Philippine politics spotlighted in Political Animals game

Perhaps now more than ever, we in the Philippines need to understand the way politics works. We have to realize that not everyone who claims they have the nation’s best interests at heart will deliver on all their promises. We must recognize that not everyone with the charisma of a rockstar is a hero, and not all who wear badges know honor.

In the right hands, the video game, just like literature and film, is a powerful medium capable of shedding light on truths many are too afraid to confront. While it may have begun its existence as entertainment for the youth, our favorite electronic pastime has evolved; in recent years, many game developers have sought to explore a diversity of issues affecting our world – from war, to corporate greed, to mental health.

Local company Squeaky Wheel Studio is one such developer. On the surface, their game “Political Animals” seems nothing more than a casual diversion starring cute anthropomorphic animals. You don’t have to dig too deep, however, to know what “Political Animals” truly is: a tongue-in-cheek exploration of all that’s weird and teeth-grindingly frustrating in Philippine politics.




When politicians gets ‘cute’

Prior to its release on Steam, (http://store.steampowered.com/app/458630/) Squeaky Wheel Studio took “Political Animals” on a trip to gaming events in various parts of the world, from Tokyo Game Show to our very own Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit 2016, where it was part of the Indie Arena.

What was revealed during those conventions, and what players are now finding out, is that “Political Animals” is a turn-based strategy and election simulation game that reflects the often ugly realities of politics in the Philippines (and even other countries). Of course, to prevent players from punching lying, cheating politicians in the face and destroying their monitors in the process, the developer wisely set the game in a fictional world where everyone is an adorable cartoon animal.

Your objective in the game is simple. After selecting an animal from a host of candidates (which range from the corrupt Croccy to the meritocratic Mousey), you must do what you can to win the election and become president.

Just like in real life, there are numerous paths to victory. You can take the high road, or you can do what many do – resort to bribery, intimidation, political mudslinging, and other shady practices.

“Political Animals” is “inspired by Third World politics,” explained Squeaky Wheel Studio design director Tristan Angeles. “It was originally a game jam game by ‘Prison Architect’ artist (and Squeaky Wheel Studio art director) Ryan Sumo. Many of the events in the game are inspired by current events in Philippine politics, as well as stories we hear about during elections, like election cheating, etc.”

But because “Political Animals” revolves around politics – and politics is not just about the government and the people who put public officials in positions of authority – the game also explores human nature, and how people are seduced to the dark side by the lure of power.

“The goal of ‘Political Animals’ is to make players question how incorruptible they are as politicians,” said Angeles.

Whether you decide to play fair or not, expect to find yourself navigating the murky waters of sex scandals, campaign jingles, threatening thugs, and more.

Interesting choices

Tristan Angeles’ love affair with gaming started when he was young.

“A friend of my dad brought a board game he designed to our house when I was a kid,” he said. “After that, I thought I could make my own games so me and my brother made our own games to play with.”

Following his graduation from the University of the Philippines Los Baños with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Development Communication, Angeles thought he could use his game design skills to create games that communicated important topics.

“I knew I needed to get game development experience first. I entered the game development industry, worked in a few studios and decided to become an indie developer.”

That was when his friend Ryan Sumo invited him to co-found Squeaky Wheel Studio and make “Political Animals.”

Squeaky Wheel Studio describes itself as “an independent game development company” that aims to “make entertaining games that bring attention to current affairs in developing countries” – which explains why Philippine politics is the subject matter of “Political Animals.”

Like the quote that is often attributed to Sid Meier, Angeles believes games are a series of interesting choices.

“As much as possible when designing games I always think about what choices players have to make and if they are interesting,” he said.

Turning “Political Animals” into a reality was not without its challenges.

“Developing ‘Political Animals’ was of course a hard, but great learning experience,” he said. “The first year of making the game we had no funding so we had to work on the game while maintaining our jobs. Also being an indie game developer is hard because you’re never sure of what the future will bring.”

Angeles isn’t certain what game they’ll come up with next, but if Squeaky Wheel Studio is a developer that makes “games about Third World problems,” then we should already have a good idea what kinds of topics their next product will most likely tackle.

“If we make another game, it’ll be about another issue that we’ll be familiar with in this country,” explained Angeles. “Of course we’ll make sure that we make that issue a fun and enjoyable experience.”

“Political Animals” is available for PC and Mac. For more information, visit the game’s official site or Facebook page. — TJD, GMA News