Pirate Fishing is a groundbreaking interactive web game that allows users to act as journalists exposing the multi-million dollar illegal fishing trade affecting West Africa’s poorest people. Developed by Italy’s Altera Studio team and Al Jazeera, the project is set in Sierra Leone, where journalists film South Korean trawlers fishing illegally in protected areas and stealing fish from local fishermen.
By watching clips, the user follows the process of evidence gathering: destroyed nets, photos of ships with hidden names, and snapshots of crew members. At the end of each clip the user must enter the evidence into the right section of the notebook to score points and to advance in status. There are several virtual environments where the user can decide how to proceed and convince officials to act.
You can watch panelist Juliana Ruhfus' original Pirate Fishing documentary, on which the game is based, here (Part One and Two) and the print report here.
