PSFK presents
THE FUTURE
OF GAMING
SUMMARY PRESENTATION
A REPORT
CO N S U LTI N G

FOR YOUR FULL
COPY OF THE 150 PAGE
REPORT, VISIT:
www.psfk.com/future-of-gaming

INTRODUCTION
This report presents key trends emerging within the gaming PSFK’s research kicked off with an analysis of nearly one thousand
space that brands, non-profits and communities can leverage data points that showcased gaming innovation in various forms.
to foster engagement and motivate their target audience Pattern recognition performed against this research yielded 17
towards achieving a desired outcome. It is designed to inspire key trends organized around three core aspects of game design
anyone tasked with creating compelling user experiences, —Purpose Behind the Game, Mechanics that Drive People to
whether that be on a digital screen, in the real world or Action and Game Functionality and Systems. To understand
somewhere in between. how these trends impact the marketplace and the opportunities
they present, we interviewed numerous gaming experts and
We recognize that there is a tremendous amount of research
have included their insights throughout the document.
and study taking place around gaming, and this report reflects
our contribution to that conversation. It is intended to provide
a current snapshot into the innovative ways that games are
We hope that you find inspiration in every section of the 2011
being used within the broader marketplace, examine their
issue of PSFK’s Future of Gaming report. For copies or an in
expanding role in effecting change on an individual and societal
person presentation, please visit:
level, and highlight the new technologies that are making
www.psfk.com/future-of-gaming
these experiences possible.

FOREWORD
Games and play are at the foundation of how people learn, develop The mechanics behind games are evolving as social connectivity
and socialize. As humans we respond instantly to entertaining and influences both the way and the pace at which people interact with
engaging experiences. But what makes a game worth playing? What one another. The nature of our modern online presence allows us
rules must it have? How should it work? to communicate, compete and collaborate with one-another in real-
time. Driven by rapid advances in mobile and sensor technology,
Our report provides an overview of the key trends permeating the
games are now able to bridge real and virtual worlds. They can now
creation of games today. It specifically looks at how play is being
take place across separate realities that often influence each other,
used by organizations, corporations and communities to achieve a
creating new opportunities for play and changing the way players
specific purpose. Fueled by the ability to gather many players across
experience their daily lives.
the world through online connectivity, projects of any scale can be
undertaken, overcoming previously unsolvable challenges. When
applied to socially responsible enterprise or charitable programs
Piers Fawkes, Founder, PSFK
these collective efforts are capable of bringing about real change.

PILLARS OF GAMING
THE PURPOSE
OF GAMING

PURPOSE OF GAMING
TO SOLVE
THE UNSOLVABLE

FOLD.IT TO SOLVE THE UNSOLVABLE
GAMERS ASSIST IN CRACKING THE AIDS PUZZLE
FOLD.IT
GAMERS ASSIST IN CRACKING THE AIDS PUZZLE

PURPOSE OF GAMING
TO LEVERAGE
COLLECTIVE
MANPOWER

PROJECT NOAH
PROJECT NOAH
MISSION-BASED IMAGE GATHERING
FOR CROWDSOURCED NATURE REFERENCES

PURPOSE OF GAMING
TO EMBED
KNOWLEDGE

NASA LEARNING
TECHNOLOGIES
FUTURE SOCIAL GAME MAKES ASTROPHYSICS FUN

PURPOSE OF GAMING
TO TEACH PEOPLE
NEW SKILLS

TO TEACH PEOPLE NEW SKILLS
LEARN REAL GUITAR WHILE PLAYING AN INTERACTIVE VIDEO GAME
ROCKSMITH
LEARN REAL GUITAR WHILE PLAYING AN INTERACTIVE VIDEO GAME

PURPOSE OF GAMING
TO IMPROVE
EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR

TO IMPROVE EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR
ACHIEVING MILESTONES IN OVERCOMING HEALTH-RELATED CHALLENGES
MINDBLOOM
APP GAMIFIES PERSONAL GROWTH TO
BOOST PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

