Mata
Aug 23 2005, 11:54 AM
I've made a game for the charity organisation Water Aid. They do great work with the government trying to make sure that funding for supplies of fresh water gets to where it's needed.
They wanted a game about the frustrations of trying to get money when you're a poor country, and you can play it online here:
http://www.wateraid.org/in_depth/campaigns/6433.asp
pgrmdave
Aug 23 2005, 01:42 PM
I think that my favorite part must have been level three - damn rich buckets

On a more serious note it was a good educational experiance, and made it clear what countries have to go through. I just wish there was a way to see how much water you were able to get with the funding you were given, and how many people were able to access that water.
little_bear
Aug 23 2005, 04:01 PM
That was a seriously good little game ; loved how you got the messages across through the gameplay.
Hobbes
Aug 23 2005, 06:20 PM
Clever. Very, very clever.
Everyone says games should be more realistic...
JimiJimi
Aug 23 2005, 09:33 PM
Very good. Plus, what more gets a message across than something which someone has obviously put a lot of effort into?
Well, celebrities for one. But they think they can do anything.
That was a very well constructed and informative game, and shows that you can get a point across just as well whether you fly around in a private jet or not...
Brilliant!
Mata
Aug 24 2005, 01:07 AM
The first version was a lot more balanced so that it was possible to do quite well on the game, but this is the final version that reflects more accurately just how much of a hopeless situation the poorest countries in Africa are really in at the moment.
It's actually quite depressing really, but at least the links give you a chance to try and do something about it.
Calantyr
Aug 24 2005, 12:31 PM
I managed to get 48%. That's simply tragic.
If your employer allows, you should probably put a part in where the aid you DO get isn't the aid that's required. That would be a rather big kick in the nadgers.
Mata
Aug 24 2005, 03:00 PM
That suggestion has already been passed on from another source. It's unlikely that there will be another version of the game, but I know that it's had approval from Oxfam and Tearfund, so many of the big players involved approve of the message.
arachnidoc17
Aug 25 2005, 12:25 AM
That's awesome Mata.
Astarael
Aug 31 2005, 01:27 AM
I barely managed 46% of the funding. I knew about the water supply problems, but this is a memorable way to get the point across and show the problems that poor pountries have when they want to get anything. Good job, Mata! Maybe you should post a link somewhere in the body of Matazone where the animation fans who don't like the forums go? More people might see the game that way.
Mata
Aug 31 2005, 11:32 AM
I put it in my blog and sent it out to the mailing list (I think there's a couple of thousand people on there at the moment), so I figure that was a good start, but you're right, I'll probably add it to the frontpage.
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