Posted September 25, 2023 by BergerMiester
Hello Devlog!
We were tasked with researching a serious topic to learn about. This tests our researching skills and we have to make a game pitch for whatever we're studying. Most of the topics from the list was focused on social issues. The one that caught my eye was wealth inequality, although it isn't because I had a specific interest for that topic. I did and I'm glad I tackled it because now I know how wealth inequality can form today, and I can now notice when it happens. I chose that topic because I knew I could connect it to favelas.
Favelas are essentially hillside slums situated in Brazil (although it is debated on whether they should be called a slum or not). They were entirely built by the community with no assistance from the government and no approval as well. They're a huge part of Brazil's culture, recognition outside of the country and politics, at least when it comes to cities. Both my parents are born and raised in Brazil. When they had me they thought it best to move and raise me at the States, so that's where your boy Berger went. I've always been disconnected from my Brazilian lineage because my parents wanted to raise me as an American so I could blend in better. So favelas have always been a point of interest for me, since it's a key part of my parents' homeland
Going into studying favelas and how wealth inequality affects these communities, I was worried I may have been tackling a subject matter that's too big for me to handle. I'm super grateful I went and learned though. Favelas are something that should not have come to exist as a result of slavery and worker exploitation. Knowing that the government was against them, former slaves and overworked workers came together to form Favelas. It's a really amazing thing to learn about because stories of community perseverance to this degree is hard to come by and a message I think to be incredibly important today.
I've been bouncing a lot of ideas around my head on how I can make a game out of this. I've got a really fun idea that I hope captures all the key conditions and relationships that exist between the rich and the poor in Brazil's favelas.
Bye Devlog!