Digital SafeTea, whose name is a portmanteau of ‘digital safety’ and ‘tea’, is based on the storyline of three characters: Aisha, Goitse and Dami. Each character represents an archetype of different, but relatable, African women.
As players step into the world of these three characters, they are faced with digital threats like zoom bombing, impersonation, and even Non-Consensual Sharing of Intimate Images (NCII) which is often referred to as ‘revenge porn’.
Once presented with a scenario, players are nudged to pick their response to the threat from available choices, as a way for them to get to the next stage of the game. As players weave through the maze of threats, they are presented with lessons on how to navigate such threats in real life. Players are also directed to sites and toolkits where they can get further learning on their desired topic.
The game style is heavily reminiscent of the ‘pick your own adventure’ type of children’s books, which Pollicy founder and Executive Director, Neema Iyer, says were an inspiration to her when designing the game. Digital Safe Tea builds on Ayeta, a proactive toolkit for African digital rights actors, which is an initiative launched by Paradigm Initiative earlier this year.
