On the International Day of Education 2022, Amnesty International Nepal launched the ‘Rights Arcade’ mobile game application in Nepal. The mobile application, which is available for downloading in Android and iOS platforms, aims to educate the users on human rights.
Inspired by game arcades and reigns strategy game, Rights Arcade is a free mobile game application that allows the users to enhance their understanding of human rights through the game.
Welcoming the participants, Amnesty International Nepal’s director Nirajan Thapaliya said, “The game is especially built for young people to cater to their presence and engagement in virtual and technological venues.”
Over a hundred participants, including youths attended the launching event organized on Zoom platform, which was also livestreamed on Facebook.
Somya Dimri, Amnesty International’s Human Rights Education Coordinator for Asia Pacific shared the objective behind introducing this game app. “This game will not only help people educate about the basic concept of human rights, but it will also make young human rights defenders conscious and aware about the human rights situation around the world, and inspire them to take actions for human rights change,” she said.
Currently, the game is available in four languages – Thai, Korean, Chinese and English. The Nepali version of this game is in process of development, and Nepali language will be added by the end of February.
“One of the key objectives of bringing out this app is to engage youths in human rights campaign as they can play a crucial role in the protection and promotion of human rights,” Yamini Mishra, Director of Amnesty International’s South Asia Regional Office said.
Following a display of a promo video, the game was launched in a participatory way with participants downloading the app from the Play Store or App Store.
Storyteller Saigrace Pokharel appreciated Amnesty International in developing this game app designed especially for youths. “Educating youths about human rights is a great investment as it will help build a society where human rights are respected” he said. He also dwelt on how he relates the values of human rights as the very basics of being a human, possessing humanity, compassion, and respect for the dignity of others. He narrated couple of stories which motivated and influenced the participants on why understanding, protecting, claiming and defending human rights matters in our lives.
Navigating the Rights Arcade App on screen, Media and Communications Coordinator Praveen Kumar Yadav briefed the participants on how to play the game. He also asked the users to take an action by signing the petition, which appears at the end of the game.
Mohna Ansari, former member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and National Women Commission, said, “Rights Arcade game can be an excellent platform to educate the youths about human rights in this digital age.” She called on youths to engage more proactively in the protection and promotion of human rights.
Congratulating the Amnesty International team on developing this game app, Murari Kharel, Acting Secretary of NHRC, said that this game would prove a milestone in contributing to human rights education. He suggested Amnesty International to also incorporate cases from Nepal and customize the app with audio messages.
Bipin Budhathoki, Acting General Secretary of Amnesty Nepal, thanked the speakers and the participants for their enthusiasm in launching this game. He hoped that the game would help youth activists to enhance their knowledge and skills about human rights in an entertaining way.