Walk in the shoes of refugees in new online game

Two Brussels NGOs have launched the game Walk in My Shoes, which allows players to experience the journey of refugees. The game is based on the real-life stories of three young refugees in Belgium.

The game was developed by Caritas International, which assists people affected by conflict and violence, and Justice & Paix, which raises awareness on conflict, democracy and environmental issues. It is free to play for anyone aged 15 or older and is available in French and Dutch.

Walk in My Shoes is meant to make the subject of migration easier to understand, place and discuss. Players find themselves literally taking the journeys of Hassan, 17, from Syria, 13-year-old Senait from Eritrea or Sifa from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who is just 12.

Players will face the same impossible dilemmas and heart-rending decisions these children and their families also had to face. “Pupils have twice as much desire to learn something if they can do it interactively,” said migration state secretary Sammy Mahdi (CD&V) at the launch event yesterday. “This game also help to inform people about migration and refugees. Too often the debate around migration is based on incorrect information or fake news, which only leads to polarisation.”