'Battle For Donetsk' Video Game Is Not About Winning, But Education

Belgian game studio LuGus Studios has developed "Battle for Donetsk," a mobile game that has no winners. The anti-war game was created to raise awareness about the current eastern Ukraine conflict and educate a larger audience on what exactly is happening in the region.

The fighting in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces continues despite several failed attempts to establish ceasefires in the region. The conflict has included the annexation of Crimea, economic sanctions against Russia, the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and has led to 6,000 deaths and close to a million displaced citizens.

"Battle for Donetsk is a war game with an anti-war message. It’s a confronting, topical game," LuGus Studios said on its website. "With this game, LuGus Studios does not wish to take a political stance and does not condone violence and conflict. On the contrary, our aim is to raise awareness of the conflict in Ukraine."

"Battle for Donetsk" can be played in your browser and is available in the Google Play store for Android devices. The studio explains the eastern Ukraine conflict only indirectly affects Belgians -- such as more expensive fruit and gas due to economic sanctions -- and the developers wanted to create something that could be accessible and insightful.

The game starts off by having the player choose on which side they want to play in the conflict. You can accumulate points that let you pay for soldiers, medics and tanks. The player's choice affects how the game advances, but it's not as simple as beating the other side.

"Tactical decisions and a great deal of bloodshed will allow the player to win the skirmish. A military victory will result in a game over screen displaying a high civilian death toll and other collateral damage which will make the player think about the current situation in Ukraine," reads the game's description on Indie DB.