's really only a problem if you take the game at its most literal face value. I don't believe Angry Brides recommends that men be litterally beaten into sense, any more than Max Payne 3 endorses global vigilantism.

For my part, I'm willing to treat the game as entirely figurative; a means to destroy the practice of dowry itself, with the suitors representing dehumanized avatars for this oppressive tradition. If anything, the violence comes across like fully motivated acts of indignation  rather than a stereotypical tsundere harpy rage-fest. From a purely goal-oriented sense, it might even be quite admirable. The imperative to beat the game reflects an uncompromising view of the situation; to pay dowry literally means Game Over for the bride.

However, for all its convictions, the game falls short of its main aim. By eschewing a more simulationist view of Indian social dynamics in favor of a vicarious power trip, Angry Brides fails to address the institutionalized cultural reasons why the expectation of dowry continues so pervasively, even among India's modern yuppie set. But perhaps a format that could explore more complex inter-personal relations -- say, a mock dating simulator, or a visual novella -- would expose some of the lop-sided power structures that underpin Shaadi's own business model. Heck, it might just convince players to take a third option, disengaging from marriage altogether -- surely a Bad Ending for India's self-proclaimed "#1 Site for Matchmaking Services".

Gaming In The Free World returns on March 18 with Oiligarchy

Hello, (Third) World

remixed from a photo by Jonathan McIntosh           

If your media consumption is sourced mainly from torrents or "buccaneers",
due to jacked-up prices from local distribution channels....

If there's never been an X-man or Avenger who shares part of your cultural background...

If you've ever been frustrated by a lack of official console network support in your region....

If you've wanted to see a protagonist from your home country who isn't an ascetic Zen warrior-poet,
a sagely mystical negro, or a green-skinned, electrified savage...

If you're hella fond of geek culture, in spite of all its lapses with regards to geography and trans/cultural identities...

This manifesto is for you.