Liberate Hong Kong is a simulation video game developed by Hong Kong-based activists during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. The game simulates a protest environment in Hong Kong, and the protagonist is an unarmed and unnamed protester.
| Liberate Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Hong Kong Protesters 2019 |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, macOS |
| Release | November 20, 2019 |
| Genre(s) | Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS in November 2019, and supports virtual reality devices such as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Gameplay
editPlayed from first-person perspective, police attack the protesters with a variety of weapons, but the protesters, being completely unarmed, cannot return fire. Playing as one of the protesters, the player must dodge police attacks and keep protesting without getting arrested. The game does not end until the player gets arrested or shot by the police.[1]
Development
editLiberate Hong Kong was developed by a group of activists in under a week and takes approximately 10 minutes to play.[2] The developers recorded chants heard and spray-painted text seen on the streets of Hong Kong.[3]
Reception
editSouth China Morning Post's Abacus described that the developers see it as part of the protest movement while then game has limited gameplay elements.[4] Agence France-Presse analyzed that the player cannot engage in violent actions, instead discarding incoming projectiles like tear gas rounds.[2] It was livestreamed by Hearthstone streamer Blitzchung, the subject of the Blitzchung controversy in October 2019.[5] In December 2019, the developers wrote an open letter to game distribution service Steam, accusing the storefront of censoring the game.[6]
References
edit- ^ 歪力. "示威者開發《光復香港》VR遊戲，是場無法反擊、沒有止境的抗爭". 4Gamers 官方網站 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ a b "Hong Kongers recreate protests with homemade virtual video game". Agence France-Presse. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2024-08-31 – via France 24.
- ^ Huang, Zheping (2019-11-01). "Video Game Shows What It's Like Inside Hong Kong's Protests". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Ye, Josh (2019-11-09). "A new Steam game lets you fight as a Hong Kong protester". Abacus. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Mogul, Rhea (2019-10-25). "Hong Kong protests: New video game called 'Liberate Hong Kong' to be streamed by popular gamer Blitzchung today". Young Post. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Brown, Jennings (2019-12-09). "Why Won't Steam Approve These Games Supporting Hong Kong Protestors?". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
Further reading
edit- Wang, Wallis (7 December 2019). "VR game lets you fight as a Hong Kong protester". South China Morning Post.
- Fullerton, Jamie (2019-12-06). "A New Game in China Lets Players Attack the Hong Kong Protesters". VICE. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- Chan, Khee Hoon (2020-02-27). "Still fighting: meet the developers of Hong Kong protest games". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- Geddie, John (October 28, 2019). "Hong Kong students take protest to virtual world". Reuters.
External links
edit- Game developer Facebook Page
- Game Official Page Archived 2019-12-17 at the Wayback Machine