Resilience, designed by Drexel University students in collaboration with Sungrazer Studio, has recently won Games For Change’s Best Student Game award. The sci-fi city-builder game follows a refugee camp manager dealing with the challenges of life in the camp.

Inspired by Camp Moria in Greece, which has held more than 20,000 Syrian refugees, Resilience started development in April 2019. In the fall, the art team in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania worked on the concept and aesthetic, while the programming team built the mechanics of the game. Over the next three quarters, the students created the models, graphics and gameplay.

Executive Producer Lily Lauben told Technical.ly that the students used science fiction so that they could “speak more allegorically about the refugee experience” rather trying to accurately convey the reality of life as a refugee. Although the development team studied refugee camps, they wanted players to focus on the overall experience rather than the actual real-world parallels.

In the course of developing the game, the COVID-19 pandemic has given the team pause since refugee camps are being impacted by the spread of the virus. At Camp Moira, where the population density is 10 times greater than that of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the risk of infection for refugees is terrifying.

Zachary Perry, the game’s creative director, who worked on world-building, used refugee camp research to create the names, language and mythology in Resilience. He was also inspired by Outer Wilds and Surviving Mars, which reflect the galactic environment of the game and allow players to immerse themselves in an unknown universe.

Programming Lead Justin Roszko wants players to be moved to action by Resilience. He hopes users will be motivated to donate to non-profit organizations as well as to educate their loved ones about the reality of refugee life. Meanwhile, Technical Director Alexander Gallegos wants players to focus on making a difference. “If our game starts a conversation, then it’s done its job,” he said.

Resilience is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. To see a full list of the winners of Games For Change Best Of Video Game & XR Awards, click here.

Source: Technically

READ NEXT: 15 Best City Building Games Of All Time