Pac-Man Clone Takes On Packaging Waste
The non-profit environmental group The Dogwood Alliance has released a new flash-based game designed to help make people aware of the wastes and cost of packaging in fast-food, video game, and other industries. They are campaigning for individuals to petition corporations to use more post-consumer recycled paper, use less paper packaging, and stop using paper for packaging from endangered forests.

You can check out the game here:

PackagingMan

Now, whether or not I agree with the message, I am interested in seeing how video games are being used as a medium for the communication of serious messages. It's been done very well. Even by beginners. It's also been done very poorly.

This game is a three-level Pac-Man clone written in Flash with ripped sound-effects and modified graphics - mixed with some pages explaining the message. The power pills are recycling icons. The ghosts wear jackets and ties as apparently corporate monsters. Instead of fruit bonuses, you get to save bunnies, squirrels, and turtles. The word "Saved" appears to make it clear you didn't eat the little woodland animals, which is probably important. As a game, well, it's a three-level Pac-Man clone in flash. Does it succeed at its goal of effectively marketing a message and a call to action?

Maybe. You can try it out and answer that question yourself. But I do have a few suggestions:

First of all, the lengthy exposition before getting to play the game detracted from the lure of the game. The game itself should provide the exposition. You want people to come for the game, but stay for the thinking.

Pac-Man might not have been the best choice. Sure, there's a little bit of word-play between Pac and Pack / Packaging, but the gameplay doesn't offer the strongest of metaphors for their message. I mean, eating a recycling icon lets you devour the corporate ghosts? What does that mean? It's a little muddled.

(As an interesting side note: Rumor has it Pac-Man was originally going to be entitled Puck-Man. In a rare show of marketing genius, they changed the name after considering how kids would vandalize the machine by making a small modification to the letter 'P'.)

A better approach that has worked for my brain, at least, is to shine a spotlight on the issue itself. In Airport Security game, the ridiculousness of the ever-changing regulations in the name of counter-terrorism is lampooned. Harpooned is a very bloody arcade game which mocks the pretense of scientific study that is exploited under Japanese law. "Propaganda" is kind of an ugly word, but that's pretty much what we're talking about, and it doesn't mean they are wrong. They do it fairly well, keep it simple, and the metaphor and message is obvious and delivered by the game without much need for additional exposition.

And finally, while having a game as a tool for communicating information and a message is great, I'd want a little more detail before taking action. At the end of the game, it only offers options to play again or to take action. A "More Information" button that takes the player to the fact page would be better. I'd also prefer to know more about the alternative practices mentioned to on the website, and what their impact would be. Hey, if recycled paper would not increase the cost of my tacos at all (or better yet, make 'em cheaper), I'm in favor of it!

Labels: Biz, Politics

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 7:22 AM (Permalink)