Playing the homeless game

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Simon Fraser University
Public Affairs and Media Relations (pamr)
604.291.3210 www.sfu.mediapr/

Contact: Terry Lavender, 778.782.7408, 604.681.6350 (cell),
1-604.961.6350, terry_lavender@sfu.ca

Carol Thorbes, pamr, 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca

Websites: http://www.sfu.ca/~tlavende

There is no fun in seeing people suffer, but a computer game about their plight may help players appreciate human suffering. It’s that kind of thinking that motivated Terry Lavender, the communications manager at SFU Surrey, to design Homeless: It’s NO Game — the first game of its kind in the world.

Lavender puts the player in the shoes of a homeless woman in Vancouver’s West End. The object of the game is to survive 24 hours — no easy challenge, given that the homeless player must scrounge for food, clothing and shelter.

As well as avoiding the police and predators, such as drug addicts, the game’s homeless woman must deal with irate drivers, aggressive dogs, speeding cyclists and surly tourists.

Lavender, a West End resident, is a graduate student in the school of interactive arts and technology at SFU Surrey. He saw an opportunity to combine his longtime interest in social activism and gaming while working on his Master’s in Science thesis. He is researching the possibility of creating a computer game that is both fun to play and raises awareness of an issue.

“A lot of organizations are jumping on the so-called serious computer games bandwagon to get their message out,” notes Lavender. “Often their games are poorly made and are just not fun to play. Does good game play get in the way of the message, or is good game play important to getting a message across?”

In an effort to encourage groups to adapt his game to their issues, Lavender has posted the computer code for his game on his website http://www.sfu.ca/~tlavende. He will also be demonstrating his game at SFU Surrey’s open house at Central City, Friday, September 8.

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