The life story of Anna Frank whose name became one of the symbols of European Jews’ tragedy during the Nazi time and World War II transformed into video games, one of which was created by young German designer Kira Resari.
That’s how her tragic life looks on a display: Anna is sitting at a table at her shelter in Amsterdam and reading. She needs to go upstairs to bring some potatoes for dinner but she hesitates as it’s dangerous because it’s October 20, 1942. Anna and her family are Jews. Nazis could find them at any time and deport to Germany. “By the example of Anna Frank I wanted people to feel what a person forced to live and interact with six or seven people in a less than 50-square-meters room. Besides, during the game you realize that all your actions have certain and sometimes very serious repercussions because you can’t cancel them,” Resari says. This computer game that only exists as a piIot sample is 25-year-old Kira Resari’s bachelor’s degree work. His teacher gave him the idea. The main moments of Anne Frank’s life story remain unchanged, so it will be impossible to save Anne Frank from deportation. The action develops during one day only. Resari believes that computer games, just like books and films, may touch upon the subjects of the Holocaust and WW2. Swiss publicist Yves Kugelmann, a member of the council of the Anne Frank Foundation, does not quite share his opinion. "We live at an age of technological domination. Ever after the TV appeared people started asking if there was any point in expatiating on this subject and if we have the right to do so. I believe that we have this right. Another problem is how to do this and here a lot of questions remain unanswered." The Swiss publicist believes that it is impossible to communicate the contents of this book in its entirety. "We believe that promoting those events, not only in the case of Anne Frank, is a controversial issue because the equipment is in the limelight anyway. At the same time, the sophistication and the whole point of those texts are lost." Very few people have had a chance to test this game so far, apart from the teachers from Macromedia University for Media and Communication. At present Kira Resari is looking for sponsors. As soon as a sponsor appears the game designer will promote his game as a cultural asset because he says that cultural centres may be interested in his product. Source: Voice Of Russia
