U Sein Lin, a retired history teacher in Myanmar, has never played a video game in his life. But about a month ago, while scrolling through Facebook, he came across War of Heroes – The PDF Game.
He’s been playing it almost non-stop ever since.
For 72-year-old Sein Lin, destroying the virtual Myanmar army is a way of engaging in real-life resistance to the country’s ruthless army, which has killed thousands of citizens after taking power in a single year. coup last year.
Since its launch in March, War of Heroes has been downloaded more than 390,000 times. Many players said they were motivated by the creators’ pledge to donate proceeds to help fund resistance forces in Myanmar and provide relief to those displaced by the war.
“Although I can’t kill soldiers who are brutally killing civilians, killing people in the game also makes me happy,” said Sein Lin. “One way or another, playing the game and clicking ’til I die will help the revolution.”
Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, previously ruled the country for half a century and has long been at war with its own citizens. Since toppling elected officials in a coup last year, the regime has attempted to quash dissent by arresting opposition leaders, shooting down unarmed protesters, bombing guerilla camps and burned thousands of houses.
Many opponents of the regime fled into the jungle, where they formed the People’s Self-Defense Force, or PDF, an army of more than 60,000 fighters under the leadership of the Government of National Unity. A similar number of fighters in urban areas have established semi-automatic guerrilla unitscalled the local people’s defense force.
War of Heroes was created by three developers born in Myanmar, who left the country before the generals took power on February 1, 2021. One of them, Ko Toot, said they have motivation to make the game after the arrest and subsequent disappearance of technology industry colleagues in Myanmar who participated in, or had family members involved in, anti-coup protests .
A paid version of the game was released in mid-June, and within days it started landing regularly on Apple’s App Store top 10 lists in the US, Australia, and Singapore. “Myanmar people around the world are downloading it,” said Toot.
In the game, players will fight and destroy the mode’s soldiers, leveling up as the game becomes more difficult. At higher levels, players can target civilian spies, military-supporting celebrities, and coup leaders.
The game’s App Store description says: “We need you to join our resistance to protect innocent people from the evil Military Force. “Your mission is to join the People’s Self-Defense Force and become the best freedom fighter.”
The free version of the game earns money when the player watches ads. The paid version will generate revenue when players download or purchase ammunition. Gamers who play the full amount equivalent to $54 for the game will receive a “certificate of achievement” for participating in the Spring Revolution, as the protests in Myanmar are known and raise money.
So far, the developers say they have raised $90,000. About a fifth of that went to help displaced people. The rest was donated to more than two dozen local defense groups.
Players in Myanmar need a VPN, or virtual private network, to avoid internet restrictions to access the game. To avoid getting caught at checkpoints or during random police stops, players uninstall the game from their phones before going out and re-download it after they return home.
The game has attracted a number of unlikely fans, among them a Buddhist monk and a member of the Tatmadaw.
U Pyinnyar Won Tha, 32, a monk from Lashio, a town in northeastern Myanmar, is a playboy. Although the Buddha said not to kill living creatures, he said, the people of Myanmar must protect themselves from the authorities.
“Playing a PDF game is against the teachings of the Buddha, but I don’t feel guilty because we are dying under the military regime,” he said. “If someone is threatening our lives, we have to kill them just to defend ourselves. Otherwise, they can kill us at any time.”
War of Heroes was the first fighting game he played, he said. The fact that the developers pledged to raise money for displaced people and the resistance made him a fan.
“In true Buddhism, monks must be respected, but the military government is torturing and killing monks,” he said. “So it’s fair to play a game to give them karma.”
The game has become so popular that some soldiers are also playing. Since the coup, the number of defectors has increased. Those who stayed in the army but opposed the regime were called “watermelons”: the army was green outside and red, representing the pro-democracy movement, inside.
One soldier, who has not been named for his safety, said he would defect if he could but he knew that Tatmadaw would avenge his family. Instead, to support the revolution, he secretly gave inside information to the resistance forces, he said.
He also plays War of Heroes.
“After the coup, I really wanted to kill the dictator generals and the soldiers who saw the people as their enemy,” he said. “But my circumstances don’t allow me to kill them in the real world. If the situation permits, I will.”
The game gives him an outlet for his anger. “It was a great feeling to kill the soldiers of the Myanmar Army in a match,” he said. “At least, I’m happy to be able to kill soldiers and make money for the revolution.”
Another fan is Ma Myat Noe Aye, 28, a nurse who quit her job at a government hospital in Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, to protest the military takeover. She fled to Laiza, a town in rebel-held territory in Kachin State, where she volunteered as a military medic for the People’s Self-Defense Forces.
May, soldiers attack and burn her home villageNay Pu Kone is in Sagaing Division, forcing her relatives and 5,000 others to flee. “I lost my job,” she said. “My family lost their farm and home. Now my whole family has to ask for help from relatives. There are many families like us, so we must win this revolution. Otherwise, we will all die under the regime.”
Myat Noe said her mother, 56, went with her to Laiza and now works as a chef for the People’s Self-Defense Force. She introduced her mother to War of Heroes, and now this old lady plays every night before she sleeps.
“I told her, whenever she feels hatred for the army, she can play games to relieve stress and help the revolution,” she said. “When playing games, I feel the same way. This revolution must be game over.”
