Video game designer creates interactive game to educate future generations about the Holocaust

Video game designer Luc Bernard has created a video game titled “Light in the Darkness" that allows players to learn about the Holocaust through the perspective of a fictional French-Jewish family who were a part of the 1942 "Vel d’Hiv" roundup, the largest French deportation of Jews during the Holocaust.

"We wonder why Holocaust education is down," Bernard said in an interview with Just the News. "It’s a simple solution. It will give equal education to everyone across the world. So I came up with a new solution."

According to the "Light in the Darkness" website, the game has been most popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Brazil.

It has been translated into English, French and Arabic and is available for free on PlayStation 5 and the Epic Games Store, and is playable on PC computers. Bernard's website says that 178,920 players have completed the game on the Sony PS-5 platform alone.

"Holocaust education through video games allows people to learn about the events of the Holocaust more interactively and engagingly," Bernard says on his website. "It allows players to experience the stories of individuals who lived through the Holocaust, better understand its impact on the world and make connections to present-day political events."

Bernard said that the future for education is digital and organizations that specialize in Holocaust remembrance need to embrace that. 

"More organizations need to understand the impact of video games," he said. "They need to embrace it. My goal is to push the Holocaust education space to embrace digital more." 

The Combat Antisemitism organization is hosting a webinar on Sept. 6 to discuss the video game, embracing the digital age for education and providing a Q&A session with Bernard.

Other speakers will include Holocaust educators and Dave Reckess, the Executive Director of 3GNY — Descendants of Holocaust Survivors.

“This could be a template for other video games to address other issues," Bernard said. "I really want it to be used in schools and have a digital museum. My goal is to get it out free of charge."

The European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS) praised "Light in The Darkness" for taking on a new way of teaching about the Holocaust. The ECPS describes itself as "an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, based in Brussels, for research on and analysis of challenges posed by increasing political populism." 

"Holocaust education through video games allows people to learn about the events of the Holocaust more interactively and engagingly," ECPS posted on its website. "It allows players to experience the stories of individuals who lived through the Holocaust, better understand its impact on the world and make connections to present-day political events, and understand what democracy is and why it is crucial to protect it."