Irrawaddy-May 4
Public loathing for Myanmar’s military regime is reflected by the growing popularity of a phone game named after resistance fighters collectively known as people’s defense forces (PDFs) which are fighting the regime. Thousands of anti-regime activists flocked to the borderlands to undergo military training with ethnic armed organizations following the junta’s lethal crackdowns on protests in February and March last year. They have since been operating as PDFs and fighting the regime.
Around eight months ago, expat game developers created the PDF game, which enables players to role-play as PDF fighters and fight a virtual war with Myanmar’s regime. Developers get paid by the advertiser when players click on adverts with profits donated to fund the revolution and help displaced civilians. The game developers said: “We created the game about eight months ago to raise money from advertising.” A 23-year-old PDF fighter said he plays the PDF game because it is based on reality. “This game feels identical to the real world. The game starts with protests, followed by torture by the regime. Then you go to the forest and undergo training before you start your missions,” he told The Irrawaddy. There are more than 70,000 players on Android and around 30,000 on iOS. Currently, the game earns over 10 million kyats per day and the developers hope the amount may increase. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/war-game-app-funds-fighting-against-myanmar-junta.html
