Tackling domestic violence through computer game

A TEAM of designers at the University of Huddersfield has been tasked with creating a computer game to raise awareness of domestic and gender-based violence, and is preparing to showcase their progress at a major exhibition.

The None in Three research centre, as part of a £4.5m project, is developing a game aimed at increasing understanding of the issue among young people.

As many as one in three women and girls are subjected to violence in their lifetime, the university has said, with the project’s goal being to change those figures for the better.

The project, part funded through the Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund, is to be tailored for schools and social services in the UK, India, Africa and the Caribbean.

Roslyn Cumming, operations manager, said the team is making good progress, with the aim being for the games to be trialled in schools by October 2020.

The focus for the UK game, the most advanced in development so far, is on partner violence in teenager relationships, emotional and physical abuse, and is backed up by research from experts in fields including social work and psychology.

The team’s progress and examples of their work and how it has come together is to be presented as part of the London Design Fair from September 20, with crowds expected of up to 10,000 people.