Food force: UN video game on hunger a surprise smash hit.

When in April 2005 the World Food Programme (WFP) released "Food Force", the first United Nations video game, it did not expect to have a smash hit on its hands. The food aid agency was as surprised as the international games market that a non-violent educational video game about global hunger, created by a non-profit organization, would be seen as "cool" among kids, and within a mere six weeks of its release register over 1 million players. The breakout phenomenon has been such that not only the commercial gaming industry but also the mainstream media have taken note.

Targeting children aged 8 to 13, the video game is available for Windows as well as Macintosh platforms, and offers six different missions (see page 79) alongside Food Force's crack team of emergency aid workers. In a race against the clock, players are faced with a number of realistic challenges to quickly feed thousands of people. The video game format, rather than traditional educational game technology, has the attraction of full screen video and 3D imagery. Aspects of the food aid operations include piloting helicopters on reconnaissance missions, negotiating with armed rebels on a convoy run, and using food to help rebuild villages.

The video game is available as a free Internet download from a special interactive Food Force website (www.food-force.com), with a number of dedicated areas where players can also post their high scores, learn more about hunger crises and WFP programmes and find out how to get involved. The "How to Help" section provides ideas on fund-raising and community involvement, as well as information on how celebrities help to fight hunger. The website also features a special section for educators and teachers interested in integrating lessons about hunger into their curricula. It offers teaching materials for primary, intermediate and secondary levels, as well as hunger resources and links to other educational UN Websites for teachers, such as the UN Cyberschoolbus (www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus). For teaching materials, WFP has teamed up with the "Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger" website to provide downloadable teachers' lesson packs in nine languages (www.feedingminds.org).

In the virtual world of Food Force, the player is briefed on a hunger crisis on the fictitious island country of Sheylan, where the WFP team appears as a set of animated characters that help guide the player through the game. Before each mission begins, an educational video segment about the reality of the WFP work in the field is presented, allowing the players to learn and understand how the Agency responds to actual food emergencies, including the origin of food donations, the nutritional breakdown and method of delivery. Each of the six mission challenges reflects one key element of the food delivery aid process--from emergency response to building long-term food security for a community, which often involves a complex series of tasks.

At the end of each mission, the WFP characters present their feedback on the player's performance and encourage repeat play, where necessary. When players complete all six missions, the game is over and they can submit their scores to an international high-score database on the dedicated Food Force website and compare them with other players around the world.

"Communicating with children today means using the latest technology", WFP Director of Communications Neil Gallagher said. "Children in the developed world don't know what it's like to go to bed threatened by starvation. In an exciting and dynamic form, Food Force will generate kids' interest and understanding about hunger, which kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined."

Speaking to the UN Chronicle, Justine Roche, the game's project manager at WFP headquarters in Rome, Italy, explained that the game's success was grounded in its broad-based appeal to children, parents and teachers. It is an "action-packed, high-energy game, but without the violence and gore" that is usually the feature of many other popular video games. Food Force is "a game that parents will encourage their children to play at home" and that "teachers will find stimulating to use in the classroom". Mr. Roche said that WFP was hoping to build on the momentum generated and was already thinking about creating a Food Force brand with a successor to the game, which has received top ratings from educational game sites worldwide.

The two main objectives now, Mr. Roche said, were attracting sponsors who would support the agency's work and in turn benefit from being associated with the educational video game, and getting it into classrooms. "The game has excited kids and teachers about learning more about fighting world hunger", he added, and "we hope to integrate it in classrooms as part of curricula on hunger".

In the real world, some 850 million people lack enough food to eat, and WFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency, is active on the front lines of more than 80 countries, delivering food aid to some 90 million people each year. Its mandate is to supply food aid in order to enable food security and ultimately eliminate hunger and poverty.