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Water Cooler Games

a forum for the uses of videogames in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment



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Destroy the Rainforest Game
February 3, 2005 - by Ian Bogost

Ok, it's really a game about preserving the rainforest, but it's pretty terrible. The Rainforest Foundation has commissioned Congo Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Bark. The game is a sidescrolling platformer. The player controls a monkey or a bear or something who has to avoid flying chainsaws. It's a great lesson in how not to make a game about activism; the core message is totally lost in distracting gameplay, rather than being the gameplay. Let me know if you get it to load... I did play it a few weeks back, it doesn't seem to be working right now. You can see screenshots. (thanks to Ben)



Comment from Gonzalo on February 3, 2005

Works fine on my Mac. At least on the technical level, the controls are far from great. On the other hand, I like the graphics. What I really hate is the fact that they force you to read the instructions. I can imagine the client behind it, thinking that it is important to force the message down the throat of poor players. I agree that the game could have taken another approach, but it is also true that it seems to be targeted to children (even though I am not totally about this). It is always so hard to judge advergames without knowing the brief behind it.

Comment from Gonzalo on February 3, 2005

Works fine on my Mac. At least on the technical level, the controls are far from great. On the other hand, I like the graphics. What I really hate is the fact that they force you to read the instructions. I can imagine the client behind it, thinking that it is important to force the message down the throat of poor players. I agree that the game could have taken another approach, but it is also true that it seems to be targeted to children (even though I am not totally about this). It is always so hard to judge advergames without knowing the brief behind it.

Comment from neilg on February 4, 2005

Even ignoring the gameplay issues, it strikes me that characterizing loggers and the World Bank as slick villians in business suits with ridiculous chainsaw wielding robots would alienate anyone who doesn't already agree with The Rainforest Foundation.

Games are inherently simulations of one sort or another, so I think they are more effective when the game content appears balanced and true to reality. There's certainly enough injustice and conflict in the world to drive these games, without having to invent any and erode the credibility of the game.

Comment from on February 22, 2005

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Comment from God on September 15, 2006

really boring who doesn't want to destroy things

Comment from God on September 15, 2006

really boring who doesn't want to destroy things


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