A Czech game nominated for the “Gaming Oscar”

The game Attentat 1942, developed by Czech researchers, is currently competing in one of the most prestigious competitions of the gaming industry, 2018 Independent Games Festival Awards. Attentat 1942 was nominated together with five other games from all over the world. The awards will be announced on March 21 in San Francisco.

“It’s a fantastic success, more than we were hoping for,” says Vít Šisler of the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, the project leader and chief designer of the game. “The nomination proves that computer games can be perfect media to tell important stories.”

“The IGF nomination is a dream feat – it’s like being nominated for Oscar or the Palme d’Or in Cannes. I’m really happy that the IGF values a game developed in the Czech academic environment, where gaming is still a new subject in making,” said Jakub Gemrot of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University, the chief programmer of the game.

Attentat 1942 tells the story of the Nazi occupation from the perspective of those who experienced it. The game is built on film dialogues, interactive comics, and authentic footage. The characters and their stories are fictional but based on historical research and testimonies.

“Behind every character, episode, personal document or item in the story, there’s profound study of resources and period documents,” says Marie Černá of the Institute of Contemporary History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

Attentat 1942 is based on the older game “Československo 38–89: Atentát”, adding new gaming elements, enhanced graphics and English translation. The game was developed by experts from the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University, together with representatives of the Institute of Contemporary History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The development was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. All proceedings are invested into science and research.

iForum reported on the first successes of the game in late November 2017.