27-yr-old Turns Jantar Mantar Protest Into Viral Video game
The games have struck a chord with internet users, generating a buzz and racking up views as players are drawn into two opposing camps -- the police and the agitators.
New Delhi:Move over Roblox, a popular gaming platform among Gen Z, as new sensations Jantar Mantar Chalo and Jantar Mantar Run are rapidly gaining traction online. Available at mantarjantar.com, the multiplayer games have transformed Delhi's iconic protest into a pixelated battleground, drawing players into a virtual confrontation between the police and agitators. The timing could hardly be more politically charged.
While waves of demonstrations by the Opposition and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) have become a major cause of concern for the ruling BJP and resulted in the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site, the digital version is keeping the pot boiling. The online games are bringing the politics of protest into the gaming arena. In the games, the players can relive, re-imagine and satirise the confrontation between protesters and the state.
The games have struck a chord with internet users, generating a buzz and racking up views as players are drawn into two opposing camps -- the police and the agitators. By recreating the struggle to reach Jantar Mantar, the games could be making a section of politicians uncomfortable. Developed by an independent Indian game developer, the games give agitation against the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar an ironic twist.
The objective of Jantar Mantar Chalo and Jantar Mantar Run is to build a “kafila” (massive crowd), evade the security forces and organise a sit-in dharna at Jantar Mantar. If you’re playing the cop, your objective is to disband the crowds, prevent the marchers from reaching the destination, and clear the streets. In another version, a wheelchair racer tries to outrun a policeman through highly congested streets. The game is endless and speeds up as the player progresses.
The game, being viewed as a political satire on the confrontation between the administration and protesters, closely resembles the events that have unfolded in Jantar Mantar lately. The player takes on the role of an "andolankari" (protester), who must move through the city, rally supporters and mobilise them to reach the designated protest site. The objective is to build up enough support to make it to Jantar Mantar, turning into a digital re-enactment of the struggle to exercise the right to dissent in the national capital.
In an attempt to remain close to the realities of protest politics, the game incorporates elements that appear to draw directly from the experiences of demonstrations in Delhi. At one stage, a warning flashes across the screen announcing "internet shut down" accompanied by a map of Delhi, which then goes blank. The digital blackout is a pointed reference to the use of internet shutdown as a tool to disrupt communication and mobilisation during periods of unrest. By weaving such elements into its gameplay, the game goes beyond humour and entertainment to offer a satirical commentary on the administrative restrictions, surveillance and other hurdles that protesters have been facing while attempting to make their voices heard.