Game developed by Osmotic Studios, created in 2014 by Melanie Taylor, Daniel Marx, and Michael Kluge to create “unique narrative games” and is located in Hamburg, Germany.
Published by Fellow Traveller
Platforms: PC, MAC, IOS, AND ANDROID
Awards
A Maze Long Feature Award 2017
German Computer Game Awards Best Serious Game 2017
German Developer Awards Best Story 2017
German Developer Awards Innovation 2017
Making Games Awards 2017 Best Storytelling
BIG Festival Social Impact Game 2017
Nominated for many other gaming awards
Ages 14+
Game Summary: Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You is a single-person role playing game that takes place in a surveillance state. The utmost priority of “The Nation” is to keep its citizens safe, achievable only through cameras in public places that can identify people, wiretapping, hacking into emails, messaging apps, blogs, social media, and more. All of this information gets loaded into software appropriately named Orwell, which law enforcement uses to detain, arrest and coerce people. As the game player, you represent the surveillance state. You are the one gathering information in any way that you can and loading it into Orwell. It is your job to compile the correct information by reading newspaper articles and social media posts, watching footage from closed-circuit television cameras, mining through blogs and websites, listening in on phone conversations and messaging that occurs in real-time, so that law enforcement can keep “The Nation” safe.
Critical Evaluation: Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You is a compelling game that shows the player what it is like to live in a surveillance state. As our lives are increasingly lived online, many of us do not consider what happens to the information we knowingly and unknowingly leave behind. Not only does Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You show us how our online date is mined, but it takes it even further by showing how that same information is used by “The Nation.” This game demonstrates how easy it is to ignore the significance of data mining and turn a blind eye to its nefarious uses. What is most fascinating is that the game makes you, the player, not the victim but the perpetrator of all of the surveillance. It’s an uncomfortable position to be in, but it's an important reminder of how easy it is to justify the means to an end.
Unfortunately, there is no intersectionality and inclusivity to be found in this game. In fact, the game dabbles in stereotypes as it positions Perges, the neighbor of The Nation as a war-torn state, whose olive-skinned inhabitants are prone to throwing rocks and bombs. The Nation has shut down its borders completely to bar Pergesian refugees from entering. Although it’s necessary for the game to show The Nation as a strict police state who does not want immigrants or refugees, it is not necessary for Perges to be a stand-in for a country of the Middle East.
Overall, however, I would recommend this game to high schoolers who have already begun to live their lives online and as they separate from their parents. Without being moralistic, it will show teens both how much of what they think is private isn’t, but also how easy it is for a democratic nation to transform into a totalitarian state. It’s a cautionary tale without an overt lesson to be learned. I discovered this game through a young adult gamer on Tik Tik who recommended it.
Library programming: I would show the Hitchcock film, Rear Window, as part of a teen summer movie series. I envision an outdoor movie night with popcorn.
Speed round talk: Seeking candidates who want to keep The Nation safe. Must be highly organized, detailed oriented with the ability to pinpoint critical information. Cannot have any reservations about prying into strangers’ lives. If you’ve ever enjoyed snooping in your sister’s bedroom or stalking an ex on Instagram then this is the job for you. Apply today and remember, Orwell: (is) Keeping an Eye on You!
Potential Challenge: There may be concern about the lack of intersectionality and the stereotyping of nations from the Middle East. And, while I agree that those are issues to be concerned about, I think it’s necessary for teens to learn in a non-didactic manner about surveillance issues. Nonetheless, if another game came along that made the same point with more diverse and fleshed out characters, then it might be time to retire this game.
Reason for Inclusion: I discovered this game through a young adult gamer on Tik Tok who recommended it. This game teaches important lessons about privacy and surveillance without being moralistic. It forces the player to be in the uncomfortable position of being the perpetrator in a surveillance state and it is unnerving how easy it is to play that role. Also, it's a lot of fun to play!
References
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You. https://www.osmoticstudios.com/. (n.d.).
https://www.osmoticstudios.com/orwell-keeping-an-eye-on-you/.
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You. https://www.osmoticstudios.com/. (n.d.).
https://www.osmoticstudios.com/press/
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