The UK’s national homelessness charity Crisis is using virtual
reality (VR) to teach young people about homelessness.
Destination Home is available through a free mobile app and can
be played in either 2D or as an immersive VR experience, by
placing a smartphone in a cardboard headset distributed by
Crisis.
Released ahead of World Homelessness Day on October 10th, the
game has been created in partnership with immersive learning
platform Musemio. Aimed at 7-12 year olds, it helps young people
explore the causes of homelessness, how it can be ended and what
they can do with Crisis to help people.
Players are guided through different challenges by a friendly
robot mascot called Mio and meet different characters who have
been supported to leave homelessness behind for good.
Characters include 24-year-old Alex who was forced into sleeping
on people’s sofas, then living on the street after losing her
job. Players also meet Jeff, who was made homeless after leaving
the army and Bonnie who had to leave the home she shared with her
boyfriend after feeling unsafe.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “We are continually
inspired by the passion our young supporters have for ending
homelessness. Whether it is completing a fundraiser, or raising
awareness at school, so many get involved after seeing someone
without a safe place to live. They know it isn’t right and
everyone should have a home.
“We are really excited to have worked with Musemio to produce
Destination Home and engage more young people on this important
issue. By using VR to immerse themselves in the characters’
lives, players not only see how unfair homelessness is but how
avoidable it is too.
“The financial impact of the pandemic has put thousands of people
at risk of being forced from their homes, so we need more people
than ever to learn about homelessness and take action to end it
for good.”
Olga Kravchenko, CEO of Musemio, said: “Young people have grown
up with technology at their fingertips. Immersive mobile games
easily capture their imagination and help them to understand the
world we live in today. Our partnership with Crisis has enabled
us to broaden the dialogue around the complex topic of
homelessness through play to help children develop empathy.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
Destination Home will be freely available to download through the
Musemio app on iOS and Android mobile devices from Tuesday 5th
October. It is not yet currently available on desktop/laptop.
A YouTube walkthrough of Destination Home in 2D can be
viewed here.
Screenshots and other images from Destination Home
available to download here.
The game can be played in 2D or VR. Cardboard headsets are
required to play in VR and are available on request from Crisis.
The game takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes depending on how
quickly you can pass all the challenges.
