Other than a hairy paddle-boarding excursion across the open ocean with the first man to have crossed the Bering Sea kitesurfing (see this p.s. it was my first time paddle-boarding), I made it back in one piece from the South Berry Islands where I joined The Nature Conservancy and Summit Series in surveying our newly minted MPA. It was a thrill to witness a sanctuary that our game players are helping to support!! There is so much to tell, but some key takeaways are: 

1. Shark research is hard: trying to capture key data, take a biopsy, blood and a dorsal fin sample, as well as fix a satellite tag to a tiger shark in under 7 minutes while keeping it calm is, well, pretty challenging. As one friend on the trip put it, it’s like a Formula 1 pit stop and many things can go wrong. 

2. Patience is a virtue: despite the University of Miami team having extensively chummed the waters the night before and throughout the day, sharks do not show up just like that. We spent several 8-9 hour days in a 25 foot tender surrounded by shark bait and were fortunate to have caught and released 3 sharks on one lucky day - and only 1 had a dorsal fin capable of supporting a satellite tag. Frankly, I think they were on to us.

3. Once you do capture and secure a shark, don’t get off until Neil tells you to: Capturing a shark is like few things I’ve experienced before and you grow deeply concerned about the welfare of the animal. Trying to fasten a satellite tag on the dorsal fin of a tiger shark while straddling its back is tricky - don’t lose your concentration! There’s a lot going on of course and a large team hopping madly around the stern of a not very big boat as the UM scientists shout out commands to us all. But with all the commotion sometimes a few instructions get lost in the shuffle, e.g. “Don’t get off the shark!” I commend Dr. Neil Hammerschlag and his team including Austin, Virginia and Curt for how they are pushing the boundaries of shark research and involving people from all walks of life in the experience in an effort to protect these awesome creatures.

Hats off again to Thayer Walker at Summit Series for bringing together such an interesting group of people on such short notice for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Amazing.

-Gregory

February, 2012

This has been translated from the original Portuguese. To read the original article please click here. 

Combining gaming and social causes has turned out to be a very effective way to engage players on Facebook and a great way to raise funds for philanthropic causes. Last year, Zynga raised money through some of their games to benefit victims of the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti. Today, we are seeing increasing use of social games for philanthropic initiatives. 

The startup Good World Games is developing games for Facebook whose sole objective it is to combine the power of humanitarian causes with the virality of social gaming. Their first game is called MyConservationPark and it aims to have players protect animals from human and environmental threats while creating a sustainable habitat with diverse fauna and flora. 

There are two game modes for players to choose from. In Play mode, new challenges appear continuously and players must overcome them to save and protect their endangered species. In this mode, ecosystem and hero health directly affect the players’ performance and ability to deal with these challenges. 

In Decorate mode players can create a biodiverse environment for their species by adding animals, trees, water, food, sheds and other elements. In this mode players can purchase rangers, native species, watchtowers and even insects. 

All in-game purchases of virtual items in MyConservationPark directly benefit Good World Games’ charity partners with 15% of revenue donated to selected causes. Each park benefits a different non-profit partner. Some project partners are: the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Sea Shepherd, WildAid and Orangutan Outreach. Players are able to see what percentage of revenue has been donated to each non-profit. 

Dr. Alan Rabinowitz from Panthera talks about his lifelong work with jaguars and why playing MyConservationPark is gaming for good!

Recently Rob Stewart, maker and director of the multi-award-winning movie Sharkwater, recorded this special video discussing the importance of shark conservation and how to support efforts by playing MyConservationPark’s Hammerhead park.

Games in and of themselves are great; but games that also do good are awesome. Good World Games had the crazy idea that maybe games are more than about having fun and entertaining your brain for a few minutes here a few hours there, although that is important stuff. What if games can change the way people behave in their real world lives? What if games can get people reflexively helping out noble causes as naturally as they do laundry, brush their teeth, or drive to work? What if giving just became apart of what we do everyday?

The game is also educational, teaching children the importance of environmental and animal conservation and their own responsibility in caring for the Earth.

This philosophy of “gaming for social good” has taken off in recent years, with games popping up seeking to tackle issues of hunger, poverty, community cohesion, environmental sustainability and education. Toronto-based Good World Games recently released My Conservation Park, a socially conscious game that sees players build and manage a wildlife reserve.

Mark Evans profiles us in The Globe & Mail!

Serial entrepreneur Greg Sukornyk looked at the activities of charities online and the growing popularity of online gaming, and figured there was an opportunity to marry them in a way that could benefit charities while still entertaining game players. Since the first game was launched a couple of months ago…more than 10,000 people have played, while the non-profits involved have been enthusiastic about the concept and business model. 

We just relaunched MyConservationPark with a fresh redesign and the new Life Stages feature.  Remember the circle of life from The Lion King? Life stages add the extra challenge of keeping all the life in your park alive and well over time. Try it now!