UK ‘anti-extremism game’ backfires and spawns viral meme

A UK government video game meant to steer teenagers away from extremism has produced the opposite result, transforming its intended villain into a viral online symbol for critics of mass immigration.
The ‘Pathways’ game, funded by the Home Office’s counter-terrorism program Prevent, is aimed at 11-18-year-olds and has players guide a ‘they/them’ student named Charlie through scenarios where choices raise or lower a “radicalization meter.”
The game teaches players that actions like looking up immigration statistics, researching stories about “Muslim men stealing the places of British veterans in emergency accommodation,” and downloading or streaming “certain content” online can lead to a terrorism referral or even conviction.
The plot also introduces a purple-haired goth girl named Amelia who questions mass migration and advocates for British values and protecting the country’s culture. The game presents her as the main antagonist as she tries to get the player to support her …