Anima Interactive has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its game, Take Us North, about the experiences of migrants and asylum seekers on crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Take Us North is an adventure/survival game that follows the journeys of migrants and asylum seekers on their way to cross the US-Mexico border. It’s about the human story behind the politics and headlines, and stories about what the actual crossing is like. The game has raised $12,000 to date and is targeting hitting $30,000 in the next 26 days.
Anima Interactive is a socially conscious indie games studio. With video games as the largest entertainment medium in the world, CEO Karla Reyes, a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, believes in the immense untapped opportunity for interactive media to ignite positive cultural and social change.
Take Us North was inspired by real-world stories and follows poignant cross-border journeys.
“We recognize this is a heavy-hitting and emotionally-charged subject matter; however, we’re committed to humanizing the migrant and refugee experience and portraying it sensitively, respectfully, and authentically,” the company said in its campaign. “Our goal is to foster greater awareness and empathy around issues that are unfortunately often reduced in mainstream media to statistics or divisive rhetoric.”
Take Us North devs interviewing migrants at Casa de la Misericordia in Nogales, Mexico.
This project is deeply personal to many of Anima’s team members, and the team is collaborating the portrayal is both respectful and authentic. Team members have interviewed migrants at Casa de la Misericordia in Nogales, Mexico, and creative director Reyes has retraced migrant trails in the Sonoran Desert.
“With rapidly evolving policies, migration and immigration stand as some of the most urgent and critical issues of our time,” Anima Interactive said. “Our goal with Take Us North extends beyond game development – we strive to contribute to a broader cultural conversation and shift hearts and minds around this crucial subject matter.”
The company also hopes to galvanize social movements that directly support humanitarian and activist communities alongside the game. For example, it is collaborating closely with Casa de la Miserocordia y de Todas Las Naciones, a shelter for migrants and asylum seekers in Nogales, Mexico, and Salvavision, an organization based in Tucson, Arizona that provides aid to asylum seekers.
A scene from the Take Us North game.
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