Wer ist Bilal?
Who is Bilal?
Find your friend before it’s too late
A friend of yours has gone missing. His mother is distraught. The only clue you have is his social media profile and a name nobody knows: Bilal.
Can you find Finn and discover who “Bilal” really is?
About the game
“Who is Bilal?” is an immersive adventure game in which you use digital detective work to uncover the story of a teenager who has become radicalised online. Follow the clues he has left behind, analyse social media profiles and find out what happened to Finn.
Finn was a perfectly normal teenager. But following personal crises, he falls under the influence of an extremist group. His behaviour changes until he eventually disappears from his social circle. You set out to find him, delving ever deeper into a world of manipulation, disinformation and digital seduction.
The game was developed by Paintbucket Games on behalf of the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia as a follow-up project to the successful serious game “Leon’s Identity”.
Gameplay
You explore traces of Finn’s digital life in the same way you’re used to on your own smartphone: you discover chat messages, scroll through social media feeds, make video calls and search the web. Every piece of the puzzle brings you a step closer to the truth, but time is running out.
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Search social media: Discover posts and comments and see how Finn has changed
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Analyse content: Learn to recognise extremist posts
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Interview contacts: Chat and make video calls with Finn’s friends, his mother and a prevention counsellor
- Secure evidence: Infiltrate a closed online group
Education & Use
“Who is Bilal?” is completely free and has been specifically designed for use in the classroom from Year 8 onwards.
The educational concepts were developed in collaboration with the Centre for Didactic Computer Game Research at the University of Education Freiburg.
Learning objectives
The game shows how extremists try to influence young people online and teaches important practical skills:
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Recognising extremist content on social media
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Understanding how disinformation and fake news work
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Seeing through extremists’ manipulation techniques
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Understanding radicalisation processes and their warning signs
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Knowing where to seek help
Areas of application
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Politics / Social Studies: Extremism, radicalisation, democracy education
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Ethics / Religion: Manipulation, identity, peer pressure
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Media Studies: Disinformation, fake news, critical media literacy
- Prevention: Workshops on preventing extremism
Target audience
Recommended for ages 14 and over, designed for teaching from Year 8 onwards. Playing time approx. 120 minutes, can be flexibly divided into individual sequences. Suitable for individual and group work.
Teaching materials
Accompanying teaching materials are available to help teachers integrate the game into their lessons.