Freedom! (video game) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freedom! |
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Screenshot of start screen
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| Developer(s) | MECC |
| Publisher(s) | MECC |
| Platform(s) | Apple II |
| Release date(s) | 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Edutainment Simulation |
Freedom! is an educational computer game developed and published by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC). Based on similar gameplay from MECC's earlier The Oregon Trail, the player assumes the role of a runaway slave in the Antebellum Period of American history who is trying to reach the North through the Underground Railroad. The game was developed with help of an African-American consultant who guided MECC on appropriate graphics and dialect that represented the era. It is recognized as one of the first video games dealing with the topic of slavery.
The game was meant to be used in a school curriculum when it was released in late 1992, but most schools simply released the game to students to play without prior lessons. This led to numerous parents complaining to MECC and their schools on the racially offensive nature of the game, and threatened to sue MECC. Though MECC offered to make changes to alleviate these concerns, the company ultimately pulled the game from sale.
Gameplay
Players choose one of two characters (male or female). Attributes such as literacy, and ability to swim, are randomly generated providing the player with different experiences during each play through. If the player's character is illiterate, written signs and notes appear onscreen as indecipherable symbols. Literacy also affected other areas of play. For example, early in the game the character may receive a pass from his slavemaster in order to escape to the North. If they do not receive a pass, players are also given the option to forge a pass if the player's character is able to read and write.
Freedom! was the first educational game to use an open world environment simulating real world areas of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. During gameplay, players can travel in any direction using the stars, moss, or a compass to orient themselves. During travel, the player encounters random events such as interactions with slavecatchers, who pursue the player with dogs, and members of the underground railroad who provide the player with food and shelter.
