Integrity in Civil Services
Focus on Integrity in Civil Services
Should we fight against the corruption itself, or against the politician who corrupts? It is a question often heard in this debate. However, it is also necessary to consider how corruption develops “on-the-ground”.
Where does it come from? How is an officer of the law tempted away from integrity and why? Integrity must be safeguarded from the bottom-up, just as much as by politicians at the top. It is only by addressing the real-world evolution of corruption that we can begin to imagine ways to protect the integrity of our systems.
The Games
By stepping into the shoes of an officer “on the ground”, players can imagine the way corruption evolves from the ground up, empathise with the perspective of the officer, and make their own decisions to direct the narrative in a better direction. By creating a space of play, the game allows players to imagine other scenarios, and thereby seek preemptive solutions to this issue.
The Setting: inspired by Terra Dei Fuochi, Italy.
The Characters:
- A local officer
- Owner of a chemical company
- Politicians
The Plot:
- The game follows the diary of a local officer, in which we can view the evolution of his values and thoughts on his own actions, as he is first tempted, then falls deeper, into corruptive acts.
- The officer receives an offer from a chemical company who would like to bury toxic waste materials underground to decrease costs. Since the enterprise is the biggest entity in the town, contributing a lot to the local finance, the officer is in a dilemma between the environment of the town and the economic profit that the enterprise brings.
- Eventually, the officer submits to the enterprise. The land and water system are polluted gradually, and the consequences of the officer’s decisions made clear.