A ‘breakthrough’ video game takes players into the horrors of Taiwan’s White Terror period and decades of martial law.
The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/28
By: Yuan-ling Liang
Taiwanese video game developers are launching a new horror game based on Taiwan’s 38 years
http://gnn.gamer.com.tw/2/131772.html
of martial law and traditional Taiwanese ghost stories.
“Detention,” the first game developed by Taiwanese company Red Candle Games (赤燭遊戲), is set in Taiwan’s White Terror period, which lasted from 1948 to 1987 and saw thousands of people killed, imprisoned and disppeared.
The game’s plot follows two high school students trying to escape from a school. Among the game’s visual references to martial law are a hanging noose, government-related signs on the school’s bulletin board, and a teacher who is removed after encouraging students to read “improper” books.
During the 38-year martial law period under Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and the Kuomintang (KMT), people who promoted liberal ideas were detained or even killed by the government. While exact figures are not known, an estimated 4,500 people were executed and 140,000 imprisoned. Signs that encouraged people to report other citizens to authorities could be seen across the country, including in schools. [FULL STORY]