PURPOSE OF GAMING
TO PROMOTE
FUNDRAISING

TO PROMOTE FUNDRAISING
GAMERS HELP FEED HUNGRY CHILDREN
ZYNGA + PIZZA HUT
GAMERS PURCHASE IN GAME ITEMS TO DONATE TO CHARITY

PURPOSE OF GAMING
TO SPREAD
THE WORD

LOCKERZ
PLATFORM HARNESSES POTENTIAL OF
INFLUENTIAL SOCIAL NETWORKERS

PILLARS OF GAMING
MECHANICS
DRIVING PEOPLE
TO ACTION

MECHANICS THAT DRIVE PEOPLE TO ACTION
ONE-UPSMANSHIP

ONE-UPSMANSHIP
FITNESS GAMES WITH SOCIAL MOTIVATION AS IMPETUS
PULSWATCH
FITNESS GAMES WITH SOCIAL MOTIVATION AS IMPETUS

MECHANICS THAT DRIVE PEOPLE TO ACTION
PEER PRESSURE

REEBOK
PROMISE KEEPER
APP USES SOCIAL MEDIA PEER PRESSURE
TO MOTIVATE USERS TO EXERCISE

MECHANICS THAT DRIVE PEOPLE TO ACTION
MONEY
ON THE LINE

STICKK.COM
BACKING UP RESOLUTIONS WITH MONEY

MECHANICS THAT DRIVE PEOPLE TO ACTION
REWARDS

RECYCLEBANK.COM
MOTIVATING EVERYDAY GREEN BEHAVIOR WITH REAL REWARDS

MECHANICS THAT DRIVE PEOPLE TO ACTION
EXCLUSIVE
ACCESS

BAL HARBOUR +
KLOUT
PARTY INVITES SENT ONLY TO PEOPLE WITH HIGH KLOUT SCORE

PILLARS OF GAMING
FUNCTIONALITY
AND SYSTEMS

GAME FUNCTIONALITY AND SYSTEMS
GESTURE-BASED
GAMING

MICROSOFT
KINECT-POWERED EDUCATIONAL GAME FOR CHILDREN

GAME FUNCTIONALITY AND SYSTEMS
MULTI-SCREEN
EXPERIENCES

MULTI-SCREEN EXPERIENCES
INTERACTIVE PING-PONG GAME TAKES THE OUTDOOR STAGE
MCDONALDS
INTERACTIVE PING-PONG GAME TAKES THE OUTDOOR STAGE

GAME FUNCTIONALITY AND SYSTEMS
MIXING
REALITIES

MIXING REALITIES
iDEVICE CONSTRUCTION GAME MELDS OFFLINE ASSEMBLY WITH DIGITAL SCORE
LIFE OF GEORGE
iDEVICE CONSTRUCTION GAME MELDS OFFLINE
ASSEMBLY WITH DIGITAL STORE

GAME FUNCTIONALITY AND SYSTEMS
LIFE-SIZED
GAME PIECES

THE FRENCH
DIGITAL KITCHEN
SENSOR-EMBEDDED KITCHEN UTENSILS OFFER
VERBAL ADVICE FOR FUTURE CHEFS

GAME FUNCTIONALITY AND SYSTEMS
REAL WORLD GAME
ENVIRONMENTS

ZOMBIES, RUN!
AUGMENTED AUDIO GAME SPURS FITNESS BY
IMMERSING RUNNERS IN ZOMBIE INFESTED WORLD

GAMING
for
GOOD CONCEPTS TO SUPPORT
THE REALITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
CO N S U LTI N G

