Gill Kirkman: None In Three The voice of the survivor: Designing educative and interactive computer games to prevent gender-based sexual violence The None in Three Global Research Centre is working to prevent gender-based violence in Jamaica, India, Uganda and the UK. This presentation focuses on None In Three’s work within the UK, and how consultation with abuse survivors and young people has led to the development of an interactive computer game to tackle the issue of young people’s dating abuse. How the game can be trailed in schools and colleges will be explained, and why a pro social computer game could be a highly effective intervention discussed. Gill Kirkman is the UK Country Director of the None in Three Research Centre and a Subject Leader in Social Work at the University of Huddersfield. Her background is in children and families social work before becoming a safeguarding trainer, moving to the university full time in 2010. Gill’s research interests include domestic abuse, child protection, voice of the child and child centred approaches, and gender-based violence.

1. The voice of the survivor: Designing educative and interactive
computer games to prevent gender-based sexual violence
None in Three UK Country Director,
Gill Kirkman

2. An inter-disciplinary, cross-cultural, trans-continental research centre
A team of researchers, game specialists
technicians and media specialists
University of Huddersfield
Three Schools
Human and Health Sciences
Art, Design and Architecture
Education and Professional
Development
In partnership with
The University of Sheffield,
The Indian School of Design &
Innovation (DICE),
The University of Technology,
Jamaica, and
Makerere University, Uganda

4. Offering Global Interventions against GBV
• A centre for the Development,
Application, Research and Evaluation
of Prosocial Games for the Prevention
of Gender Based Violence
• We are dedicated to:-
• creating scientific evidence of the
impact of serious gaming
interventions
• changing attitudes among young
people that fuel the social and
cultural drivers of physical and sexual
violence against women and girls
• We believe:-
• Serious games are an underutilized
educational tool in raising
awareness and changing
attitudes/values that fuel violence;
• Interventions are often reactive;
prevention strategies that tackle
negative social and cultural
attitudes towards females are also
needed, especially among the
young when such attitudes are
formed.

5. Jamaica - Child Sexual Exploitation
Uganda- Child Marriage
India- Gender Bias leading to physical and sexual
harm

6. UK – Young people’s dating
violence

7. Young Women and Girls
1 in 3 girls will be sexually assaulted in some form from
flashing to rape before their 16th birthday
At least 71% of young people (16-18) hear sexual
name calling towards them at school and college
More than 4 in 10 have experienced sexual
coercion within a ‘relationship’ (Barter et al., 2015).
1 in 3 female students at UK universities will
experience sexual assault or abuse while studying
Intersectionality- 1 in 5 girls (aged 14 – 17) in England
have suffered physical violence from their boyfriend

8. So lets put this into context……..In one week
30,000 women will experience domestic violence and 2 of them will be murdered
A further 15,000 will be sexually assaulted
A further 2,000 will be raped, many more will sexually assaulted or harassed
Around 75 will be trafficked into the UK
Around 56 will be forced into a marriage
On average the police receive an emergency call relating to domestic violence every 30
seconds equivalent of 20,106 calls per week

9. So how is None In Three addressing this?
Voice of the Survivor- listening
to their stories, learning from their experience and
ensuring that this is captured within the design of the
computer game
Inner voice of the perpetrator-derived from focus groups
& and interviews with male survivors of childhood DV and
or dating violence and abuse
Psychosocial survey of 10,000 young people aged 10-18.
young people’s experience or witnessing all types of
violence and sexual abuse inside and outside the family
home and attitudes to dating violence and abuse

10. Boys & Men
• Boys and young men are an important part of the
solution and are influenced by a culture which accepts
the inequality and discrimination of women and the
privilege and power of men. Education in schools and
colleges has to be seen as a priority.
• Interventions are needed to tackle “lad culture”, rape
culture (Warwick University) …………. they should start
much earlier, in schools (Women and Equalities
Committee, 2016-2017)
• Also needs to combat the unhealthy and sexually
abusive messages from porn that is accessed every
20th search of the internet and is readily accessible to
young people. Sexual violence within porn

11. The Role of Education- We need an Effective Intervention
• Girls said they needed much better sex
and relationship education (Girl Guides Survey,
2017)
• GBV curricula needs to listen to young
people and offer debate and discussion
around the real issues they face
• Needs to be engaging, powerful and
memorable to stimulate ‘deep learning’
• Research indicates that when lessons
are interactive and authentic, young
people not only learn but attitudinal and
behavioural change is evident
• Young people need to learn about the
role and responsibility of the bystander

12. Research (Halpern et al., 2012), has shown that young people learn best by doing.
Why use a serious interactive computer games
as an educative tool?

