Blogtivist: An Exploration of an Online Activist Game Inspired by the Arab Spring Revolution.

This paper is an exploration of the communicative potential of video games in facilitating the understanding of the experiences of online activists during the Arab Spring protests. By pushing the boundaries of the gaming medium, activist games can embody real situations that dissidents encounter bringing a more realistic experience to the player, which in turn can communicate the dangers of blogging in the Middle East. Based on real events, Blogtivist is an online game that turns the player into an activist blogger who contributes in helping topple the dictatorship in power through his online activities. The game simulates activist actions and their possible repercussions while underlining the fact that political change has been achieved through organization and communication .The focus is on the experience that the player gets out of the gameplay as it aspires to raise awareness on the conditions of online dissidents in the region