The context
Today, cyber-violence affects more than one in two children. Absenteeism, dropping out of school, and verbal or physical violence are its daily manifestations. Far from being limited to a victim-offender relationship, bullying is based on a bully-victim-witness triangle.
Inevitably, this phenomenon has a global impact on the school climate and the learning capacities of all students. This is why the French Ministry of Education has made the prevention of harassment between students one of its priorities.
Harassment must be recognized and fought by everyone, which is why it’s so important to recognize its symptoms and understand how to combat it.
The Stop Violence! serious game offers a fun and innovative way to raise young people’s awareness of this taboo subject, while giving them the tools to take action.
Our educational approach
By immersing players in the heart of a school that is confronted with various situations of violence, this game addresses the issue of school bullying in a realistic way, while also stimulating empathy among players, who can access the testimonies of victims.
As a pedagogical tool, the serious game offers an immersive learning mode that fosters the development of critical thinking and motivation, either in groups or individually. The assimilation of information is an integral part of the game’s design, which employs the codes of a genre players know better than anyone else: video games.
Although group sessions are encouraged, the Stop Violence! serious game can also be played individually or in small groups.
It is aimed at all middle and high school students.
Educational objectives
The educational objectives of Stop Violence! are as follows:
- Teach players to recognize the signs of harassment, which can range from an insistent rumor to an insult, from a threat to physical aggression. It’s crucial to be aware of these signs to prevent harassment from developing in the school environment.
- Explain the collective dimension of this phenomenon, which involves both direct actors (harassers, harassed) and indirect actors (witnesses). Doing nothing is to condone harassment.
- Emphasize that there are many ways to address harassment, all aimed at bringing the victim out of isolation. The solution often lies in establishing a dialogue between the victim and a third party (friend, teacher, family, or supervisory staff, etc.).
- Develop students’ empathy by showing testimonials from victims who explain how harassment affects every aspect of their lives. Loss of self-esteem, dropping out of school, lack of sociability, or reduced ability to concentrate can leave lasting scars.
A serious game in 5 steps
Step 1: THE EMERGENCE OF STUDENT REPRESENTATIONS
Step 2: THE SURVEY
Each survey includes :
- an introductory video setting the scene and characters
- two interactive settings where players gradually uncover the various forms of harassment by collecting clues and evaluating their relevance.
- an investigation resolution phase in which students present their interpretation and version of events.
Step 3: THE VICTIM'S VIDEO TESTIMONY
This fictional testimonial is inspired by real-life accounts from victims of harassment. It offers a more personal and intimate perspective on the experience of harassment.
Step 4: KEY MESSAGES
Step 5: KNOWLEDGE REVIEW QUIZ
Themes covered
- Investigation: Leïla, 3ᵉ pupil, victim of rumors
- Survey: Enzo, 5ᵉ student, victim of discrimination
- Survey: Antoine, 6ᵉ student, victim of racketeering
- Investigation: Hugo, 2ᵈᵉ student, victim of non-consensual intimate content sharing