April 21, 2009
Calling All Kids! Emerald Island
Celebrates Earth Day by Inviting Kids to Do Good
Green-themed MMO for Kids Hosts
In-Game and Real World Environmental Activities this Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day 2009,
green-themed, eco-friendly children’s MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game
Emerald Island invites kids to make a difference in the Earth’s ecology. For
every new “eco-hero” that subscribes to the game, developer Fluid Entertainment,
in partnership with Trees for the Future, will plant 10 trees in the real world,
so players can see their in-game eco-activities make a difference on planet
Earth. In conjunction with this initiative, Emerald Island’s in-game Earth Day
celebrations include new quests and activities that offer young activists the
opportunity for fun and adventure, while doing good.
Kids enter Emerald Island and create
their own unique zany animal avatar. They soon learn from the island’s
inhabitants that the Pirats, a band of polluting, pillaging rodents, have set
their sights on Emerald Island as the next land to plunder. Kids are tasked with
the challenge to ‘Help Save Emerald Island’ from the Pirats, with the goal of
protecting and saving this pristine virtual world in need. By thwarting the
Pirat’s efforts, kids become eco-heroes in the game, and in turn, gain insight
into the Earth’s environmental challenges, while learning conservation tips that
they can incorporate into their every day lives.
This Earth Day and beyond, the wacky
inhabitants of Emerald Island provide players with useful green tips, such as
urging players to use both sides of the paper to save trees. These real world
‘green tips’ inform gamers about how planting, conserving and recycling can all
increase the quality of the environment – in Emerald Island, as well as on
planet Earth. Other Earth Day festivities include a series of green adventures
that introduce children to the island’s endangered species, and help them gain
an understanding of how they themselves can help. From encouraging habitat
restoration and preservation for endangered tigers and the mountain gorilla, to
replanting a forest that has been destroyed by the Pirats, these in-game quests
are designed to give kids the opportunity to learn about and participate in the
solutions of the environmental challenges facing Emerald Island – and the
Earth—in a fun, always changing environment.
In a series of more than 40 plant
related quests activities, Fluid Entertainment continues their partnership with
Trees for the Future (www.treesftf.org),
an organization dedicated to sustainable agroforestry and to helping communities
around the world plant trees. For Earth Day, Emerald Island introduces new
quests in partnership with this organization that will increase knowledge and
appreciation of a vast variety of plant species and trees. Translating
children’s in-game environmentalism into real-world impact, Fluid Entertainment
will donate 10 trees to Trees for the Future, for every new subscription.
Emerald Island is ESRB rated “E” for
Everyone. For more information, please visit
www.emeraldisland.com.
