Thread: ABC News: Controversial new video game: ICED

Video Game Criticizes Immigration System
In 'ICED! I Can End Deportation,' Players Run From Immigration Officials
By LEE FERRAN
July 12, 2007 —

Whether it's storming the beach at Normandy, slugging a heavyweight champ or stealing cars in San Andreas, video game developers have made billions by letting players' imaginations run wild in increasingly sophisticated virtual worlds.

Now a New York human rights group called Breakthrough is taking advantage of the same strategy -- but not for its entertainment value. The group's controversial new game "ICED! I Can End Deportation" in which players can step into the role of an illegal immigrant attempting to avoid deportation has a political agenda.

"It's really important in today's world to create a dialogue about social issues," said Mallika Dutt, founder and executive director of Breakthrough. "You have to use innovative media, especially if you want to engage young people."

The game, which will be free to download from the ICED! Web site in September, lets players take on one of five protagonists of varying ethnicities and legal statuses, from undocumented to permanently legal, each developed from real case studies.

ICED! players are required to make "moral choices." Jumping turnstiles in the subway or robbing stores causes players to lose points and puts them in danger of getting caught by an immigration official and detained or deported.

Conversely, players can gain points and avoid detention by planting trees, helping the elderly or volunteering around their community.

According to Breakthrough's Web site, the game simply and directly "teaches players about the unjust nature of U.S. immigration policy."


'Criticism of the Current System'
In the game, staying out of trouble is much easier than getting out of it. Detention centers and deportation hearings are cast in a harsh light.

"We've tried to simulate a detention center down to how you'd make phone calls," Dutt said. "It's a criticism of the current system and an actual representation of what's going on. People are having difficulty accessing health care and getting their medicine. People have died. Young women are complaining about sexual harassment."

Those claims, which are depicted in ICED!, were made public by recent American Civil Liberties Union allegations against the San Diego Correctional Facility on behalf of immigrant detainees.

"Those are absolutely accurate depictions," Tim Sparapani of the ACLU told ABCNEWS.com. "Those aspects of the game probably mirror the unfortunate circumstances that detention facilities produce."

Similarly, the outcome of all deportation trials in ICED! are random, emphasizing Breakthrough's belief that the Illegal Immigration and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 has left immigrants little control over their fates.

The 1996 act streamlined the deportation process by consolidating the "exclusion" and "deportation" proceedings into one "removal" proceeding, which, while faster, makes a successful defense significantly more difficult for immigrants. Sparapani explained: "The judges are overwhelmed with massive caseloads. The quality of representation can be very low. The deck is certainly stacked against you."

"You can get deported for a crime you did 10 years ago and already served time for," Dutt said. "We've heard stories of judges and enforcement officers crying because it's mandatory."


A Personal Agenda
According to Dutt, development of the game began more than a year ago as part of Breakthrough's attempt to get younger audiences involved in social issues.

Heidi Boisvert and Natalia Rodriquez, two graduate students of the Brooklyn College at the City University of New York, worked closely with Breakthrough on the project, along with about 100 high school and college student volunteers. Dutt said that many of those who worked on the game were able to draw from their own family's troubles with the current immigration policy.

"For me it is a very personal experience," said Boisvert, who is battling immigration difficulties with a loved one. "It encouraged me to find a way to communicate my outrage through one of the popular mediums in which I work -- videogames."

Breakthrough hopes to publicize the game with the help of "street teams" upon its September release, but many experts involved in the immigration debate are skeptical about the game's potential impact.

"Any game is likely to be a success or failure based on if it's entertaining," Sparapani said. "I'm not sure the ugly side of immigration enforcement will be entertaining."

In the political sphere, opinions aren't any higher.

"Video games really aren't on our radar screen," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the anti-immigration group, the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

"Are they going to have any serious impact? It's doubtful," Mehlman said.
Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

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Code:

According to Breakthrough's Web site, the game simply and directly "teaches players about the unjust nature of U.S. immigration policy."

http://www.cowboyway.com/Clips/ThatWouldCause.wav

According to Breakthrough's Web site, the game simply and directly "teaches players about the unjust nature of U.S. immigration policy."

And to which county do we compare unfavorably?