The developers of the adventure game Do You Really Want To Know 2: Before Love (愛說不說2：在愛之前) have released an updated version for people to learn about the issues faced by people with HIV, with the majority of users saying playing the game changed their perception about people with HIV.
The team at Taipei-based Gamtropy developed the game, in collaboration with the Taiwan AIDS Society and the Taiwan AIDS Nurses Association as part of their “speak out love” (讓ｉ發聲) initiative.
The game, which was launched in 2022, won “Best of 2023” at the Google Play awards in the year’s MIT (made in Taiwan) Prize, and also garnered other honors.
Photo: CNA
Gamtropy cofounder Boris Wu (吳少辰) on Friday said the purpose of the game is to provide people with insight and perspective on what people with HIV experience daily.
The game enables users to answer questions, talk to other players and get to know what it is like for people with HIV.
The updated version of Do You Really Want To Know 2 is a prequel to the earlier edition, and allows the user to play from a first-person perspective of someone with HIV, including how they learned about having HIV, what they did before they were infected and how the infection changed their life, Wu said.
The user can experience what it is like to be informed that they have been diagnosed with HIV, get help from medical professionals and NGOs, and learn how to live with the infection, Wu said.
The game developers said they talked with many people with HIV, doctors, nurses and people affiliated with NGOs which deal with HIV issues.
“We wanted to get to know people with HIV through different perspectives, to learn about their feelings and personal experiences, which we integrated into the game and its storytelling,” Wu said.
“The game explores the inner world of the main characters, how they rebuild their identity, and the struggles they face and have to overcome. Through these portrayals, people can relate to their experiences, which resonates with people,” Wu said.
The game’s second version was launched online in July, and 68 percent of players who had a negative perception of people with HIV before they played the game said they have a more positive view, survey data showed.
Taiwan AIDS Nurses Association chairwoman Ho Nai-ying (柯乃熒) said the game has been effective in changing public perception of people with HIV and has helped to promote the U=U (undetectable= untransmittable) message used for HIV public awareness campaign.
Ho said her organization would further promote the game and would use it in education programs for medical professionals.
“We also want to ensure that medical professionals improve their awareness and empathy for people with HIV, and plan to launch a HIV education program featuring the game in March next year,” she said.
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