Coventry University students have collaborated with an Indigenous community in South America to create a video game that raises awareness of the struggles of communities in the Amazon rainforest.
The project, entitled 8-Bit Rainforest, involved history students interviewing tribal elders in Brazil to form the multi-platform game that can be accessed on computers or mobile phones.
It takes the player on an informative and interactive journey through the Amazon rainforest in which characters tell the player about the culture and beliefs of their tribe.
The characters also talk about problems that arise from deforestation and their belief that large corporations do not respect their sacred lands.
Dr Darren Reid, curriculum leader for history, politics and international relations, led the project and connected students with Indigenous collaborator Adroaldo Antonio Fidelis (Duko) of the Indigenous Kaingang people, who was the primary point of contact between students and the tribe.
‘It was my job to make sure that our students learn by actively engaging with real issues and situations. Our approach is to enable students to learn from their connection with an Indigenous person, not to learn about Indigenous people from a distance. Learning from their knowledge and their wisdom allows the students to find new ways to translate that for a diverse audience.
‘Having Duko take part was absolutely essential because it’s so important to work with Indigenous communities, so that we don’t try to speak for them and that we use our platform of privilege to amplify their voices.
‘I was so inspired by this process and seeing what the students have learned, how they’ve grown, how they’ve responded to the challenge, has just been one of the best experiences you can have as an educator. And I can’t wait to replicate this and put on more projects like it in the future.’
DR DARREN REID
Project lead and curriculum leader for history, politics and international relations
Duko said: ‘The times I’ve worked with the staff and students of Coventry University were extremely important to me. Because I was able to explain with confidence about the culture of my people.
‘I know it’s so difficult these days to talk about us – we have been resisting colonisation for 500 years. It is important when we have someone on the other side of the world who wants to know about our reality.
‘This work with Coventry University shows that we Indigenous people have a lot to contribute, that our ancestral knowledge and thoughts can help to shape the future.’
Students involved in the project hope the game can help reach an audience that may not know about the issues in the rainforest.
‘The aim of the game is to educate people and let them understand what’s happening in the rainforest and to those living there’, said first-year history student William Taylor-Farren. ‘I hope this game helps people understand and get educated about different cultures and all the different aspects of life outside of their own.’
Second-year history student Genevieve Grant added: ‘I’m half Filipino and it was interesting to see the similarities between their culture and my culture. We also got to learn about the role of women, and I was quite surprised that quite a lot of women have important roles in government, which I thought was quite cool.’
‘My hope for this game is that people get to learn new things about the issues impacting the rainforest’, Genevieve added, ‘and they can gain more of a perspective from it.’
Plans to monitor worldwide biodiversity deal risk harming the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Atossa Soltani, director of global strategy for the Sacred Headwaters Alliance, profiles guardians of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters.
10 years of data reveal the major companies persistently ignoring their role in driving deforestation.
Uyunkar Domingo Peas, Achuar leader and president of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance, reveals the ‘beacon of hope for our planet’s future’.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Weekly ethical news, offers, comps and a free digital mag (quarterly) – what’s not to love?
