HOW TO PLAY
THE BASICS
A scenario will appear on screen. Read through it, then choose from the options presented to decide what happens next.
MAKING CHOICES
When it's your turn to decide, a set of buttons will appear. Click the one that reflects the choice you want to make. There's no single right answer — every path is valid.
DIFFERENT ENDINGS
The options you choose shape the story. Different combinations of decisions lead to different outcomes, so don't be afraid to play again and explore another path.
ADVANCING TEXT
While a character is speaking, press Space, Enter, or click the arrow button to move to the next line. Clicking the text itself (or pressing those keys) while text is still typing will skip ahead and show the full line instantly.
Ready? Click play to begin.
CREDITS
Created by: Linda Son
Course: BST 301U — Women in African History
Professor: Bright Alozie
Institution: Portland State University
Term: Winter 2026
HISTORICAL INSPIRATION
This game honors the legacy of the Kandakes (Candaces) of Kush — powerful queens who ruled the Kingdom of Kush (modern-day Sudan) from approximately 300 BCE to 350 CE.
PRIMARY SOURCES & SCHOLARSHIP
- Achebe, N. (2021). Female monarchs and merchant queens in Africa. Ohio University Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2521070
- Ajani, K. Y. (2022). The Converging Streams of Afrikan War and Resistance in the Afrikan World. Journal of Black Studies, 53(7), 639–659. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219347221090196
- Dove, N. (2026). From the Invisible to the Visible: The Making of Women Scholars in Africology. Journal of Black Studies, 57(2), 142–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219347251391676
- Hobson, J. (Ed.). (2022). The Routledge companion to Black women's cultural histories. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429243578
- Saidi, C. (2020, October 27). Women in Precolonial Africa. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.259
- Tripp, A. (2017, July 27). Women and Politics in Africa. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.192
- Yacob-Haliso, O., & Falola, T. (Eds.). (2021). The Palgrave handbook of African Women's Studies (1st ed. 2021.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28099-4
TECHNICAL CREDITS
Game Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Character Sprites: Custom pixel avatars created using Avatars in Pixels
Built on the narrative-game template.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to Professor Bright Alozie for creating a course that encourages creative engagement with African women's histories.
This project was created to explore the themes of African female power, agency, and the altered realities of colonialism.
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