What happens when Delhi protests turn into video games? Meet ‘Jantar Mantar Chalo’

New Delhi: What if marching to Jantar Mantar meant gathering crowds, dodging tear gas and water cannons, and avoiding detention? Scenes from Delhi's protest sites are now being recreated in free online video games inspired by the demonstrations.

From ‘Jantar Mantar Chalo’, which lets players choose between protesters and police personnel, to ‘Bhaag Neha Bhaag’, based on AISA president Neha Bora's attempts to reach Jantar Mantar, game creators are turning recent political developments into interactive experiences.

Another game, ‘Jantar Mantar to Jail’, puts players in the shoes of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) members Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Players must dodge falling jail bars and police personnel while collecting coins labelled ‘Accountability’ and ‘Democracy’.

How ‘Jantar Mantar Chalo’ came about

Suraj Kushwah, a 27-year-old resident of Bareilly who works at a cloud gaming company, developed ‘Jantar Mantar Chalo’ after watching news coverage of the protests.

“I was watching the news and, out of sarcasm, thought of making a game around it,” Kushwah told PTI.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) and his gaming knowledge, he developed the game in just one-and-a-half days.

Players can choose to be protesters or Delhi Police personnel. Those playing as protesters must gather people and march towards Jantar Mantar, with larger crowds making them more powerful. Players who choose the police must detain as many protesters as possible.

The game incorporates several elements associated with the demonstrations. Tear gas slows down protesters, while water cannons present another obstacle. Players can also dance in front of water cannons and give interviews to the media.

Media coverage influences the gameplay, with interviews potentially increasing a protester's influence and attracting more people to the gathering. The virtual map features locations including police stations, detention centres, India Gate and the Badarpur border.

Kushwah initially shared the game on social media, where it gained traction as users began creating reels about it. He said around 2,000 people played the game simultaneously on one day, while an average of 500 players logged in regularly.

“I made it as a sarcastic take, but now that it is getting so much attention; I am looking at updating it further,” he said.

‘Bhaag Neha Bhaag’: A game inspired by repeated detentions

Another game, ‘Bhaag Neha Bhaag’, was developed by 30-year-old screenwriter and filmmaker Anav Nayar, who co-founded Wizloop Studios with his brother Akshay Nayar.

Nayar said the idea emerged as the brothers followed Neha Bora's attempts to reach Jantar Mantar and the repeated detentions that followed.

“We were following how Neha Bora and other protesters were trying to reach Jantar Mantar. They were detained but the very next day, they were back at the spot.

“My brother Akshay asked me how they were managing to do it, and that got me thinking about creating a game around it,” Nayar told PTI.

Nayar initially attempted to develop the game himself but turned to his brother for help with the coding. They named it ‘Bhaag Neha Bhaag’, drawing inspiration from the 1998 German film ‘Run Lola Run’, one of their favourites.

Influenced by games such as ‘Super Mario’, ‘Subway Surfers’ and the dinosaur game that appears when an internet connection is unavailable, the game features a character representing Neha running while police personnel give chase.

Players must jump over barricades, police personnel and cars to avoid detention. The letter ‘D’, representing democracy, appears as a collectible that players can save during the run.

Nayar said the developers were planning updates to ensure the game represented Neha respectfully.

The game has received a positive response, with users contacting the brothers for its link. Nayar said around 2,700 verified players had played it so far.

“We have received several positive DMs (direct messages) asking for the link that we have put it in our bio,” he said.

‘Jantar Mantar to Jail’ turns accountability into points

The Nayar brothers also developed ‘Jantar Mantar to Jail’, featuring CJP members Dipke, Das and Ranka.

Players choose one of the three characters and attempt to avoid jail bars and police personnel in orange kurtas falling from above. They must also collect coins marked ‘Accountability’ and ‘Democracy’ to earn points, with democracy carrying the higher score.

Another game inspired by the political developments features Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, allowing players to tap him on the head as part of a satirical scoring exercise.

Together, the games use familiar video game mechanics to recreate scenes from the protests, turning police chases, detentions and political demands into challenges for players.

Protests move from the streets to screens

The games draw inspiration from two major rounds of demonstrations in the national capital.

In June and July, the CJP led protests, including a march to Parliament on July 20, demanding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The group returned to the streets in October, joining opposition parties and student organisations in demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The digital recreations offer a satirical take on the developments, allowing players to gather crowds, navigate police barriers and collect points representing democracy and accountability.

While the protests have unfolded on Delhi's streets, their digital counterparts offer players a different way to engage with the events — one in which they can decide how far they march, how many people they gather and whether they reach the finish line without being detained.

PTI