[3][4][5] In September 2013, journalist Mitch Swenson and his colleagues traveled from Turkey to Northern Syria during the Syrian civil war, where he traveled throughout the country with the Sunni Islamist[6] rebel group Suqour al-Sham Brigades for ten days alongside David Axe.
Swenson described what he experienced as an "all-purveying, all-consuming, merciless, heart-eating, machine of war".
[7] Furthermore, he created the game entirely with text and no images, believing the omission of visuals to "better to illuminate the gravity & humanity in Syria.
[7] Citing increasing tensions in the Middle East at the time, Jonathan Brown of Daily Dot advised people play the game in order to rejuvenate awareness in the region, including the Syrian civil war as well as the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
[5] The game was part of the Official Selection's of the 2014 Indie Prize Showcase and Meaningful Play Conference.