Launched in March 2022, the PDF Game was developed by Myanmar expat programmers. Advertising revenue goes to anti-junta resistance. The junta has reportedly banned Myanmar citizens from accessing online games.
Yangon (AsiaNews) – A shelter for displaced children has been built in Myanmar thanks to funds raised through a video game created by Myanmar expats, a Facebook account dedicated to the PDF Game reported.
The acronym stands for People's Defence Forces, the armed resistance group fighting the military junta that toppled the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.
According to unconfirmed reports, the deposed leader and Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 has been moved out of prison and placed under house arrest.
Since she was removed from power more than two years ago, the Southeast Asian country has been plunged in a brutal civil that has generated almost two million internal refugees, this according to the United Nations.
Last April, the ruling military junta threatens to punish anyone caught playing the game since it supports the armed resistance.
Military authorities placed a notice in junta-controlled media, warning people that they would be prosecuted if caught “playing the PDF game”. Such “games create a false impression about the military and unconsciously increase the desire for revolution among young people,” the notice read.
Developed by expat Myanmar programmers, the PDF Game was released in March 2022, gaining popularity ever since both inside and outside the country.
The game allows players to take on the role of fighters and virtually shoot junta soldiers and top generals, including coup leader Min Aung Hlaing. Proceeds from advertising on the app go to help the resistance and displaced civilians.
The game has been downloaded more than 500,000 times and, according to its developers, has been accessed by various sections of the population, not only the young.
Other games that raise money for the revolution are also popular among Myanmar citizens, such as PDF Hero and End Game-Union.
At checkpoints, soldiers often seize mobile phones from travellers to see their content; just a few images or phrases that somehow refer to the resistance are enough to be arrested.