But Mukka emphasizes that there are many ways to break through censorship and convey important information. It's possible that games used to circumvent state censorship will become more commonplace in the future. But it has attracted attention in the country and has been shared on Telegram channels. Mukka didn't say how often their game's map has been downloaded and played in Russia so far. Reporters Without Borders has also used a video game to circumvent censorship of independent journalism Image: ROG In 2020, the NGO Reporters Without Borders, which campaigns for press freedom worldwide, set up the Uncensored Library in the computer game "Minecraft." Each of its rooms is dedicated to a country, including Russia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, and contains journalistic texts in both English and the local language about censorship and authoritarian politics. It's not the first time a game like this has been used to combat censorship. Many are at an age when they could be drafted by the Russian army and lose their own lives in battle. They also have the right to know in order to make their own decision about what kind of country they want to live in."Īmong the four million "Counter-Strike" players are many young men who have a direct connection to the war. Not all of the Russian population is behind the war, he said: "To counter the state media propaganda, we think it is very important to provide Russians with reliable information about what is happening in Ukraine. An example of a secret room in the game 'Counter-Strike,' with information about Russia's war in Ukraine. We also believe that there are people in Russia who are ready to take a different position to support the free world's efforts to keep Ukraine an independent country," he explained. Still, we want to do our part and support independent journalism in Russia. Mukka is aware that the game will not change the world: "Of course, it's just a drop in the bucket. We want to tell the players that unfortunately, they are true," he added. "Officially, Russia claims that the massacres in Bucha and Irpin are fictitious and the product of fake news. The idea was that the brutality of the war should be in plain view, and the truth should be brought to light. "We wanted to show something that our reporters and photographers in Ukraine saw with their own eyes and documented," explained Mukka. A screenshot of the 'de_voyna' map in 'Counter-Strike.' Image: Helsingin Sanomat Using eyewitness accounts to expose fake news There are also stories about the 70,000 Russian soldiers who have died in battle. The messages deposited in the virtual basement include texts and pictures about the massacre in Bucha, as well as personal stories, like that of a father whose baby, wife and mother-in-law were killed by a Russian cruise missile in Odesa while he was out shopping. Inside is news in Russian about the war against Ukraine, gathered by Finnish war reporters. In a virtual cellar, indicated by a large monument and a burning car, players find a hidden room. In the game, players fight their way through streets lined with gray, prefabricated buildings. The map was released on May 3, International Press Freedom Day. 'Helsingin Sanomat' editor-in-chief Antero Mukka presents a secret room within the 'Counter-Strike' video game, where his paper has hidden news about Russia's war in Ukraine Image: Anne Kauranen/Reuters The Finnish media company then hired professional game designers who developed the map in six months - but stayed anonymous for their own protection. Then we suddenly got the idea that they haven't banned online games yet in Russia - and we knew 'Counter-Strike' was enormously popular in Russia," he told DW. "At the end of last year, we started discussing what our next step could be. Helsingin Sanomat has long been banned in Russia and its website is blocked there too. Online games are still allowedĪntero Mukka is editor-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat. The newspaper has been reporting the developments since the beginning of the war, publishing news in Russian on its website. The Finnish newspaper recreated a Slavic city for the game and named the map "de_voyna." "Voyna" translates to "war" in Russian and is a word that Russian media are not allowed to use. In the online tactical shooter game, players compete against each other as terrorist or anti-terrorist units. In multiplayer games, a map is a level, i.e. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Censored war news hidden for Russians in online game
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