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Paolo Pedercini (born 1981
[) is an Italian game designer known for making Flash videogames based on provocative ]left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
socio-political points of view, on topics such as labour market flexibility
The degree of labour market flexibility is the speed with which labour markets adapt to fluctuations and changes in society, the economy or production. This entails enabling labour markets to reach a continuous equilibrium determined by the inter ...
and Queer theory, in explicit opposition with the mainstream video game industry
The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide.
The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstrea ...
. He is also known under the pseudonym Molleindustria, the name of his website.freeware
Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for t ...
under a Creative Commons license
A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work".A "work" is any creative material made by a person. A painting, a graphic, a book, a song/lyric ...
.
Works and activism
In 2003, Pedercini launched Molleindustria, a platform for politically active video games, along with a manifesto. The manifesto described Molleindustria as the "theory and practice of soft conflict – sneaky, viral, guerrillero, subliminal conflict – through and within videogames."
In June 2007 the game ''Operazione: Pretofilia'' (Operation: Pedopriest), inspired by the controversial BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
documentary ''
Sex Crimes and the Vatican'', was removed from Pedercini's site after a point of order in the
Italian Parliament
The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitio ...
called "Countermeasures to the religions' offences".
In April 2009, Pedercini initially bowed to complaints from the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
by removing ''Faith Fighter'' from their site, but later put up a new version that gives the player the choice between a full and a censored version. Pedercini has later started producing a mock sequel that sarcastically pretends to promote
religious pluralism
Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following:
* Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or coun ...
and
tolerance. Both games have since been put back on the website.
In September 2011, Pedercini released a game entitled ''
Phone Story
''Phone Story'' is a satirical mobile video game conceived by Yes Lab activist Michael Pineschi and designed by Paolo Pedercini for Molleindustria with the stated aim of demonstrating what the developers refer to as "the dark side of your favorite ...
'' for smartphones that was promptly banned from the
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
. ''Phone Story'' focused on what Pedercini considered the "dark side" of
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
manufacturing. When Apple banned the game, he released the game for the
Android market.
For the tenth anniversary of Molleindustria, the original manifesto was translated into English for the first time.
Games
*''Tamatipico'' (2003) – a game based on the life of a worker. The game was produced in support of the
2003 Italian referendum, which concerned worker rights.
*''Tuboflex'' (2003) – a game based on the need of human resources vs. the demands of flex work.
*''Orgasm Simulator'' (2003) – a game based on how women sometimes
fake orgasm A fake orgasm occurs when a person pretends to have an orgasm without actually experiencing one. It usually involves simulating or acting out behaviors typically associated with orgasm, such as body movements, vocal sounds, and sequences of intensif ...
s.
*''Mayday Net Parade'' (2004) – a virtual parade for
May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...
, composed of precarious workers.
*''Queer Power'' (2004) – a game based on how queer people change gender roles in a sexual setting.
*''
McDonald's Videogame'' (2005) – a game based on how the
fast food industry
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
works.
*''Operation: Pedopriest'' (2007) – a game based on the
sexual abuse cases of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
*''
Faith Fighter'' (2008) – a game based on a satirical vision of
religious intolerance
Religious intolerance is intolerance of another's religious beliefs or practices or lack thereof.
Mere statements which are contrary to one's beliefs do not constitute intolerance. Religious intolerance, rather, occurs when a group (e.g., a s ...
.
*''The Free Culture Game'' (2008) – a game based on the struggle between
free culture
The free-culture movement is a social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify the creative works of others in the form of free content or Free content, open content without compensation to, or the consent of, the work's origin ...
and
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...
laws.
*''Oiligarchy'' (2008) – A game about how the
oil industry
The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...
works, loosely based on the theory of
Peak Oil
Peak oil is the hypothetical point in time when the maximum rate of global oil production is reached, after which it is argued that production will begin an irreversible decline. It is related to the distinct concept of oil depletion; whil ...
.
*''
Every Day the Same Dream'' (2009) – a game about short existence, alienation, and
refusal of labor
*''To My Favourite Sinner'' (2009)- a co-operative game set in hell. This game was re-released by
LA Game Space in 2013.
*''Ergon/Logos'' (2009) – non-linear visual poetry.
*''Memory Reloaded'' (2010) – a game based on recent issues in the world.
*''Run Jesus Run'' (2010) – "The ten second gospel".
*''Leaky World'' (2010) – a game based on the issues of
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...
.
*''Inside a Dead Skyscraper'' (2010) – a game about the
September 11
Events Pre-1600
* 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hu ...
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
attacks.
*''
Phone Story
''Phone Story'' is a satirical mobile video game conceived by Yes Lab activist Michael Pineschi and designed by Paolo Pedercini for Molleindustria with the stated aim of demonstrating what the developers refer to as "the dark side of your favorite ...
'' (2011) – a game that looks at the hidden world of smartphone manufacturing, in particular relation to the
Foxconn suicides
The Foxconn suicides were a spate of suicides linked to low pay and brutal working conditions at the Foxconn City industrial park in Shenzhen, China, that occurred alongside several additional suicides at various other Foxconn-owned locations and ...
.
*''Unmanned'' (2012) – a game about the life of an
unmanned drone pilot. Won the Grand Jury award at
IndieCade
IndieCade is an international juried festival of independent games. IndieCade is known as "the video game industry's Sundance."Fritz, Ben"IndieCade, the video game industry's Sundance" Los Angeles Times, October 1, 2009, accessed July 21, 2011. ...
2012.
*''The Best Amendment'' (2013) – a game that counters
Wayne LaPierre
Wayne Robert LaPierre Jr. (born November 8, 1949) is an American gun rights lobbyist who is CEO and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), a position he has held since 1991.
Personal background
Wayne Robert LaPierr ...
's argument, made in the wake of the
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and t ...
, that "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
*''To Build A Better Mousetrap'' (2014) - a game that explores rise of automation in the workforce and
its effects on workers (and profits).
*''TrademarkVille'' (2014) – a word guessing game where trademarked words are disallowed. A critique of
trademark abuse released in the wake of
King's attempt to trademark the word "candy". Co-developed with Mikhail Popov.
*''Nova Alea'' (2016) – A game on the forces that shape cities.
*''A short history of the Gaze'' (2016) – A visual essay on
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
.
*''The Ills of Woman'' (2018) – a faux Victorian operation game.
*''A Prison Strike'' (2018) – a game about the
2018 U.S. prison strike.
*''Guilty Smells'' (2019) – A game where the player takes on the role of a sniffing dog for the Department for the Enforcement of the American Diet.
*''Lichenia'' (2019) – An open-ended city building game built around
sustainability.
*''Democratic Socialism Simulator'' (2020) – a
government simulation game
A government simulation or political simulation is a game that attempts to simulate the government and politics of all or part of a nation. These games may include Geopolitics, geopolitical situations (involving the formation and execution of for ...
akin to ''
Reigns'', aiming to highlight the challenges and obstacles a
Bernie Sanders-like presidential administration would face.
See also
*
''Traceroute'' (documentary film)
*
Hacktivism
In Internet activism, hacktivism, or hactivism (a portmanteau of ''hack'' and ''activism''), is the use of computer-based techniques such as hacking as a form of civil disobedience to promote a political agenda or social change. With roots in hac ...
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedercini, Paolo
Browser game developers
Indie video game developers
Italian video game designers
Political video games
1981 births
Living people