Police have a varied range of powerful units and can move in formation, but need to coordinate to keep from getting drowned in a sea of angry people. The Rebels have the weight of numbers and move in large crowds, but lack fine control, forcing players to keep switching actions to keep the crowd focused or to prevent them from fleeing in fear if the Police get violent. Rebels are usually tasked with taking and holding areas or protecting key structures or people, while Police must maintain order by dispersing the crowds or taking out marked structures. Opposed in all scenarios, the rebels and police clash across the maps, each side attempting to accomplish a simple objective on a short time limit. Spain’s “Indignados”, and Greece’s Keratea. The “No TAV” protests Menchiari attended are present, as are maps from Cairo’s Tahrir Square (epicenter of the “Arab Spring” revolt). Riot takes the form of a tactical game, granting players control over either the protestors (or “rebels” in the game’s terminology) or the police, in locations based on real-world protests from the last decade. Inspired by a personal experience during the Italian “No TAV” protests of 2012, Riot‘s stated goal is to capture the emotions and moods of protests and mass movements as they teeter on the verge of violence, and sometimes topple over into that abyss. If nothing else, it’s clear that creator Leonard Menchiari has honest, laudable intentions. However, Riot: Civil Unrest is one such, and much to my disappointment, it demonstrates why the task is so difficult. It’s no surprise, then, that few have tried to translate that same complexity into game form.

They’re a uniquely disruptive expression of the complexity of the contexts and conditions that bring them about. Riots and protests are perhaps the most powerful manifestations of societal disorder that can happen in modern society. WTF I kind of wish this was a screensaver instead. LOW …with mechanics that drain the topic of all life. HIGH A beautiful pixel-art style covering a fascinating topic…

Riot civil unrest sim