Freedom! (video game)
| Freedom! | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of start screen | |
| Developer(s) | MECC |
| Publisher(s) | MECC |
| Platform(s) | Apple II |
| Release date(s) | 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Edutainment |
Freedom! is an educational computer game developed and published by MECC. The player assumes the role of a runaway slave in the Antebellum Period of American history who is trying to reach the North through the Underground Railroad. The game met a mixed reception; some educators found it valuable while others found it racially offensive due to its use of stereotyped speech by slave characters.
In 1993, a group of offended parents sued a school which had provided the game to students and MECC, the developer. The game was pulled off the market as a result.
Gameplay
Players choose one of two characters. The male character is typically illiterate; written signs and notes appear onscreen as indecipherable symbols. The male character receives a pass from his slavemaster in order to escape to the North. The female character is sometimes able to read and write, and is able to forge a pass in order to run, in addition to asking for a pass. Players attempt to avoid slavecatchers, who may or may not perceive their character's pass as legitimate.