Keeping memory alive

Some schools in the US no longer teach much about history. Even fewer schools teach about the Holocaust. Now, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor has partnered with a veteran game designer to create an experience designed to interest young people in learning more about this tragedy.

The concept of a video game about the Holocaust seemed a little distasteful, at first, to the Anti-Defamation League and others who have devoted their lives to keeping memories of the Holocaust alive. As one of the designers said, “They think it’s Super Mario in a concentration camp. They imagine the worst. [But] most of the older people don’t realize that video games are more like interactive films now.”

The game, Light in the Darkness, is set in France and follows the experience of a fictional Polish-Jewish family.  Other video games that refer to World War II tend to do so in a clumsy and stereotypical way, with players assuming the perspective of soldiers shooting down Nazis. Light in the Darkness, however, isn’t about gunfights and bombs. Rather, it teaches about the Holocaust with a story that is highly realistic and personal.

It also makes learning about the Holocaust engaging for a new generation, and brings it out of the cobwebs of musty history books – particular for non-Jewish audiences.  As Melissa Mott from the Anti-Defamation League argues, “New learning modalities are really important and we’re seeing more of a push towards [using social media platforms], so there’s definitely room and space for new energy around things like games.”

The game will be released for the PlayStation and Xbox consoles in early 2022.