The Prevent Video Game That Treats Every Teenager Like a Far-Right Extremist

A state-funded computer game is warning teenagers that they risk being referred to Government counter-terrorism programme Prevent if they question mass migration, with even researching immigration statistics online portrayed negatively. The Telegraph has the story.

Pathways is an interactive game designed for 11 to 18 year-old pupils and funded by Prevent, a Home Office programme for tackling extremism.

Young players are directed to help their in-game characters – a white teenage boy and girl – to avoid being reported for “extreme Right-wing ideology” after discussing migration online.

Characters can face extremism referrals if they choose to engage with groups that spread “harmful ideological messages”, or join protests against the “erosion of British values”. Even researching online immigration statistics is portrayed negatively.

Other in-game pitfalls include sharing a video that claims Muslim men, rather than homeless veterans, are being given emergency accommodation.

An in-game meter monitors how extreme the character’s behaviour is. Those who “lose” may be given counselling to deal with “ideological thoughts” or referred to an anti-terrorism expert.

The game was developed with Government backing by councils in East Yorkshire over growing concerns about immigration and tensions about migrant accommodation in their communities.

School pupils asked to play Pathways must first choose their character, either a boy or girl named Charlie, who has recently joined college after leaving school.

Charlie – described throughout the game using the pronoun “they”, regardless of the gender chosen – is faced with a number of choices, and players make decisions based on multiple-choice questions. These are marked red for bad and green for good.

The first is whether or not to download a video shared on a gaming platform: players are asked to choose between telling an adult; discussing the video to find out more, or sharing it.

Then Charlie, who is outperformed by a black student at college, must decide whether or not to accept his misfortune or blame immigrants for “stealing jobs”.

After this, Charlie comes across a video that claims “Muslim men are stealing the places of British veterans in emergency accommodation” and “the Government is betraying white British people and we need to take back control of our country”.

Charlie can scroll past it or “engage directly with the post”. Choosing to engage leads to the message: “Unfortunately, Charlie didn’t realise that some of the groups they were engaging in were actually illegal.”

He or she can also “find out more about the topic”, but this research is framed negatively. The character is shown being bombarded with research papers, statistics, information about protests and other material regarding the “‘replacement’ of white people”.

After this, he or she continues browsing and encounters “lots of harmful groups who agreed with these sentiments”. The game adds: “Charlie began taking in a lot of harmful ideological messages. In fact, some of the groups were actually illegal.”

Charlie is asked to join a group called Action for Britain, with the option of ignoring the request. He or she is later invited to attend a protest against “the changes that Britain has been through in the last few years and the erosion of British values”.

The character can decline, but if they attend he or she is almost arrested and learns that the protest seems “more about racism and anti-immigration than British values”.

After the player completes Pathways, a screen says: “Congratulations! On completing all the scenarios. Let’s explore the consequences of your character’s choice and see what lies ahead.”

Then, if Charlie has made moderately bad choices, the character is referred to Prevent by a teacher. He or she is given counselling and attends workshops to learn to “engage positively with ideology and the differences between right and wrong in expressing political beliefs”.

Worth reading in full.