Okay…. I’ve just found the most amazing online game, educating players/learners on the realities for workers inside factories where basic human rights are violated each and everyday.

Teachers! Get this game inside your classroom! This is an amazing educational resource, with every single aspect of the game based on real stories. Players are invited to click on “What’s the story?” with each incident to learn more on the issues, such as poverty wages, forced overtime, disposable workers, and union busting. You can also hear form the workers themselves, through worker opinions.

After playing for only a few minutes, I (a factory worker sewing hats for a generic/unidentified sportswear company) was overworked, underpaid, threatened, stressed, assaulted, punished, docked pay, and at last, too fatigued to work. Throughout the game, the boss was screaming at me. I was told that I was unable to use the bathroom, that talking was prohibited, and that I wasn’t working hard enough!

Elements of this game are reminiscent of a chose your own adventure, as workers are prompted to make unbelievably difficult decisions throughout their shift—decisions that could render them unable to support themselves or their families. There is, however, one major difference: there is no real choice for these workers—they are slaves to an unforgiving system of violence and corruption.

Readers, I am at a loss for words! Well done Label Behind the Label!

Mary F Hanlon

Mary has a PhD in Sociology from University of Edinburgh, researching responsible fashion and transnational labour rights activism in the wake of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh.