Could US-China trade war be solved by a 10-year-old playing a game online? The American consulate in Hong Kong is hoping to find out
- New online simulation takes players back to 19th century and lets them start and develop their own trading company
- Project is aimed at children aged 10 to 14 and is backed by the US consulate and education group Hong Kong-America Centre
If the trading relationship between China and the United States had been formed by children, could a win-win situation have emerged instead of the present dispute between the two?
That is the question an online game to be launched at the end of this year, which simulates trading conditions between the two countries in the early 19th century, is hoping to answer.
“We wanted to highlight the long history of trade and exchange between the two countries, and the special role that Hong Kong and Macau have always played in the relationship,” said Darragh Paradiso, the consulate’s director of public affairs.
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“There are trade tensions from time to time, but it’s important to remember that in general, two centuries of engagement and trade have tremendously benefited both societies.”
Aimed at pupils aged between 10 and 14, the game is being developed by local coding education provider Koding Kingdom. It allows players to create virtual assets such as ships, money, and crews, before setting sail from the east coast of America to trade with Chinese merchants in old Canton, which is now Guangzhou province.
During the ocean crossing players need to evade pirates and storms, while also competing with fellow gamers to see who can create the most successful trading company.
Zeeshan Khan, one of the game’s developers, said it would incorporate historical facts, such as players only being allowed to trade in the goods of the time, such as cotton, ginseng and sandalwood.
When players interact with virtual characters, those characters will tell them historic facts.
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Khan said the company had so far invited some 100 youngsters to test the game and give advice on how it could be improved.
“It will be a great experience for students to learn about a period of history through playing the game,” he said.
Charlie Shaw, a 13-year-old secondary school pupil who played the game, said he liked it because information was easy to learn.
“It has super realistic information,” he said. “You can interact with characters and items that are historically accurate.”
For example, Shaw said, the boats in the game were virtual copies of real ones used for trade between America and China at that time.
He said he had learned how trading and pricing worked, and names of different boats, commodities and place names.
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The company plans to release it on gaming platform Roblox, which is popular among the targeted age group and is free.
The project was initiated by the centre, which is a consortium of five Hong Kong universities to promote understanding between the city and the United States through educational and cultural exchanges.
“Young people often think things happening now are for the first time. Not so,” said Glenn Shive, the centre’s executive director.
“There are old stories repeating themselves, with slight variations, in current events, including in the Sino-American trade disputes under negotiation today.”
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The consulate supported the game through the US Department of State’s Public Diplomacy Innovation Fund. The consulate decided to support it last year to celebrate its 175th anniversary in the city.
The maritime museum has been verifying the game’s historical accuracy, and it could become a permanent interactive exhibit at the museum after its launch.
