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"Our America" puts the viewer in the driver's seat as a Black
father takes his son to school. Along the way, they are pulled
over by the police, leading to life and death choices.
"The audience has to go through these different scenarios,
whether it's subtle or overt racism, and has to navigate these
different conversations and interactions properly," explained
25-year-old Young.
When Young was 16 years old, his dad took him to buy his first
car, according to the game's description on fund-raising site
Kickstarter. As his dad was driving them home, police pulled
them over. When Young reached to open the glove box for the
registration, he said the officer was ready to pull out his gun,
a frightening moment but one that did not result in violence.
"I am really focused on just trying to bring light to a
situation that a lot of people are not aware of and give people
a chance to experience what it's like to be Black in America,"
he said.
Recent days have seen protests over the killing of Daunte Wright
by police after a routine traffic stop just miles from where
George Floyd died last May. Floyd died in handcuffs with his
neck pinned to the street under a police officer's knee. Both
Wright and Floyd were Black.
"Our America" caught the eye of 3D software company Unity
Software Inc, which awarded Young a $25,000 grant.
"I think there's something incredibly important about the power
of real-time 3D in immersive storytelling that we cannot find in
other pieces of technology," said Jessica Lindl, Unity's vice
president for social impact.
Video games have also helped share the experiences of other
marginalized groups, such as refugees fleeing civil war.
Bryant and his team hope to have "Our America" finished by
September.
(Reporting by Omar Younis in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)
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