slavery
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A Hulu docuseries based on the The New York Times' 1619 Project is on the way
The Pulitzer-winning project examined the history of slavery in the US.
Recommended Reading: Video games and the issue of slavery
How Historical Games Integrate or Ignore Slavery Amanda Kerri, Rock Paper Shotgun Video games certainly don't claim to always offer a depiction of the "real world," but for those titles rooted in historical events, how the narrative addresses certain events is key. One of the issues those historical games have to wrestle with is how to address slavery. This piece from Rock Paper Shotgun takes a look at how games have integrated events or ignored them completely.
'Slavery the Game' revealed as a viral ad for Dutch TV history series
Last weekend, we posted about a website featuring something called "Slavery the Game," which seemed to be a viral ad for a fake video game. It turns out the grim, weird site was a viral ad, but not for a video game. Rather, it's a project put together by a Dutch public television network named NTR, designed to promote an upcoming series talking about "the European and Dutch involvement in trans-Atlantic slavery." There's more explanation in this YouTube video, in which one of the researchers behind the series explains that the goal of the project was to raise awareness in the Netherlands about the historical issue of slavery, and "create attention" about the issue. He also says that the American media "reacted much heavier" to the trailer, "because the topic of slavery has had much more attention." So it sounds like a culture clash of sorts, with a message meant for Netherlands viewers sneaking out to a much larger, and somewhat more sensitive, audience. The NTR series is set to start up on Dutch TV later on this month, and there is even a "children's version" of the series, called "De Slavernij Junior" starting at the same time. [Thanks, Jim N]
Googaby brings hard fought freedom to your Google contacts
Friends! Gmail users! Countrymen! Lend me your ears! For too long our Google contacts have slaved away under their Gmail masters, confined to the tyranny of the browser, and chained to their own accounts. For too long, we have stood idly by while our contacts toil away in slavery, constantly having to copy-and-paste (or worse, retype) if they must be moved anywhere (unless you have an iPhone and can leverage the built-in contact sync from Address Book).But our savior, at long last, is here! Googaby is an app that will liberate your Google contacts, pull them out of the oppression of however many Gmail accounts you have, and let you drag and drop them off between accounts and onto spreadsheets and other external sources. It'll also backup your contacts, and you can even drag and drop contact pictures -- no more must we undergo the deadly toil of updating contacts by hand! No more must we suffer the toils of servitude!The price of freedom? Only $24.95, and that includes the already-spilt blood of your contact brethren. If you spend an inordinate amount of time challenging the filthy, greedy overlords of your Gmail accounts, who refuse to let you share or edit your contacts easily, now is the time to rise up! Now is the time for a revolution! Freedom for us all!Thanks Laurie
Slave emancipation a major change in EVE Online's lore
A significant twist in EVE Online's lore was announced on Christmas day: emancipation for much of the subjugated Minmatar race. EVE's far-future galactic setting of New Eden is characterized by struggles between the four (playable) races. Of those races, the dynamic between the theocratic but cruel Amarr and the tribal Minmatar is often one of master and servant. The Amarr enslaved the Minmatar race centuries ago; this is a prevalent aspect of the backstory (lore), the game's missions (quests) and factional warfare, as well as a focal point of the roleplaying that some players opt to engage in. Even some player alliances have taken a stance for or against slavery in the game. (Those who don't play EVE might be surprised to learn that slaves can be bought and sold on the open market as a low-cost commodity. Note, however, that the players themselves cannot be forced into slavery. It's just an aspect of the setting... one which is intended to evoke response from the players.)CCP Games has decided this change in the Amarr-Minmatar dynamic was warranted in terms of New Eden's backstory, with the freed slaves numbering in the hundreds of millions, although the existence of slavery in EVE is still far from being abolished.
