Freedom! (video game)


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 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. Attributes such as literacy, and ability to swim, are randomly generated providing the player with different experiences during each play through. If the player's character is illiterate, written signs and notes appear onscreen as indecipherable symbols. Literacy also affected other areas of play. For example, early in the game the character may receive a pass from his slavemaster in order to escape to the North. If they do not receive a pass, players are also given the option to forge a pass if the player's character is able to read and write.
Freedom! was the first educational game to use an open world environment simulating real world areas of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. During gameplay, players were allowed to travel in any direction they wished using the stars, moss, or a compass to orient themselves. During travel, the player will encounter random events such as interactions with slavecatchers, who pursue the player with dogs, and members of the underground railroad who provide the player with food and shelter.