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Summary for: In My Skin: New Czech game lets players experience anti-Roma racial prejudiceA new free video game developed in Brno will explore anti-Roma discrimination through the stories of three young people, with an English-subtitled version making it accessible to international audiences.
Andre miri cipa, meaning In My Skin in Romani, is scheduled to launch on Steam for Windows and Mac on Oct. 22. Versions for the App Store and Google Play will follow Oct. 29, Brno University of Technology announced.
The game was created at the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts research center in cooperation with Masaryk University. It is primarily designed for pupils in the eighth and ninth grades of Czech elementary schools, but will also be available to the wider public.
Everyday encounters become playable stories
The characters’ experiences draw on testimony gathered through participatory research with Roma respondents.
Players follow Vanessa, who faces judgment over her distinctive clothing; Robin, who encounters racism while shopping at a convenience store; and Marie, whose family struggles to find a home because of discrimination in the housing market.
The three chapters are linked by the legend of a magical mirror, Romano Gendalos, and a imagined future in which the characters look back on prejudice that society has largely overcome.
The Steam listing confirms Czech voice acting alongside English interface text and subtitles.
Social anthropologist Irena Kašparová, who participated through Masaryk University’s Faculty of Social Studies, said the research found that young people shared many concerns regardless of ethnicity.
She argued that differences commonly attributed to ethnicity were often more closely connected to social class. The research also highlighted prejudice experienced by middle-class Roma despite lifestyles similar to those of the majority population.
A classroom resource available beyond schools
Designer and project leader Martina Růžičková said the aim was to challenge anti-Roma discrimination, encourage understanding and strengthen solidarity among pupils and the wider public.
Romani artist Denis Kozerawski, who created the game’s visual identity, emphasized the importance of discussing those experiences.
“We need to keep talking about these stories so that, as a society, we can live together without barriers and prejudice,” he said in the university’s original announcement.
Each chapter is designed to be played and discussed within a single lesson. An accompanying teaching guide will provide discussion suggestions and explanations of relevant concepts.
The game will be presented at Brno’s Museum of Romani Culture on Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. A further presentation and discussion are planned at Prague’s ARCHA+ on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Readers can currently add the game to their Steam wishlist ahead of release. It will be free to download, giving people outside the classroom an opportunity to explore the stories as well.
