Learn to recognize domestic violence by playing the Signal Safe game.
How can you, as a bystander, recognize that violence is occurring within a family? By playing the Signal Safe Fryslân game, you will learn to recognize the signs and know what to do if you encounter domestic violence.
Domestic violence remains a serious, widespread problem in our society. According to estimates by the Child Protection Board, nearly 119,000 children are victims of child abuse every year. Victims often wait a long time before seeking help, because the threshold for doing so is high. This is a problem that Children's Ombudsman Margrite Kalverboer has also drawn attention to, including in her Rede fan Fryslân speech in mid-October 2025.
Community needs
In 2023, the government will call on bystanders not to look away and to voice their concerns if they suspect domestic violence. However, bystanders do not always recognize that domestic violence is taking place within a family. The Serious Game 'Signal Safe Fryslân' aims to change this.
The initiative to develop the game came from the municipality of Opsterland. "Our area team is regularly approached by companies and volunteers," says Alderman de Vries. "These people visit families in their homes. Sometimes they have a gut feeling that something is not right." Often, those involved do not know how to respond. Others do not know how to recognize the possible signs. De Vries: "So we see the need to train bystanders who are laypeople in the field of domestic violence."
How does the game work?
While playing the Serious Game "Signal Safe Fryslan," players are asked to make choices. The choices they make influence the further course of the game. Players are encouraged to actively listen, observe, and take action based on what they see. In the design of the game, signs of stress and dysfunction have been deliberately made clearer and more noticeable. If the player misinterprets the signs, they receive feedback and are given the opportunity to play the game again.
The game was developed by 8D games in collaboration with the municipality of Opsterland. The game was financed by the Fryslân Future Scenario, a project of Sociaal Domein Fryslân.
