Hong Kong Warriors: Umbrella Revolution allows you to recreate the history of Occupy Central
The protests may not have worked out, but as Young Wang discovers, a new 'mod' lets you recreate the umbrella movement
The opening scene of the new computer game features one of the movement's most dramatic and memorable moments.As riot police advance towards Admiralty and the popular protest song Do You Hear the People Sing plays in the background, you could be forgiven for thinking Occupy Central has restarted. But this is actually the opening scene of a new computer game based on the umbrella movement.
Hong Kong Warriors: Umbrella Revolution (香港無雙) is a "mod" of the game Age of 2011 (民國無雙), a turn-based strategy about conflicts in China in the early 20th century.
Mods, short for modifications, are a way of adding new characters, storylines and features to games. Bing Wong, a 19-year-old student at Hong Kong Community College, has worked on the game since October. He finally released the mod earlier this month. But he was concerned how it would be received.
"I was worried that it would 'gamify' the whole movement," says Wong. "I'd feel guilty if people are out there fighting while I just stayed at home working on the game."
So Wong made sure he got involved, visiting the Admiralty site during the first few days of the movement. He was also arrested while storming Lung Wo Road.
During the protests Wong noticed another Occupy-themed game, Yellow Umbrella, gaining popularity among smartphone users. It was downloaded more than 40,000 times within a week.
"It occurred to me that Hongkongers took to an Umbrella Movement-themed game pretty well. I think it's possible to use the game to introduce [local] politics to them," he says. "A lot of people learn about history through games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I find it a good path to follow."
Umbrella Revolution allows players to control different groups involved in the protests, including students, supporters, Occupy organisers and local government. Wong says knowing what really happened during Occupy can help players in the game. For example, while playing as the protesters, he recommends that you don't waste time building barricades on sites which will be cleared by the government.
Within each group, you'll find public figures appearing as "troop members". Many famous names from the movement are in the game, from top-ranking government officials to students who went on hunger strike.
Prince Wong Ji-yuet, a Form Six student, found out through a friend that she appears in the game.
"I'm so surprised but also very happy to be pictured as a character," says Prince.
Wong spent months compiling 16gb of video footage and 39 different songs to give the game an authentic feel. For example, if you choose to play as the Hong Kong government, the song Just Because You are Here, theme of the SAR's 10th anniversary celebration, plays in the background.
As a supporter of the movement, he admits that the game does favour the protesters. But he says players still need to be patient, especially when controlling the protesters.
He hopes people will be excited by the chance to recreate history, and maybe even rewrite part of it. In an update released on Monday, players can storm Government House, a move blocked by Occupy leader Reverend Chu Yiu-ming in real life. But he also added that the game might not be to everyone's taste: "It may not be entirely politically correct."