We Grew Up in War

"All the children who spent their childhood in war grew up way too fast."

Meet Anna, Mak, and Melisa, piece together fragments of their lives, and uncover how war changed their fates. We Grew Up in War shows everyday routine in a besieged city, what it's like to be displaced again and again, and to be forced to reimagine your dreams by war.

But in this story – just like in real life – kids are not just helpless victims. They are resilient and creative beings who have unique ways of coping with the hardships around them.

By playing, you'll help us make the stories of children from Ukraine and Sarajevo heard – part of the game's revenue goes directly to the historykeeping and educational efforts of the award-winning War Childhood Museum. Sales will also fund the game's integration into educational programs and exhibitions worldwide.

• transforms real testimonies of those who were children during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992–1996) and the war in Ukraine (2014–ongoing)
• presents a non-linear narrative in which players have to unpack boxes of memories and sort them correctly to discover the whole story
• is being created in collaboration with War Childhood Museum, based on interviews and years of historical research, with input from Ukrainian and Bosnian communities
• offers over 20 interactive micro-stories – from battling imagined monsters to facing hunger and loss huddled inside bomb shelters, or merrily playing in a car wreck; each level draws from authentic childhood experiences of war
• features light puzzle gameplay and an interactive story where you pick emotions, not words

Our protagonists might have different fates, but they have a lot in common. Unravel their interconnected stories – witness Mak grow up under a siege that lasts for years, follow Melisa as she leaves her home behind, and join Anna and Valerie as they desperately try to break free from the war alongside their family. How do these kids cope with the scars that war has left them with? Explore how past and present conflicts have shaped these children's lives.

How do you get by when everyday sounds become threats, shadows twist into monsters, and a derelict playground offers fleeting refuge from the shelling outside? Unpack boxed memories full of hardships, but also of joy and friendship. See history and the present from a perspective often missing in the media, based on the experiences of real children.

We Grew Up in War is being developed by Charles Games in collaboration with War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo.