SINGAPORE – For two hours one day, students from Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC) wandered through Jalan Kukoh – an estate near Chinatown and one of Singapore’s poorest neighbourhoods – in search of suitable places to eat, sleep and store their belongings.

They also had to decide what weekly groceries to buy while staying within a tight budget.

All this is part of a programme designed to put the students in the shoes of a homeless person with the help of video games.

Using digital avatars, they walked through a virtual re-creation of the neighbourhood to understand the challenges faced by homeless people.

The two-hour programme on homelessness was created by youth social enterprise Jalan Journey. It creates digital games to teach students about a variety of social issues that also include environmental sustainability and autism awareness. These games have been played by some 4,000 students from more than 25 schools in Singapore.

“During the supermarket game, for example, I didn’t realise how challenging it would be to balance the cost of necessities with (factors) like caloric intake or nutritional benefit on a limited budget.”

TMJC teacher Lim Si Qin, 33, found the programme unique. She said: “By gamifying the process, the programme engages students by making them excited to play the mini-games and learn about (these social issues).”

The programme has also sparked interest in volunteering.

TMJC student Farhah Faesal Bintalib, 17, said: “It allowed me to experience (the struggles of homelessness) on my own. After learning about what they are facing, how could I not want to help them?”