FOREWORD
Games are the new normal. The popularity and proliferation for advocates to reach entirely new audiences with games
of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices—coupled that are engaging, fun, and motivational.
with a wide variety of social networking platforms—provide
Recently, I was introduced to Piers Fawkes and the
fertile ground for the incorporation of games into our lives
wonderful team at PSFK and for the past several months
in fresh, new ways. Whether it’s playing Scrabble on your
The Climate Reality Project, PSFK and I have collaborated
iPhone or Farmville on Facebook, now millions fill the
in an open source “Gaming for Good” Challenge. I hope
interstitial moments of their lives with the simple fun that
that you will enjoy the results of this collaboration and that
these programs and apps provide.
it will encourage you to think creatively about social
As games have become ubiquitous, both the private and impact games.
public sectors have begun to seriously look at the role that
gamification can play in their work. Game design, techniques
and mechanics, have something to teach those of us who
are seeking to engage people on issues of social importance.
In the forty years that I have worked to build public
awareness of the need to urgently solve the climate crisis,
I have always sought out new methods of communication—
from my slideshow on three Kodak carousels (which evolved
from an actual slideshow to a multi-media presentation on
Keynote)—to my work on An Inconvenient Truth, the “Live
Earth” global concerts, “24 Hours of Reality” on the web,
and an app for the iPhone and iPad called Our Choice.
Exploring the interplay of gamification and social change is
AL GORE
Former Vice President
a fascinating challenge, and one that I have been exploring
Nobel Laureate
for the last three years. Clearly, there is tremendous potential
Founder, The Climate Reality Project

INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THIS REPORT ABOUT THE CLIMATE
PSFK challenged its readership of over 1MM creative REALITY PROJECT
professionals to come up with concepts that address issues The mission of The Climate Reality Project is to reveal the
put forth by The Climate Reality Project. Participants in the full truth of the climate crisis in a way that ignites the moral
challenge were encouraged to leverage trends identified courage in all of us. Climate Reality uses communications
in PSFK’s Future Of Gaming report to create potential tools to connect the dots for people about what is
solutions. happening in science, politics, culture and climate so that all
of us can work to face and solve this challenge together.
PSFK received over 60 entries from around the world. This
book contains a shortlist of those concepts, as chosen by The Climate Reality Project has launched a series of
The Climate Reality Project. By highlighting the strongest events to bring the climate crisis back to the fore of public
concepts, PSFK hopes to shine a light on ways that The consciousness and conversation. The first was 24 Hours
Climate Reality Project and other likeminded businesses can of Reality, which connected the dots between extreme
solve some of the issues weather around the globe and climate change. Upcoming
they face. events will include Antarctica, a voyage to the bottom of
the earth to bear witness to the truth of climate change,
coal and its multiple health concerns, and a spotlight on
climate “deniers” and the damage they are doing to our
ability to take action.

INTRODUCTION
ABOUT PSFK BACKGROUND
PSFK is the go-to source for new ideas and inspiration for PSFK recently published an independent trends-research
creative professionals around the world. Based in New York report titled PSFK’s Future Of Gaming. In that report, PSFK
City, PSFK is a trends-led business innovation company that highlighted several topic areas, including the purpose,
publishes a daily news site, provides trends research and mechanics, functions and systems behind games. In doing
innovation consultancy, manages a network of freelance so, it presented a framework within which readers could
experts and hosts idea-generating events. We aim to inspire contemplate innovation and best practices that currently
our readers, our clients and our guests to make things exist within the gaming arena.
better—whether that’s better products, better services or
better ways of living. This report served as the creative stimulus for a project
recently performed on behalf of The Climate Reality Project.
www.psfk.com

ABOUT THIS BOOK
THE BRIEF
WHAT THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT WANTS WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Global acceptance of the realities of climate change The goal is to harness the energy of game-play to
encourage people to make a measurable impact on the
HOW climate conversation. We’re looking for game-play ideas
that meet one or more of the following objectives:
Create gamification tools that individuals, communities,
organizations and nations can use to embed this new reality • To Build Awareness
• To Promote Fundraising
WHY • To Solve The Unsolvable
Individuals, communities, organizations and nations are • To Embed Knowledge
failing to act in the face of climate change • To Teach People New Skills
• To Improve Everyday Personal Behavior
OUTCOME • To Leverage Collective Manpower
The conversation changes to focus on implementing
solutions to climate change

CLIMATE HEROES
esterni. 10-20137 Milano Italy
Contact: giada@esterni.org
www.esterni.org

