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Commissioning of TENT's conservation Facebook game
Dundee-based social media specialists, Waracle, have been commissioned to build TENT's conservation Facebook game ("Enviro-Warrior" - working title only).
Acknowledged as the home of social media in the UK, Dundee's Abertay University produces huge talent in these exciting internet environments and TENT are delighted to be working with Waracle where proceeds from the game will flow towards our conservation targets in Romania. We are most grateful to the MAVA Foundation in Switzerland for making a very generous donation that will enable us to see the game go live in May 2012.
The game involves protecting an area of aged old forest in Carpathia (Transylvania) where up to 1.5 million hectares (15,000 sq. kilometres) are deeply threatened by the demands of industrial giants who are responsible for the illegal clear felling of some of the last pristine wilderness in Europe. Also facing a terrible future are the bear, wolf and lynx who, very rapidly, face being isolated in small “islands” of forest as the fauna and flora begins to disappear before their eyes. The ENVIRO-WARRIOR’S challenge is to control, protect and treasure their personalized wilderness.
Each player within the game is armed with a special ‘toolkit’. Using a variety of gadgets, each player within the game can ensure that the illegal tree felling contractors and hunters are kept at bay. Most importantly, players will be able to collaborate with global internet “gamers” to build national parks to accelerate the “protection front” and restore areas of wilderness that has already fallen victim to the giant industrial axe.
Each player must attempt to protect and attract new species of flora and fauna. As the wilderness begins to benefit in the game, animals and plants will flourish throughout the virtual landscape, enabling the game player to view the world in 3D through a series of fixed camera points. From these designated camera points, players can navigate through forests, mountains, rivers and lakes.
Throughout the game, players will be given the opportunity to ‘level up’ by completing specific objectives. The game will be fraught with reward and jeopardy, enabling players to generate money through tourism and attracting visitors to see rare animals and plants. The establishment of a choice of well-constructed business opportunities will be provided – or, alternatively, players may fall prey to the lure of the easy money offered by the illegal forestry contractor. Players can accelerate their own progress in the game by depositing real money, to purchase items they would not otherwise afford using in game credits.
Enviro-Warrior is a highly social game, designed to provide an immersive vehicle for players to have fun and learn about conservation. Once a player has secured and enhanced their own habitat, they can collaborate with other players to complete objectives as a group. Players are connected within the game via a series of Ecoducts and land bridges, enabling them to encourage animals and plants to move between ecosystems.
