Resist and Refuse – Retro Revolt

Video games are quickly becoming as important, if not more important, to many communities which enjoy both making and consuming art as anything else.

Video games are quickly becoming as important, if not more important, to many communities which enjoy both making and consuming art as anything else. As a result, there are more and more games that address serious issues.

Resist and Refuse is a game from Brazilian developer Viole(n)t Blue that showcases the problems that many Brazilians are facing today. In the game, you play a Game and Watch-style protester who is trying to avoid a helicopter dropping tear gas grenades. The Game and Watch aesthetic is what the entire game is based around, with a static image for the background, a lack of music, and sharp, electronic sounds all bringing to mind the old Nintendo series of games.

Resist and Refuse is specifically aimed at raising awareness about the police brutality that crops up whenever Brazilian citizens try to protest something negative. In this case, Viole(n)t Blue is referencing the nation-wide protests of 2013, but it is also aimed in part at the smaller protests during 2014’s World Cup. In both cases, the police were unnecessarily brutal in dealing with the citizens, which of course only caused further problems.

In addition to Resist and Refuse , Viole(n)t Blue intends to make more games in the same vein, but addressing different issues that Brazilians face, such as poor health and education services.

Anyone interested in Resist and Refuse can see more about it on the game’s Desura page, and can read a bit more about the developer on their dev Desura page. The game is currently available for a measly $2.00 USD, so if it interests you at all, it might be worth the impulse buy. Resist and Refuse is currently available only for Windows PCs.