CLIMATE HEROES
CLIMATE HEROES. GET READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Climate Heroes is an online game that capitalizes on the long-standing Users are able to select from a number of superhero avatars, such
role of superheroes as beacons of goodness in our lives. This game gives as Mr. Smog and Miss Waste, all of which are visually engaging and
users the opportunity to become a superhero and take up the fight representative of a specific climate challenge. Users can capture climate
to solve the planet’s climate issues. The future of the planet is in your abuse using their mobile phones and upload photos or share news
hands. Create your profile and save the world! items. Those that do so with regular frequency and take on the role of
‘influencer’ will be engaged by the Organization to do a public mission.
A sample mission might be to organize a flash mob that sheds light on
a specific issue.

CLIMATE HEROES
Denunciation BLOG

CLIMATE HEROES
Multiple players can embody the same avatar and can choose to go on share information, ideas and the successful ways in which they have
similar missions. In doing so, they create a team or a community of do- combated climate abuse in their communities. The community can also
gooders that are battling a similar problem. The website can serve as a be incentivized through things like prizes and recognition.
platform or forum for an open dialog amongst superheroes. Users can

CLIMATE TRAIL
Zemoga. 56 West 22nd Street, 10th Floor. New York, NY 11217
Contact: info@zemoga.com
Concept Lead: Sven Larsen
Team Members: Dan Licht, Yody Castro, Miguel Fernandez
www.zemoga.com

CLIMATE TRAIL
CLIMATE TRAIL
There’s a lot of information and disinformation surrounding climate
change. But much of the disinformation can be debunked by following the
“money trail” of companies sponsoring the research and publication that
disseminates this false data. How do we encourage the public to think for
themselves and question the sources of their information? By encouraging
them to play “Climate Trail”, a simple text-based game that mirrors the
functionality of classic online games like “Oregon Trail”.
At the start of the game, each player is given a leadership role in a
community with set levels of renewable resources, atmospheric levels, and
other indicators of climate health. The goal is to reach the year 2036 with a
healthy and livable community. As game play proceeds, players are asked
questions like “Do you want clean coal or wind power to be your town’s main
source of power” or “Do you want to clear 10,000 acres of forest to create
more farmland?” Correct answers help boost resource levels while wrong
answers impact negatively on community health. After each answer, players
are also presented with information about choices that were made in the
real world (e.g. Portland, Oregon switched to natural gas for city vehicles
and reduced emissions 30%). Users will also be able to share answers across
social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

CLIMATE TRAIL
Once the initial levels have been completed, players are promoted Game play either ends when resource goals are reached on a global scale
to a higher rank with responsibilities for larger and more complex or climate change has reached unacceptable levels and the community is
communities. As they progress to higher leadership levels they are also no longer sustainable. Players will be able to compare their performances
greeted with new challenges (e.g. “Lobbyists want to meet with you to against real life politicians. They will also be given tips on where they
discuss new vehicle standards.”). went wrong in the game (e.g. “You believed reports about Clean Coal
but research was actually funded by Mining Companies”) highlighting
both the money trail and the need for independent consumer research
on high impact environmental and climate issues.

GREENSQUARE
Awkward Hug. 373 92 Street Apt. B22. Brooklyn, NY 11209
Contact: Julie@awkwardhug.com
Concept Lead: Jim Babb
Team Members: Julie Coniglio & Josh Spiro
www.awkwardhug.com

GREENSQUARE
GREENSQUARE
Greensquare is a gaming platform that gives you and your friends The goal of this game is, ultimately, to leverage collective
a new, greener way to explore local retail stores, bars, restaurants, player-power to influence business’ environmental practices. Local
and businesses. businesses are motivated to compete for positive recognition, while
consumers have the crowdsourced data they need to make informed
Players rate establishments based on their environmental practices. purchasing decisions.
Does the restaurant recycle? Are customers encouraged to choose
reusable over disposable? On which kind of energy does the business
run? These factors contribute to a business’ Greensquare Rating.
Each rating consideration carries a weight proportional to its overall
environmental impact; this weight is determined by fact and science.
Check-ins at a particular location amplify the implications. The more
people who patronize a business, the greater the magnitude of its
environmental choices.

