Games based on Liberation War catch on

The latest instalment of a hugely popular Liberation War mobile game series was released on Monday with help from a government grant intended to raise awareness of the conflict among the younger generation. With plots relating to the 1971 armed struggle for independence, the games take a player to war scenes where they can better connect to the harsh realities of the conflict. “Games based on the liberation war are fun and enjoyable and the background of the great war of liberation creates a sense of patriotism in the minds of players,” said Zamilur Rashid, the founder and CEO of Mindfisher Games, which released the updated version of “Mukti Camp” on Monday. State Minister for ICT, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, said the ICT Division has given a cheque for Tk20 lakh to the team for the development of the games based on the history of the 1971 conflict. “The young generation usually learns about the liberation war through books, but the games developed on the basis of the war of independence will help them learn the history,” the state minister said. Over the years, the game development industry in Bangladesh has expanded significantly, and games developed on the basis of Liberation War of Bangladesh have become very popular. Mindfisher Games is a renowned name in the field and have already developed three games which have proved popular among game lovers: “Heroes of 71”, “Heroes of 71: Retaliation”, and “Mukti Camp”. “Heroes of 71” was the first to be released on December 16 in 2015 and has since been downloaded over one million times. The game was developed focusing on the heroic tale of one guerilla group – Shamsu Bahini – where members from different walks of life united to fight for the independence of their motherland from the clutches of the Pakistani forces and their collaborators. The mission of the game is to attack and capture a strategically crucial enemy base near Shonir Char on the bank of the river Madhumati. The gamer plays the role of Shamsu Bahini members. The company’s equally successful sequel – “Heroes of 71 Retaliation” - was released on March 26, 2016. The game is designed in a way that the player can feel the actual environment of the Liberation War, where the mission is to rescue civilians and destroy a bridge to stop enemy resource supplies. For the first time, female guerillas are a part of the action. The third game - “Mukti Camp” of “Heroes of 71” - was released on December 16, 2017 and was downloaded over 100,000 times in its first three months. This game allows players to be a part of the untold story of how a lightly armed and trained guerrilla force defeats one of the most powerful military units in just nine months. The gamer plays a commander of a Mukti Camp who leads the guerillas to build a big camp by constructing 15 buildings including the headquarters, base, firms to grow food, sawmills to process wood, and storage to keep them safe. The player has to build a scout centre and houses, hospitals and training centres to make them battle-ready. Mindfisher Games CEO Zamilur said the updated version of “Mukti Camp” released on Monday includes hand-painted graphics based on 1970s Bengal countryside. “There are 40 unique characters, all customizable; 20 different weapons and tools; and 20 handcrafted strategy based levels where the gamer will play in historically inspired battlefields,” he said.