The BEYOND game: A training tool for empathy, protection and peace

At this participatory workshop, facilitators from the UK government-funded Beyond Compliance Consortium will guide participants through reflective game-play of the new BEYOND video game training tool. Focused on the protection of civilians with a particular focus on child protection and the gendered dimensions of survival in urban warfare, BEYOND is intended for use by a range of humanitarian, military and academic audiences for educational and training purposes. 

Players of BEYOND experience a fictional war-torn city through the journeys of two characters: a young mother who is helping her family to survive, and a local humanitarian professional. This innovative training tool was co-designed by over 60 humanitarians, peacebuilders, researchers and policymakers through ‘sprints’ held in Nairobi, Amman, and online. Continuing in the spirit of co-creation, GPF workshop participants will be invited to contribute their unique expertise and insights to help shape the “Facilitator’s Guide” that will accompany this training tool. 

This engagement will help to make the BEYOND training tool more relevant and impactful to the needs of a variety of stakeholders engaged in civilian protection and peacebuilding work. No prior gaming experience is needed to participate. The Beyond Compliance Consortium is a multi-year research programme that explores how efforts aimed to enhance legal compliance, to generate restraint from violence and abuse, and other legal and extra-legal strategies can be leveraged towards full(er) protection in conflict. The BEYOND game brings the consortium’s research insights and conceptual frameworks to life in an interactive, immersive, and emotionally-engaging way.