Dodge the cops, reach the protest: India's latest online political game goes viral

Protest-themed games emerge as youth movement spreads Activists gamify voter-roll protests with online satire Protest games test Modi's grip on youth communication Memes and games become new tools of India's dissent By Tora Agarwala and Aftab Ahmed NEW DELHI, Oct 16 (Reuters) — A web-based multiplayer game in which players dodge police and detention on their way to a protest site in New Delhi has gone viral, as young Indians use satire and humour to respond to police actions. As youth-led protests over jobs, exam paper leaks and voter roll revisions spread across India, a growing crop of online games is transforming political grievances into shareable digital content. The trend shows a generation raised on Instagram is expressing dissent in ways that differ sharply from the political communication style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One such game, 'Jantar Mantar Chalo', was developed by 27-year-old IT professional Suraj Kushwah, who has described it as "dark humour". The game satirises the difficulties protesters face in reaching Jantar Mantar, a main protest site in the capital, amid police blockades, road closures and public transport suspensions. Players can build a kafila, o