Can a video game save a life? African refugee puts players in his race for survival

Video game developer Lual Mayen, 25, who learned to code in a refugee camp after fleeing South Sudan, plays his new game at his home in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 7, 2020. Picture taken January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The goal of Lual Mayen's video game is to survive the horrific ordeal of a refugee, an experience that his family knows well, but the 25-year-old developer's ambition is to change the world.

Mayen, who was born as his family travelled 250 miles (400 km) to escape South Sudan's second civil war, hopes his game, Salaam, will give players a better understanding of what it means to be homeless, hungry and on the run.