GREENSQUARE
Leaderboards and infographics display and compare player This real-world game is digitally managed via a smart phone app and
achievements (based on participation) and business achievements browser interface. It will be built on a combination of the Foursquare,
(based on Greensquare rating and improvements); all compared locally, Google Maps, and Yelp API.
regionally, and nationally. Local businesses are compared based on
ratings and check-ins, while chains and parent corporations are rated
and compared by aggregate data. Brand sponsors can offer rewards to
top players—providing a great opportunity for brands to show off their
green habits and products.

CLIMATE
REALITY PATROL
Parlor. 505 West 54th Street, Suite 1118. New York, NY 10019
Contact: alexpoole@mac.com
Concept Lead: Alex Poole
Team Members: Alex Poole & Rodd Chant
www.parlorcreativity.com

CLIMATE REALITY PATROL
CLIMATE REALITY PATROL
Idea: Social media activism meets gaming and rewards
Concept: Instantly tag your comments with Climate Reality keyword facts to
earn badges and rewards.
How it Works:
Climate Reality creates and hosts a database of short-form facts (1–2 sentences
each) tied to “hot topic” keywords. Each description includes a link to optionally
find a deeper resource of related information.
Users create a profile on The Climate Reality Patrol website, activate the browser
plugin, then begin patrolling the web, looking to dispel unfounded environmental
information in articles and comments from media sites, politicians, brands,
celebrities, blogs, etc.
Wherever commenting is allowed, users who’ve activated Climate Reality Patrol
can post responses including keywords that automatically pull facts served from
The Climate Reality database. The keywords are presented and activated via a
menu that appears as they type (similar to an advanced spell-check).
Other users who view these comments can hover over any of the activated keywords
to find a pop-up fact window that includes the respective “quick fact” and a link to
more info.

CLIMATE REALITY PATROL
Each post would include #ClimateRealityPatrol and/or @ClimateRealityPatrol at
the end by default, to brand the posts.
The Climate Reality Patrol website tracks user stats and features a leaderboard for
all user rankings. A Facebook app displays rankings on individual user’s profiles.
Levels of “Climate Reality Activist” badges are awarded based on the amount
of false information a user has dispelled (based on the number of keywords
they’ve posted).
Rewards could include special recognition, invitation to events, or entry into
exclusive contests.

SPROUT
Cynergy – The Technology Agency. 1600 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006, USA
Contact: Kes Sampanthar, kes.sampanthar@cynergysystems.com
Team Members: Kes Sampanthar, Peter Ruthenberg, Anton Abramov, Rick Kercz, Justin Cravalho,
Chris Hays, Scott Wolfson
www.cynergysystems.com

SPROUT
SPROUT - GROWING CONCIOUSNESS
Consumers vote with their wallets everyday without realizing it. Sprout The interface also captures Sprout points that users accumulate based
puts the power of informed decision-making back into the hands of on their purchases. The goal is to motivate eco-conscious shopping
the consumers by providing them with tools to visualize the power and behavior in a seamless fashion using systems that consumers already
environmental impact of their decisions. understand. For example, a user’s ‘Sprout’ score is managed through
a centralized web or mobile app that is reminiscent of Klout, the app
When making routine shopping decisions, Sprout’s augmented interface that measures online social influence. Every buying decision is tracked
gives the consumer critical information about the ‘green impact’ of their and rewarded with badges that reflect real-time scores through
purchases. Information about a product’s environmental footprint and visual design and these decisions and badges can be shared with your
suggested alternatives appear instantly in the ‘blink’ view. social network.

