OUR GOALS

MISSION

The people at Adventerra Games are working to design, develop, produce, and distribute exciting environmental games that educate and motivate people of all ages to take individual action to solve local and global environmental problems.

After studying the modern academic research about the effectiveness of active learning methodologies for both adults and children, we can modify an ancient Chinese proverb by adding the phrase in bold.

 We see and forget;

We hear and remember;

We play and learn to do;

We do and understand.

In fact, the best teachers know that players of games and simulations take responsibility for their own learning. A well designed educational game generates emotional and cognitive energy, stimulating the player to invest that energy as an individual and as part of a team in order to win the game. During the game psychological barriers to learning fade away into the background of consciousness, allowing the new knowledge, values, and behavioral changes to take deep root.

Adventerra Games are designed for use in schools, summer camps, and families. Whether you are a teacher, camp counselor, or parent/grandparent, you should find our games fun, easy to use, and oriented to changing player real life behavior AFTER the game. What is more, players develop good daily conservation habits and tend to pass on these habits to their siblings, friends, and parents.

A NEW APPROACH TO GAME DESIGN

Adventerra Games was founded to offer non-violent games with a social purpose and game mechanics that are balanced between competition and social cooperation. This strategy was chosen purposefully to attract new types of players (e.g. girls, families, clubs, teams!) in addition to those typically attracted to games and simulations. We hope that parents, educators, and grandparents concerned about the environment will serve as evangelicals for our games.

Our games are produced and distributed with the aid of key allies around the world. Non-profit organizations such as Greengames.org  will raise funds to cover the costs of distributing our games to end users in schools, summer camps, and environmental membership organizations. Our nonprofit allies solicit funds to produce and distribute these games from green foundations, governments, large corporations, and even individuals eager to invest in environmental education.

To be completely successful, we will have to inspire other game designers to offer new games that facilitate learning and build social skills, through both cooperation and competition. We therefore welcome new initiatives by other game companies, from the giants of the industry or individual gamers who prefer to work alone or in small groups.

STRATEGY

1.

We design games that delight players while they educate them about the importance of caring for the natural environment, and how to do so in their daily activities. To do this, we have brought together a fruitful mix of game designers, educators, and environmental scientists. We have sought outside sponsorship for games about the most important environmental themes (e.g., water, energy, pollution, solid waste recycling)
 

2.

We develop prototypes into games based on feedback from internal and external playtesters, including players of the target age group and educators and parents who work with this age group. We are primarily focused on developing our own prototypes but would consider developing especially promising prototypes by other designers.
 

3. 

We produce games at the lowest possible environmental, social, and economic cost. Whenever possible we choose raw materials that are recycled or at least recyclable, and manufacturing processes that minimize energy consumption and damage to the environment. Whether we in-source or outsource production, we seek to ensure safe workplaces and fair treatment of workers. To make our games affordable we seek to minimize production costs and keep margins modest.
 

4.

We distribute games directly through our website, and indirectly through alliances with educators, environmentalists, foundations, public and private corporations, government agencies, and NGOs. For example, Acquagame is for sale through the Panda catalog of the WWF, and distributed with the help of the Lombardy Environmental Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Hydroaid. In particular, we are looking to partner with nonprofit organizations such as www.greengames.org in order to build a community of environmental gamers. We are also willing to discuss licensing and co-marketing arrangements with other publishers who wish to supply our games through their distribution channels.

Environmental Themes

 

Players Teach Others



Learn New Concepts

 

Adventerra games are designed especially for:

●

 girls, women, mothers, and grandmothers not attracted to violence

●

 families that want an indoor activity to enjoy together

●

 clubs and teams interested in improving their ability to cooperate
  

Adventerra games are suitable for use as indoor (rainy-day) activities in:

●

 Schools

●

 Summer or winter camps

●

 Environmental membership organizations
  

Adventerra Games seeks distribution allies:

1.

 Private foundations such as Greengames.org

2.

 Networks of environmental educators such as NAAEE.org and Eco-schools.org.

3.

 Green foundations and NGOs such as Hydroaid.org

4.

 Government agencies with responsibility for environmental edcation

5.

 Privately or publicly-held corporations with a strong record of social responsibility towards the environment

6.

 Citizens with resources such as time and money to spend on environmental education.