Getting Started: When the game open
s, it will give you an overview of various images from Jerusalem, where the game is set. As the game will inform you, your mission will be as a journalist to write a story for a newspaper about what you see there. You will have to gather newsworthy quotes that illuminate
the situation in Israel-Palestine for readers around the world. You will then come to a menu where you have the option to start a new game (if you've purchased the game) or to choose a single mission (if you are simply playing the free demo, as I did). After you choose a single mission, you will have to choose a player. There are back-stories on the two possible players, and I chose Hannah, the American Jewish journalist. I chose the only mission available to me at the next menu, called "Checkpoint". You choose these things by clicking on them with the mouse. After you click start, you wait for the game to load.
Playing the Game: After the game loads, you will find your avatar (Hannah) in a square talking to Henry Fulbright, her editor, wh
o will give her the assignment.
You can continue the conversation with Henry by choosing the answers. In the top right hand corner of your screen, there will be a meter that shows the amount of favor the person you talking to has for you. Therefore, if you want people to like you, you should pick answers that will make them like you. Still, one has to be careful that they get the information they need (you are a journalist after all) while not alienating your sources.
In your conversation with Henry, you will have to choose a newspaper to write for. Pay special attention to the editorial focus of your newspaper because it will dictate what type of information you will gather, what types of sources you will use, and what story you will ultimately tell. You will write the story by gathering quotes, so you need to know exactly what your goal is before you go about doing that.
When you leave Henry, you will want to find Omri,
who is a guard at the checkpoint. Use the map to direct you to him. Also, you move your avatar just by holding down the mouse button and mo
ving it where you want to go.
<-- OMRI
When you find Omri, you will engage in a conversation with him. Again, the way you speak to him will dictate what he tells you and also how your relationship is with him later. You will need to have a good relationship with him, so be nice. After you finish talking to Omri, a pregnant Palestinian woman waiting in line at the check point will faint. You will then have the option to speak to her or someone named Baz. I talked to Baz first by clicking on his name. I collect some quotes from him and his son, Shakil, who will be an ally I need later. I collect quotes from everyone I talk to. If you collect more than 15, you can click on notebook at the top left of the screen to delete the ones you don't
think you will use. After I finish talking to Baz, I talk to Fatima, the pregnant woman who fainted. She needs to get through the checkpoint. You must decide whether or not to help her. I do, and I go between her and Omri and broker a situation where she will be able to go through the checkpoint even though it is closed. Also, everything you do affects your bias, which is shown at the lower left hand portion of the screen. Depending on the editorial focus of the paper you are writing for, you will want to make sure your bias reflects that focus. So, if you were writing for the Israeli paper, your bias should be to the Israelis; if you are writing for the Palestinian newspaper, your bias should be towards the Palestinians, etc.
After Fatima goes across the checkpoint, you can talk to Roi. Roi gives some good quotes and then asks you to do a favor. Since it is beneficial to have the favor of the checkpoint administrator, I did the favor. He tells me to see Mordechai. I check the map to find where he is and then I pick up the papers Roi needs once I find him. When I return to the checkpoint, there is an attack on the checkpoint in which 3 people end up injured. After the attack, I talk to Roi. After the ambulance comes to pick up the victims, Roi tells me to leave. Now what do I do?
When you are left without an obvious option, you should talk to one of three people: Miriam, Leah, or Shakil. I decide to see Leah first because I know (from previous playing) that she will have some good quotes. I see her, get her quotes, and then decide to see Shakil because I have been gathering a lot of quotes from Israelis and I want to be balanced (I am writing for the European Newspaper, which has a general, balanced perspective). I take a taxi (check the map to find one) to Northern Abu Dis, which is where Shaktil told me to find him. When you do things for Shakil or Miriam, you affect your bias. When I find Shaktil, I decide which task to do for him. I decide to help him deliver papers to an Imam but not to help him deliver packages because they are from Hamas. I run to Rayhan, collect the papers, and then run to the Imam, and then return to Shakil. As always, I am collecting quotes.
At this point, I had enough quotes to write my article. While I have yet to write a successful article, I know how to get to the point of doing it. When I want to write, I go to see Henry Fulbright again. If he sees that I have enough information, he tells me to call the office. I do this on the pay phone across the square from Henry. When I get to the writing screen, it will allow me to choose which quotes to use.
I hope that this is a detailed walk-through and that it helps someone to play this game. Overall, I found the game to be a little tedious, much like being a reporter in Israel-Palestine must be. It took me a long time to figure out how to end the game, but when I did, I was glad. I played the game for about 3 hours; hopefully, whoever reads this won't have to play as long.
1 comment:
Global Conflicts is a fun, and deeply thoughtful game. This scenario has about 8 possible scoring points. I got five of them this way:
1st scorepoint: at the wall I asked Mr. Baz for some stories.
There's a funny moment here: after you have your conversation, Baz's relative Shakeel decides to go running down the road. If you follow him, you see he runs right through the checkpoint.
2nd scorepoint: I then tried helping Fatima and then delivered medicine for Shakeel. Name reminds me of the basketball player :)
3rd scorepoint: I listened to Fahtima talk about her son
4th point: I got Omri to help.
5th point: Leah talked about a story about Leah's friend and how we mustn't close ourselves off.
The game gives you more credit if you write 3 highly newsworthy sections in your article. 2 very highly newsworthy quotes are the 2 stories from Baz.
PEACE
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