SPROUT
Sprout will let customers customize their shopping to achieve greener about how they are treating the environment with respect to their
outcomes. Real-time decision-making tools, such as just-in-time supply- purchases. Over time, if Sprout builds up a large enough user base, it can
chain management systems, can be converted into interactive decision- introduce group eco-buying and other tools like offset recommendations
making systems that give consumers the power to make greener shopping (such as planting a tree).
choices. For example, Sprout will let users understand why certain items,
that may have been manufactured at a local, ‘green’ factory, may be more
costly. This will ultimately empower them to make an informed decision

REALiTREE
Stark Design. 401 Broadway, Suite 1500. New York, NY 10013
Contact: daniel@starkdesignny.com
Concept lead: Daniel Stark
Team Members: Nancy Herrmann, Carly Dintaman, Kohl Norville, Maite Rios, Takayo Yamazaki
www.starkdesignny.com

REALiTREE
REALiTREE (pronounced RE-AL-i-TREE)
Realitree is a digital manifestation of our local environment and the real tree, in that it will thrive and suffer according to the health of its
role that we are playing in sustaining its wellbeing. It is a game played surrounding enviroment.
by different groups in many places. Individuals, teams, communities,
cities and even countries compete against their counterparts via Twitter, Realitree’s environment takes into account news media, so news
Facebook and through other social tools. stories that are in conflict with climate reality will reflect negatively on
its health. Realitree will expose agents of the fossil fuel industry who
A Realitree is like a huge Tamagotchi for which thousands of people care. propagate smear, innuendo, criminal hacking and leaking of out-of-
It is a massive projection showing a digital image of a tree, complete context snippets or lies.
with leaves, branches, roots, sky and earth. Realitree functions like a

REALiTREE
Each Realitree will be fed two distinct types of data: climate change. On another level, Realitrees (planted in New York City,
• Current, statistical environmental data about the surrounding for example) could compete against every other city where Realitrees
community as well as news and insights about political and are placed.
corporate forces working against the climate’s good health.
• Real-time updates using tweets and the various social networking Corporations would be allowed the opportunity to play and even
activity of the Realitree’s caretakers. Anyone can participate in remedy earlier misdeeds by correcting falsehoods and donating money
keeping it alive and thriving through their real world deeds and to pay for real initiatives in winning communities. Those that create the
virtual nutrients, delivered through their social networking activity. healthiest environment for their Realitree win the game.
As their networks grow, they will be represented as the intertwined
roots of the tree, keeping it alive, fed and guarded against attack.
The overall “health” of Realitree will be on constant display. With
good activities, it will grow, multiply and sway appreciatively.
With bad deeds, Realitree will appear to shake and wither. It will
always display climate reality truths, news, facts and shares from
participants throughout its community and all over the world.
We envision “planting” 300 Realitrees in cities and towns across
the globe.
Each caretaker will play on different levels and earn points by doing
different things. A single tweet, for example, may garner one point,
while a Foursquare check-in to a “green” business or using clean energy
at home will gain more points. On the Realitree website, through
Facebook connections, people can form teams, compete against
friends and measure their contributions to helping reverse the effects of

DESTINATION
REALITY: FARMVILLE
Arnold worldwide. 101 Huntington Avenue. Boston MA 02199
Contact: Meg Siegal, msiegal@arn.com
Team Members: Meg Siegal, Adrian Crook, Brendon Volpe, Mike Howard
www.arn.com / www.adriancrook.com

DESTINATION REALITY: FARMVILLE
DESTINATION REALITY: FARMVILLE
It’s a funny thing when there are more virtual farmers than real ones on Earth. Farmers mitigate and adapt to unexpected weather conditions. Goods such
Real life farmers see the effects of climate change, but do virtual ones? Let’s as wind-powered tractors, windmills, jackets to shield you from the elements,
partner with Farmville to drop a dose of Reality on the 31 million people who seeds for heartier crops like organic cassava and chickpeas, decorations like a
log on daily to tend to their plants, harvest, and redeem gold coins for seeds, Climate Reality flag, rainwater collection troughs and green ring tags for your
supplies, and fuel. livestock. We’d want to do this in a way that presents a challenge to Farmville
players, and makes it possible via gameplay mechanics to heal the destruction
We could partner with Zynga to plan the best way to expose crops to weather caused by Climate events, illustrating that through action, we can change the
and wind and offer The Climate Reality Project branded goods to help current trajectory.

