Wer ist Bilal?

A friend of yours has disappeared. His mother is distraught. The only clue you have is his social media profile and a name no one recognizes: Bilal. Can you find Finn and discover who "Bilal" really is?

"Who is Bilal?" is an immersive adventure game where you'll use digital detective work to uncover the story of a teenager who, judging by the signs, became radicalized online. Follow the trail he left behind online, analyze social media profiles, and find out what happened to Finn.

Where is Finn?

Finn was a perfectly normal teenager. But after personal crises, he fell under the influence of an extremist group. His behavior changed—until he finally disappeared from everyone's lives. You set out to find him, delving deeper and deeper into a world of manipulation, disinformation, and digital seduction.

How to Play

You explore traces of Finn's digital life just like you would on your own smartphone: You discover chat messages, scroll through social media feeds, make video calls, and research online. Each piece of the puzzle brings you closer to the truth, but time is running out.

- Search social media posts and comments and discover how Finn has changed

- Analyze posts and identify extremist content

- Chat and make video calls with Finn's friends, his mother, and a prevention counselor

- Infiltrate a closed online group and secure evidence

What You'll Learn

"Who is Bilal?" shows you how extremists try to influence young people online—and how you can protect yourself and others. The game teaches you important skills in a practical and interactive way:

- How to recognize extremist content on social media
- How disinformation and fake news work
- Which manipulation techniques extremists use
- How radicalization develops and what warning signs to look for
- Where to get help if you are worried about someone

Free and suitable for classroom use

"Who is Bilal?" is completely free, contains no advertising, and has no in-app purchases. The game was specifically designed for use in classrooms from grade 8 onwards. Accompanying teaching materials are available so that teachers can integrate the game into their lessons.

The game lasts approximately 120 minutes and can be flexibly adapted or divided into individual sequences.

Teaching materials and further information on classroom use can be found at: weristbilal.nrw

Background

"Who is Bilal?" 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."
... The educational concepts were developed in collaboration with the Center for Didactic Computer Game Research at the Freiburg University of Education. The depiction of extremist content serves solely for educational and preventative purposes.

Note: This game contains depictions of extremist content and radicalization processes within the context of educational education. Recommended for ages 14 and up.