   Help Wanted for Waterboarding Flash Game
Team name:Sparkplug CreationsProject name: Waterboarding: Simulated Drowning Game Brief description:The weekend of April 25th, 2009 I started designing Waterboarding: Simulated Drowning Game because I want the game to critique the media’s use of calling Waterboarding “simulated drowning”. I have done research of waterboarding and it is in fact controlled drowning or near drowning. The only thing that could be called “simulated drowning” is a videogame. I want people to understand that point after playing. For anyone interested, I have a design doc nearly complete. The gist is that it will be a short Flash game lasting a few minutes where players are a person being waterboarded. The character experiences waterboarding, while the player experiences simulated drowning. The gameplay involves the player trying to control their breathing and eventually passing out. This will end gameplay and lead into videos of actual waterboarding sessions.Target aim:Freeware, Flash game to be released as soon as possible to take advantage of the current events in America.Compensation:No plans for compensation as I am working on this for free and it will be a free Flash game. I am hesitant to talk about money due to the controversial subject matter of this game and people are likely to question my motives in making a game like this. Hopefully, with no money involved people will be less suspect. I am willing to work for free and hope I can find like-minded people willing to do the same. Technology:Low end systems and web browsers capable of running Flash. Talent needed:Flash programmer - implement the breathing mechanic as I have designed, hook up transitions from start screen to gameplay to credits for example.Flash artist - create background and UI graphics.Flash animator - animate characters and UI elements (if needed).Sound designer - create sounds for the sinister sim-lish dialog, breathing, choking, gaging, water pouring, splashing and more.Team structure:No one else is on the team yet, this is my first public posting about the concept. I will be in the role of Game Designer and Project Lead. I will direct the team, help resolve issues, maintain the design document, design the game mechanics, request ideas and filter them so the best ones are kept. Also maintain website and forums if needed. Website:No website yet for this project, but one can easily be created under my sparkplugcreations.org domain. Such as http://waterboardinggame.sparkplugcreations.org or something.Contacts:info [at] sparkplugcreations [dot] orgPrevious Work by Team:I have worked on many titles in the games industry, my most recent being Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as a designer.   Additional Info:I am well aware this is a controversial subject. I hope people understand and see I am sincere regarding this game and not hoping to cash in on the controversy. Feel free to PM me or email your interest in joining the team at info [at] sparkplugcreations [dot] org.Feedback:ANY   
  That's kind of disturbing. Why do you think the distinction between waterboarding and simulated drowning is so important?   ;Quote:Original post by DathgaleThat's kind of disturbing. Why do you think the distinction between waterboarding and simulated drowning is so important?To be semantically precise, he is correct - 'simulated' implies a disconnect from the event. However, it doesn't make the concept any less disturbing...   ;  Not to nitpick at your project here but two main things jump out me in this post.1.  The people that support waterboarding usually do so because of the 'valuable' information you get which is believed to save lives.  Therefore it usually less of an endorsement of waterboarding and more of an endorsement of saving lives at a high cost (not that I have this viewpoint necessarily).  A game will never convey that type of exchange unless we're pulling an Ender's Game here which is actually just more disturbing.  2. The word 'game' may have a broad definition but that doesn't change the fact that the majority of users who would be likely to 'play' this game would not be your intended audience.  I don't think anyone considers waterboarding to be a game by any stretch of the imagination and your idea of a 'waterboarding is not a game' game is a bit ironic at best. You will also be dealing with the fact that people who are ok with waterboarding will be the least likely to pick up your game.  Now that I've given my take on the potential negatives, I feel that I should try to actually give a suggestion instead of just picking this apart.  I don't want to give the impression that I'm trying to talk you out of your game.  People make games about torture, murder, sex, drugs, and violence all the time so I don't feel any need morally to talk you out of a waterboarding game, especially one that at least wants you to feel bad about what you're doing. With that said, my only suggestion would be trying to actually create a game with a very strong storyline that puts you in the position of having to waterboard people and have it be graphic enough to send a message. You could create storylines around the people that get waterboarded and show how a difference in beliefs or ideals leads to conflict or show upbringings and other factors that have brought this person to where they are today. Some of the people can be genuinely bad people (a very relative thing a lot of times) , but what about the ones who might actually be innocent or that believe that they are sending their families or themselves to Paradise? (This is not religion-specific either because killing in the name of religion or other beliefs is not some isolated phenomenon). The basic goal would be to put the person in the position of having to expand their definition of right and wrong and where the line should be drawn.  People are generally more moved or changed by an experience that takes them to their boundaries or that makes them re-assess their own perspectives which usually requires more than just being told that something is wrong or bad or whatever.I feel like a simulated drowning game by itself misses the mark since it's simply saying, "this is bad, don't you agree?" because I think most people already agree that it's bad (even if they can't agree on the degree of badness).The focus could be on weighing what's gained vs. what's lost (not just in terms of information). Ok, I think I've rambled enough, hopefully this is helpful even if it just provides a different perspective.   ;  Yes, I agree it is disturbing. Though, no more disturbing than many other games that are made, from Manhunt to the "Torture 2" flash game. Except in Waterboarding: Simulated Drowning Game you aren't doing the waterboarding, you are experiencing it being done to you.Why do I think this is necessary? Because many news media around the world, particularly in the United States describe waterboarding in their news stories as "simulated drowning". This I believe has a corrupting effect on the American people who are misled to believe that it can't be as bad as torture. There are far too many people in the US who don't understand what waterboarding is and think it's only a "dunk in the water". Fact is, it is illegal in the US and the rest of the world. Fact is it is a form of torture. But news media calling it "simulated drowning" does not do it justice and thus the news media does a disservice to its readers by failing to convey the harsh reality to its readers. It should be referred to as "controlled drowning".It may seem like I'm simply arguing about semantics. No, it goes much further than that. Our government is too cowardly to act to hold those accountable who created and implemented the policy of torture. The American people will have to act to put pressure on our elected officials if anyone will be held accountable. The average American's understanding of what went on is very shallow because of the news media's failure to convey the truth. If this game helps correct those misconceptions, then maybe people will understand the importance of holding those responsible to account for their crimes.;  @Anexa85I think you misunderstand. Players will not be doing any waterboarding. This game isn't something that torture supporters would want to play. NO Jack Bauer fantasies in this game. I didn't make this game to convince torture supporters that torture is bad. My ideal audience is the media itself so they stop calling it simulated torture. To make them question their irresponsible handling of this topic. Second audience are people either on the fence or against torture to realize the media is incorrectly describing waterboarding and help correct this.On the narrative driven game, I agree that would be ideal. However, that game would take at least a year of development to do properly. This game I'm recruiting for could be completed in a month or two I hope.   ;  Ok, I see what your goal is, but I wonder if a Flash game is your best choice of presentation. Why not make an ordinary, linear video with subtitles asking the audience to think about your point of view?   ;  I personally think it's a fine choice of presentation. Who wants to sit out some ordinary, linear video these days?For instance, I felt I learned more about the sequence of events happening that awful Tuesday by playing an hacked together RPG than reading all those newspaper articles.   ;  @Dathgale, there are already videos that do a much better job than I could ever hope to do. @WanMaster, thanks for the support.   