DESTINATION REALITY: FARMVILLE
Thoughtstarters to get the partnership under way: Zynga can also introduce a new neighbor that everyone has. This
During the summer, Zynga releases an event called “The 7 Days Of neighbor’s farm has been gravely affected by repeated climate events,
Summer.” Every 24 hours they would release a new theme in which the and needs your help to recover. New characters, like a meteorologist,
community would be temporarily subjected to various extreme weather can provide new challenges like preparing for a flood or frost.
events, and stage new Tasks and Quests to recover, mitigate and adapt.
A Task might take the form of installing a windmill, while a Quest might
include sharing your wind power. A Quest Series might take the form of
asking players to make their farm carbon neutral.

CLIMATE REALITY
WIEDEN+KENNEDY. NYC & PDX
Contact: erik.hanson@wk.com
Concept Lead: Dan Neumann
Team Members: Erik Hanson, Erin Brownie, Nick Barham, Dan Hon, Emma Wiseman,
Jamie Ostrov, Laura Hall, Marshall Ball, Jason Gingold
www.wk.com

CLIMATE REALITY
CLIMATE REALITY
Every successful game creates a strong relationship between players and a Farmville crops might wilt more quickly than usual forcing players to
virtual world. What if the worlds of the most popular games collided with water them frequently before they can be harvested. In Angry Birds, an
ours to depict the dramatic realities of climate change? urgency mechanic is created when level elements made of ice begin to
melt. In Call of Duty and other first-person shooters, a haze of pollution
To raise awareness and drive home the true impact of climate change, depletes the health of characters not equipped with a gas mask. In World
we will create our own virtual climate change events in some of the of Warcraft, deforestation forces players to adapt new ambush strategies.
most popular games in world. By working with top publishers like EA In Grand Theft Auto, cars run out of gas quickly, unless the player uses a
and Rockstar, a wide range of games could be affected simultaneously hybrid. The option to “buy” the necessary tools or equipment to deal with
ensuring we can reach a critical mass and stimulate a conversation about the change could exist as a fundraising tool within each game as well.
climate change. On Earth Day, we will take the gaming world by surprise
by introducing new mechanics that completely alter the game world and The overnight appearance of these changes will spur conversation about
how players interact with it. the real world implications of climate change while informing gamers of the
possible consequences.

MISSION GREEN
lg2. 3575, boul. Saint-Laurent. Montreal (Quebec) H2X 2T7
Contact: maubin@lg2.com
Concept Lead: Marilou Aubin
Team Members: Jean-François Perrault, Paul-Alex Gauthier, Stéphane Mailhot, Christian Letendre,
Marc-André Fafard, Anne Bergeron, Éric Bouchard, Gabrielle Godbout, Mathieu Dufour
www.lg2.com

MISSION GREEN
MISSION GREEN
The Game: Mission Green takes on climate change by giving people a The Enemy: Corporations and organizations that disrespect the
collective platform from which to address irresponsible and dishonest environment, fool citizens and contribute to climate change.
corporate behavior. Rooted in crowdsourcing and petition, this game
aggregates geo-targeted mobile photography and content on a gaming The Mission: As an ageny for Mission Green, a player’s ultimate goal is
platform that operates similarly to Digg (users can vote on items and to get corporations and organizations to change their behavior via peer/
affect their popularity). consumer pressure.

MISSION GREEN
The Tools: Players use mobiles to capture proof. They then post Green The Reward System: Agents accumulate points as a byproduct of the
Reports on missiongreen.com and share them on social networks via popularity of their reports, as well as social shares. Points are also
an app. Reports are ranked based on the number of people who also earned for sharing other players’ Green Reports. The best agents are
condemn the corporation’s or organization’s behavior and how many promoted and players receive badges for their work.
times it has been shared. When a Green Report reaches a certain level,
a yellow warning is sent to the corporation or organization whose ethics The Climate Change: The Mission Green game gives power back to the
are in question. As the Green Report becomes more popular and more people. It gives them the sense that they can have a positive impact on
widely shared, it reaches orange and red warnings, eventually promoting climate change. It educates, raises awareness of best behavior and most
the ban of the specific corporation/organization. of all puts a reputation “price tag” on corporations and organizations that
disrespect the environment. Mission Green is all about change—for good.

