Rotterdam bombing video game revealed; download link inside

Students from the Grafisch Lyceum have given form to the Rotterdam after the bombing of 14 May, 1940. It forms the backdrop of an educational video game. Today, the pilot version of the game will be unveiled, 74 years after the Rotterdam Blitz, the NOS reports. Dozens of students from the school digitally reconstructed the center of Rotterdam, with help from the city archives. In total, 3,500 buildings were created, in 3D. In the game, players receive information and questions about the bombing. It is meant especially as an educational game for pupils in groups eight and nine of primary school. Bryan Ronde, a 19-year old student, has been working on the project for the last few months. "The devastation of the city was much bigger than I thought", he said. The student thinks that others will also realize this as they walk virtually through the ruin. There are still survivors of the 1940 bombings alive in Rotterdam today. One of them, Henk Smith, tells the NOS that he was 9 years old when German planes dropped bombs on the city. "I will never forget the smell of burning and the sirens", he says. He does not have a problem with the traumatic experience being brought back to life in this computer game. "Children of today don't get much out of just stories. By experiencing the city of then, they learn much more." The game is only in its beginning stages, and will be expanded on in the next year. Today, the game can be tested in the Rotterdam city hall. It is also available for download. The game launch coincides with the remembrance day in Rotterdam today.