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Hong Kongs pro-democracy protesters will this evening mark a month since police used tear gas in a failed attempt to disperse them, as leaders debate whether to reopen discussions with the government.

Protesters are urged to turn up wearing goggles, face masks and yellow umbrellas to mark a moment of silence at 5:57 p.m. local time, when police shot the first of 87 tear-gas cannisters in the Admiralty district on Sept. 28, according to a posting on the Facebook page of Occupy Central with Love and Peace, one of the movements leading groups.

Protesters are debating their next move after a vote on the movements direction was shelved over the weekend. Talks between the government and student leaders on Oct. 21 failed to yield an immediate solution, with the citys No. 2 official offering to send China a report reflecting the demands of the demonstrators.

We are now entering the second half of this movement, Joshua Wong, leader of another student-protest faction, Scholarism, said last night. Only when we know details of the report, will we have a chance for a compromise.

Chinas decision on Aug. 31 to vet candidates for the citys 2017 leadership election through a nominating committee sparked the demonstrations, as the protesters say the ruling favors pro-Beijing candidates.

Joshua Wong, leader of the student group Scholarism, center, watches police remove barricades on Queensway in the Admiralty business district of Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 14, 2014. Close

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Joshua Wong, leader of the student group Scholarism, center, watches police remove barricades on Queensway in the Admiralty business district of Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 14, 2014.

Some people are concerned that the protests, the biggest challenge to Chinese sovereignty in Hong Kong, may be leading China to withhold approval of a trading link between the city and Shanghai after speculation that it would start this month.

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H.K. Democracy Protesters Mark Month as They Face Impasse

Hong Kong's democracy protesters are fighting off their chief executive, who is dressed as a wolf, with nothing but umbrellas, incense sticks and durian fruit.

At least thats how the conflict takes place in Yellow Umbrella, a free game for Android cellphones thats become an overnight hit among demonstrators. Since the app was released on Oct. 20, it has been downloaded more than 60,000 times, according to Hong Kong-based developer Awesapp. (A version for iPhone and iPad is under review by Apple.)

The app puts players atop one of the blockades that have become a flashpoint in the semi-autonomous Chinese territorys conflict over rules for elections in 2017. Characters must defend against tear-gas wielding police, thuggish Triad gangsters and the citys leader, Leung Chun-ying, wearing wolf clothing (Leung is a near-homophone for the Cantonese word for "wolf," which has unflattering connotations). And in keeping with the nonviolent principles espoused by protest leaders, players cannot attack their assailants but must peacefully defend using umbrellas.

CEO and founder Fung Kam-keung saidAwesapp wanted to make a game not only for fun but to show support to the students and to "let others know that they are very peaceful in asking for real elections." In an email, he added that the game was constructed in just five days, with his team working day and night.

As for what gamers can achieve when they play Yellow Umbrella all the way through, he said, "Nobody can win this game. We want to tell that this is not a revolution. The protesters ask for democracy and peace.

The game has received positive reviews on the Google Play store. Unsurprisingly, it is not available in mainland China. Most of the downloads so far, Fung said, have come from Hong Kong.

Cellphone games and other apps fall under Chinas massive Internet censorship apparatus, which looks to only be getting more stringent. The Beijing News this week quoted experts suggesting that the State Internet Information Office, which manages online censorship, will introduce more regulations on who is qualified to publish cellphone apps and games.

The new regulations were not specified, but the agency claimed that they will strengthen Internet regulations to protect users "online security" and privacy.

Occasionally politically minded games like Yellow Umbrella make it through the firewall in China. In 2010, a game called Nail House War had players defend a house scheduled to be demolished by throwing shoes, Molotov cocktails and other weapons at a wrecking crew. Forced demolitions have been a contentious social issue for years in China, with many people being evicted from their longtime homes to make room for new developments.

Silbert is a special correspondent.

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'Yellow Umbrella' app lets you play Hong Kong democracy protester

A month into the Occupy Central protests in the streets of Hong Kong, student leaders urged pro-democracy politicians to ramp up their participation in the movement, according to media reports. Many student leaders have reportedly backed the idea of pro-democracy legislators, or pan-democrats, resigning office to force by-elections in Hong Kong.

I do hope the pan-democratic lawmakers can take up the role for dialogue, Alex Chow Yong-kang, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, told South China Morning Post, or SCMP. They don't need students' endorsement and as elected legislators they have legitimate claims to make a request for talks to the government.

A number of pro-democracy legislators and civil rights organizations have so far played a background role in the month-long demonstrations, according to media reports. Most of them have restricted themselves to providing feedback and support to the students, arranging the transfer of supplies, and facilitating the movement of protesters.

However, some legislators suggested on Monday they might resign from parliament to pressure the government and force a de facto referendum, SCMP reported. This move would be similar to one employed by the pan-democrats in January 2010, when a number of them resigned over demands for political reforms in Hong Kong.

Alan Leong, a leader of the Civic Party -- a liberal democratic party in Hong Kong -- said that such resignations were a distinct possibility, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Chow added that pro-democracy legislators should lead the talks with the government, according to the SCMP report. If politicians can steer the talk, students can focus on communicating to protesters in the streets and understanding their demands, Chow reportedly said.

Benny Tai, a co-founder of the protest group Occupy Central with Peace and Love, also urged the Hong Kong government to respond to the peoples demands regardless of the legal liability, according to local media reports.

It is reasonable to think that they may not fulfill peoples requests immediately, but it would at least provide us with confidence in a process through which our demands are dealt with fairly. If such an arrangement is made, I believe citizens in occupied areas would be willing to leave, he reportedly said.

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Hong Kong Protest Leaders Urge Pro-Democracy Lawmakers To Ramp Up Participation

Dr James Gomez at the conference Multiple Lives of Democracy in Tallinn University
James Gomez #39;s presentation at the one-day conference Multiple Lives of Democracy: from Europe to Asia Pacific held at Tallinn University on 25.04.2014. James presented in the panel Speaking...

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Dr James Gomez at the conference Multiple Lives of Democracy in Tallinn University - Video

Asad Rehman from Friends of the Earth International at Occupy Democracy assembly, 23rd of October

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Asad Rehman from Friends of the Earth International at Occupy Democracy assembly, 23rd of October - Video