Hot new computer game Sims3 has unexpectedly become an international vehicle for raising awareness about the plight of the homeless.
Sims3 is an autonomous dollhouse, where your created characters can be directed to achieve major and minor goals in their lives, or left to make their own decisions. Young games design student Robin Burkinshaw created two computer-generated homeless characters and left them to their own devices. He began narrating their story online for fun, but aliceandkev.wordpress.com has become a world-wide phenomenon.
The story has taken unexpected turns and developed a real social conscience as readers empathize with mentally-ill Kev and his troubled daughter Alice. As the blog gained in popularity, Burkinshaw has linked the site to charities such as Habitat for Humanity and The Big Issue to encourage donations for the homeless.
Burkinshaw has asked in one blog post: What does it mean when a character youve created makes you re-examine your own life through their astonishing selflessness
With an international readership, Burkinshaw’s socially responsible use of Sims3 has proved a remarkable way to share awareness about the real issues of homelessness.