13. Prosocial Computer Games
 Appropriately designed prosocial games can
enhance moral reasoning and foster empathy
in a way that the mere presentation of facts
through other outputs cannot accomplish
 Computer video games enable young people
to take on various characters within the game,
make decisions and see and importantly feel
the consequences of those choices. We have
the ability to regulate players’ behaviour
through objectives, rules and rewards.
 They are an effective way of engaging young
people in change.
 None in Three to provide a ‘wrap around’
curriculum to accompany each game. Teachers
to be taught how to use the game and the
accompanying curriculum

14. • Attitudes and behaviours can be changed and
healthier relationships built.
• Authentic serious computer games about
real life issues enable young people to build
empathy (through recognising the
importance of emotions in learning) , conflict
resolution skills and emotional intelligence
(Greitemeyer & Osswald, 2010; Saleem, et
al., 2012)
• When the head and the heart engage,
thoughtful decisions can be made and
sensitive behaviour displayed.
Prosocial Games-Changing Attitudes & Behaviours

15. How do we know it works? We’ve trialled it before
Ni3
Grenada
and
Barbados
Psychosocial
Survey
1378 children (9-17
years)
revealed a high
prevalence of co-
occurring violence
(sexual, physical and
emotional)
provided irrefutable
evidence changing
negative attitudes and
building empathy
Working with
Ministry to embed
the game in
curricula. More
islands targeted

16. Ni3 UK Game

17. Age 16
First year college student
Natural artist, highly creative.
Danielle has aspirations of working in
the fashion industry and so is
undertaking an
Art and Design course.
She recently started a seemingly healthy
relationship with James, however within
a few weeks it has become clear that he
has controlling and possessive
tendencies
Age 17
Second year college student and Junior
Referee
Born athlete.
James is studying Sport
Development,
Fitness and Coaching. He does
multiple sports and has quite a lot
of friends.
Although he cares about Danielle,
he quickly becomes frustrated by
her independence and is becoming
jealous and possessive over her
whereabouts.
JamesDanielle

18. Hannah
Age 16
First year student
Studying Childcare.
Decisive, independent,
caring.
KiranEmily Logan
Age 17
First year student
Studying Business.
Passionate, outspoken,
narcissist.
Age 17
Second year student
Studying Engineering.
Level-headed, relaxed,
supportive.
Age 17
Second year student
Studying Engineering.
Self-centred, charming,
competitive.

19. Game Design• To be trialled March 2020
• 20/30 minutes per chapter
• 5 chapters, played each
• morning for 5 consecutive days
• Various locations
• College
• Coffee shop
• Character’s homes
• Dialogue Driven – some quotes used
from interviews
• Third Person view
• Visible character,
• Allow the player to empathise
with the character,
• In game social media
• Choices in game impact gameplay
• We cover Coercive Control,
Surveillance, Manipulation, Sexual
Explicit Photos, Physical and Sexual
Violence, Bystander Influence.

20. Making an Impact- Research has to make a difference.
• Keeping our schools and stakeholders informed of our
findings and impact. They are part of who we are and what
we d;o
• Working with select committees;
• Parliamentary groups;
• Engaging with government departments/representatives to
enlist their public support for the Ni3 Research Centre (in
the UK & internationally);
• Engaging with the Department for Education around how
our curricular content accompanying the UK prosocial game
could potentially be embedded into the national curriculum,
particularly in light of recent/ongoing PHSE curriculum
reform;
• Engaging with government about extending the reach
and/or longevity of None in Three, beyond the current
funded project, e.g. through engagement with the business
community;
• Dissemination of our findings/policy recommendations as
our research results emerge.