Bessie Coleman: a game about the first Black female pilot

Dominique van Winssen created this game on her own initiative when she got the opportunity to undertake a personal project as part of her programme. She quickly knew which direction she wanted to go in. ‘I’ve always enjoyed history. Besides, I also consider women’s rights and inequality to be important issues. There are so many amazing stories from history about women who have done cool things, but nobody knows about them. That’s why I wanted to share one of those stories.’

Forgotten Inventors

Dominique was inspired after reading about women who had made important inventions and discoveries, from nuclear fission and dark matter to windscreen wipers, which were then brought to market by men. To decide which story to focus on, she sent out a survey featuring names such as Annie Londonderry, Alice Ball and Margaret E. Knight to gauge whether people were familiar with them. Around 100 people completed her survey, but: ‘Absolutely no one knew their names, even when I explained the context.’

Of all the forgotten pioneers, it was stunt pilot Bessie Coleman who appealed to her most for an interactive story. ‘I immediately pictured it in my mind; it would be perfect for a game where you can fly. Of course, as a black woman, she still had a hundred other obstacles to overcome. There was absolutely no equality in those days.’

Queen Bess

The game takes you through the key moments in Bessie Coleman’s life. She grew up in a small town in Texas, in a racist and segregated America. It was a very conservative environment, but Bessie managed to rise above it all. ‘She had everything going against her, and yet she did it.’

As a player, you first see a young Bessie in Texas. As she writes in her diary and hangs out the washing, you hear her dreams. To earn money for her studies, she worked as a manicurist in a beauty salon. There she heard stories from pilots, and decided to realise this dream herself.

As black women were not allowed to enter flight school in the US, Bessie decided to obtain her pilot’s licence in France. She made her first flight there on 15 June. Once back in the US, as a black woman, she was unable to find a job as a pilot, so she decided to start putting on air shows. ‘Queen Bess’ had a legendary reputation for her stunts.

Hope and disappointment

Each stage in the game actually follows the same pattern. For example, Bessie was eventually able to go to university – but she didn’t have enough money to make ends meets and had to go back to Texas. She obtained her pilot’s licence in France, but once she returned to the US, she couldn’t find work anywhere because she was black. ‘Hope and disappointment are the recurring themes that run through every scene’, says Dominique.

Tragic End

The end of Coleman’s life is deeply moving. ‘That ending really has the potential to punch people in the gut’, says Dominique. Bessie was keen to open her own flight school for black children who also wanted to become pilots. She had almost secured a number of sponsors when she tragically lost her life in a plane crash. ‘The story always builds such hope, and then in the end it doesn’t work out after all.’

Dominique admires Bessie’s courage. ‘She was a true champion of equality. For instance, she insisted that white and black people enter through the same gate for her shows. She was a real role model.’

Accessible to Everyone

The game – or rather, the interactive story – can be downloaded here. All the player has to do is click and drag, so anyone can play it from their laptop. ‘I wanted to make it really accessible. Most people aren’t necessarily gamers, but they might still be interested in this sort of thing.’

Forgotten Stories

Dominique has a background in educational studies. She sees interactive stories as a way of teaching people and highlighting perspectives from history that are usually overlooked. ‘The stories we know shape how we view the present and the possibilities we see for ourselves.’ By bringing stories like Bessie Coleman’s back into the spotlight, Dominique hopes to inspire others to look beyond the names we all know. ‘There are so many more women we could create games like this for!’