REALITY DROPS
Arnold worldwide. 101 Huntington Avenue. Boston MA 02199
Contact: Meg Siegal, msiegal@arn.com
Team Members: Adrian Crook, Kate Tetreault, Brendon Volpe, Bob Goodman, Sebastian Gard, Eugene Kim,
David O’Trakoun, Meg Siegal, Mike Howard, Sam Gutglass, Deb Grant, Ebbey Mathew
www.arn.com / www.adriancrook.com

REALITY DROPS
REALITY DROPS
Right now, countless climate change conversations are raging in This site makes it simple to spread science and destroy doubt.
online chat rooms, comment boards, and in social media. And Climate news is prioritized by ‘heat’—hostility, reach, sentiment, and
wherever these conversations are happening, denial fuels the timeliness. Earn points by grabbing related scientific articles, videos, and
flames higher. Winning these conversations means dousing the data, pasting them into the most heated articles, and suffocating climate
denial. And that requires easy access to complex arguments. denial under the weight of cold, hard reality.
SPREAD
SCIENCE
DESTROY
DOUBT

REALITY DROPS
The game builds awareness and educates people by offering the easy- ditional points. And earning points will get your closer to unlocking new
to-understand scientific data they need to cool off the argument. We levels and achievements.
identify the targets. You find the corresponding facts, and start dropping
Reality. Fly solo and scale the leaderboard against your fellow activists, The site connects new articles to the most relevant scientific information
or join a team to spread out and outflank the denier echo chamber. You about climate change. Users are offered a quick, easy way to join the
can earn points by joining conversation and dropping Reality on deniers. fight and activate their social networks by sharing information with their
Retweets, shares, likes and comments on your Reality will earn you ad- friends and followers.
learn more at realitydrops.com
Get more info.

CONTACT
PSFK is the go-to source for new ideas and inspiration for GAMING FOR GOOD TEAM
creative professionals around the world. Based in New York
City, PSFK is a trends-led business innovation company that PROJECT DIRECTOR CONTACT
Piers Fawkes, President, PSFK Jeff Weiner, PSFK
publishes a daily news site, provides trends research and Commercial Director
piers@psfk.com
innovation consultancy, manages a network of freelance 646.520.4672 jeff.weiner@psfk.com
experts and hosts idea-generating events. We aim to inspire 646.520.4665
our readers, our clients and our guests to make things better—
42 Bond St.
whether that’s better products, better services or better ways
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FUTURE OF GAMING
GAMING FOR GOOD
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FUTURE OF GAMING
PSFK is the go-to source for new ideas and inspiration for FUTURE OF GAMING 2011 TEAM
creative professionals around the world. We are a New York
City-based trends research and innovation company that PROJECT DIRECTOR CONTACT
Piers Fawkes, President, PSFK Jeff Weiner, PSFK
publishes a daily news site, provides trends research and Commercial Director
piers@psfk.com
innovation consultancy, manages a network of freelance 646.520.4672 jeff.weiner@psfk.com
experts and hosts idea-generating events. We aim to inspire 646.520.4665
our readers, our clients and our guests to make things better- LEAD CONSULTANT
Scott Lachut 42 Bond St.
whether that’s better products, better services, or better ways
6th Floor
of living. PROJECT MANAGER New York, NY 10012 USA
Tim Ryan www.psfk.com
We hope that you find inspiration in every section of the
2011 issue of PSFK’s Future of Gaming report. For copies or an RESEARCH & ANALYSIS For copies of this report, visit:
in-person presentation, please visit: Kristen Nozell www.psfk.com/future-of-gaming
www.psfk.com/future-of-gaming. Nate Graham
Matt Sabourin Version 0.9 Press Preview
Dory Carr-Harris December 2011
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Peter Surrena
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