2a. Onderzoek

Onderzoek: Boiling Frog Game

Introduction to the concept of the Game:

Are we like boiling frogs?
If you put a frog in a pan full of boiling water, he’ll immediately jump out: too hot! But if you
heat him up inside the pan, he will stay. Nice and warm – until he is cooked alive. We use
this analogy of the boiling frog to address the abstract topic of freedom. The Game consists
of different scenarios, that each introduces a topic related to freedom such as migration, freedom
of opinion, equality, democracy, privacy, fake news (equality), identity, climate change,
discrimination and job opportunities. To help make these abstract topics relatable, the game
presents them in the form of real-life situations, such as posting a comment on social media
in the case of the topic of Freedom of Expression.


During each topic, the player encounters 4-6 situations, where players must choose whether
they can handle the situation or whether it limits the player’s freedom too much. With every
next situation, the freedom is limited a bit more. In other words, with every situation, the
temperature rises and becomes a little hotter. When participants feel their freedom is limited
too much, they have the option to ‘jump out of the pan.’ When they do so they have reached
their personal ‘boiling point’.


After each question, short animated videos confront the participants with reality.
For example first participants have to decide whether they agree with men getting more pay
than women. Immediately after, they are confronted with the fact that the income of European
men is on average 16,3 percent higher than the income of women.

Before you play the single-player versions of the game, research and answer the following questions using more than one sentence (in Englilsh) as a tussenproduct in Seesaw/Egodact:

  1. What is freedom op opinion? Do you feel like you can express your opinion freely here in the Netherlands?
  2. Equality is an important aspect of a free society. What does equality mean to you?
  3. Most of the "free world" is run as a democracy. Do you think a democracy is the best way to run a country?
  4. Privacy is a hot topic in the world today. Do you think that you have a lot of privacy in your life, both online and offline?
  5. Fake news, mostly in America, has been seen as a threat to freedom of information. Do you think you ever read fake news?
  6. Your identity makes up who you think you are and how others see you. Do you think having a personal identity is important for freedom?
  7. What is climate change and how does it affect you?
  8. Have you, or someone you know, every been discriminated? How so and what did you do in that situation?
  9. Job opportunities need to be available for everyone in order to have freedom in a society. Are there enough job opportunities in the Netherlands?