Half the Sky

The central moral challenge of our time is reaching a tipping point. Just as slavery was the defining struggle of the 19th century and totalitarianism of the 20th, the fight to end the oppression of women and girls worldwide defines our current century.

Hidden in the overlapping problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality is the single most vital opportunity of our time — and women are seizing it. From Somaliland to Cambodia to Afghanistan, women’s oppression is being confronted head on and real, meaningful solutions are being fashioned. Change is happening, and it’s happening now.

With low-cost handsets and increasing penetration of mobile phone networks globally, millions of people who don’t have regular access to computers or fixed-line telephones now use mobile devices as daily tools for communication and data transfer. There are 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide and three-quarters of them are in developing countries.

Half the Sky: Mobile Games seek to engage players around issues that women and girls face to improve their lives and the lives of their families with fun and meaningful gameplay. By playing the games, women and children get vital knowledge of how to take care of themselves and others during one of three situations: pregnancy complications, worm attack, and family dilemmas in regards to little girls.

All three games use two common models to achieve social impact—adventure and simulation. Players are exposed to characters that can serve as role models, and will be rewarded for positive actions, such as killing the worms inside their stomachs or seeking antenatal care. Players also face choices, such as making decisions that lead to a delay in marriage and betterment of the family.

Empowering women and girls is one of the biggest, most important tasks of the century.