Games making an impact on the environment

1) Story lines that raise awareness
2) Part of the game play, visible results in the virtual world

Dizzywood, Arbor Foundation Partner To Plant 15K Trees

Representatives for Dizzzywood, a virtual world designed for children between ages 8-12, have announced a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 15,000 real-world trees following an in-game activity designed to promote environment awareness.

In the online activity, children were tasked with restoring nature and balance to tracts of Dizzywood's Wildwood Glen forest that had been destroyed and polluted. Players were encouraged to earn tree seedlings and plant them in the damaged areas of the forest.

As a result of the their efforts to restore the forest, the polluted sky cleared, fish returned to the pond, and creatures returned to their woodland homes. Children can now play games and catch fish in Wildwood Glen. A statue commemorating the children's work has also been erected in Dizzywood.

Said Dizzywood co-founder Ken Marden: “Dizzywood’s tree planting is a great example of how an adventurous storyline can cleverly weave a strong educational component into play. It is an opportunity to allow kids to see the wider impact that they can have by working together, as well as what it means to be a citizen of the world – in this case, a virtual one. We hope the kids are as inspired to see their online environmental activity have real-world results as we are.”