Change The Ref wants America to care about gun violence and it is fighting against the deadening effect of frequency. At least 46 school shootings have taken place in America this school year and an average of 78 school shootings have happened in each of the past three years.
The organisation’s newest work is by Energy BBDO, and it’s a video game, The Final Exam, that challenges players to survive a school day and escape the school building. The game has a dual purpose. It educates people on the harsh reality of gun violence and encourages them to drive real change against it by advocating for key gun safety bills.
The Final Exam is built on real data from school shootings and designed to be as close to reality as possible. This includes its length, 10 minutes, which is true to real-life school shootings. The game begins with series of gunshots and screams out of view, and players must navigate through empty rooms and halls left in disarray. In-game obstacles include makeshift blockades seemingly left by students and faculty who tried to slow down the shooter. Players are prompted to hide from the shooter, alerted when the shooter is heading toward them, instructed to quiet their breathing and told how to create barricades to escape. At points, players hide while watching the shooter walk right past them.
To escape the school building, players must collect information about five American gun control bills proposing the ban of assault weapons, secure storage (Ethan’s Law), ban of high-capacity magazines, background checks for all gun sales and raising the minimum age to purchase guns. The bills are hidden in schoolbooks, boards and maps, providing factual information about school shootings in the US.
Energy BBDO created the game and partnered with Webcore Games, Druid Creative Gaming, and Flutu Music to develop it. It was launched on the first day of TwitchCon, September 20, when attention was turned to Twitch.
The Final Exam is designed to be played on computers. Download it here.
Credits:
Client: Change the Ref
Creative Agency: Energy BBDO
Partner Agencies: Druid Creative Gaming & OMG Creo
Production: Webcore Games
Music & Sound: Flutu Music
