Earth Day 2009: Green gaming roundup

Earth Day 2009 is upon us (celebrate it, you’ll be there any way) which means it’s time to look at some of the green-themed initiatives in the gaming world.

As you might recall, last year on Earth Day (2008) the price of gas skyrocketed so that a new, retail-priced game could actually cost you less than a tank of gas. We’re not quite there again (yet) but we can still think a little greener today by saving the gas by staying home and playing games with green themes. hre’s also a lot of downloadable games that don’t require any shipping (more gas) or packaging (plastic, which is based on oil).

Also don’t forget to check your favorite MMO as it will certainly include some type of avatar garb, exclusive item or fun-time recycling minigame (and then let us know so we can all give it a go).

Sony’s Help Save the Planet, One Digital Download at a Time campaign

• Sony is donating $1 per download to Conservation International for the first 10,000 downloads made through the Playstation Store on April 22, 2009.
• There will also be a collection of content called “Save Our Earth” featuring videos (movies, anime, etc.) that “showcase planet earth, and our effort to defend it from forces who attempt to destroy it.” Titles include, Cloverfield, Hancock, Superman Returns, The Abyss, The Day After Tomorrow and The Terminator.
• Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) also announced the Spring 2009 release of a PS3 downloadable puzzle game called Trash Panic (aka Gomibako in Japan) where players compact garbage into a trash can before it overflows in the most “eco-friendly” way as possible.

Eco Kids’ online games
The educational site Eco Kids has online Flash-based games with ecological themes that are kid appropriate. I counted 45 games listed between all seven categories: Wildlife, Climate Change, Energy, The North, Waste, Land Use and First Nations & Inuit. The “How energy Efficient Game,” for example, is trivia game where you click on objects in a house and select the most energy efficient option for each item.

Mimoco’s GURP GreenBot USB recycling program and video contest
Mimoco (who made those cool Halo USB drives, so I guess it’s a little game related) has a three-week viedo contest that is Earth Day related as well as a USB recycling program. From the company’s press release, “GURP encourages earthlings to recycle old, worn out, or otherwise unwanted USB flash drives that can be traded in for gift certificates good towards MIMOBOT designer USB flash drives. The GURP4ME contest challenges participants to submit a short, less than one minute, video entry that answers a simple question: Show Mimoco how GURP recycles your flash drives.” The video contest runs through Mother’s Day 2009 (May 10, 2009), playing on the Mother earth theme. Also, somehow based on the number of video entries, Mimoco will donate to the Arbor Day Foundation’s Rain Forest Rescue program to help save 1,000 square feet of rain forest. Up to 100 entrants will receive limited edition, organic cotton MIMOBOT GURP t-shirts and the grand prize winner will receive two 8GB MIMOBOT flash drives of their choice. The community will pick a winenr who will get an 8GB drive and four runners up will receive a 4GB drive.

Emerald Island Celebrates Earth Day
For each new subscription to the green-themed children’s MMO Emerald Island, Fluid Entertainment will plant ten trees with the help of Trees for the Future. ding to the press release, “in-game Earth Day celebrations include new quests and activities that offer young activists the opportunity for fun and adventure, while doing good.” In the game, polluting and pillaging rodents called Pirats (get it?) are destroying the island. To defeat them, gamers face environmental challenges and learn to conserve, recycle and plant stuff. Other Earth Day festivities include green adventures that introduce children to the island’s endangered species, encouraging habitat restoration, preservation for endangered species and replanting a forest that has been destroyed by the Pirats. Game subscriptions are US$5.95 per month, $29.95 for six months or $57.59 for a year.

I-Play’s Paradise Quest game
Released in time for Earth Day 2009, the PC game Paradise Quest ($19.95) puts a an ecological spin on the match-three genre. As you progress through the game you collect habit fragments and buried artifacts and help re-introduce the wildlife on the many regions of the island of Isabela. (I haven’t seen the game on the company’s site yet but they swear it’s out there.)

EPA’s Recycle City: Dumptwon game
In this online Shockwave (player ver. 1.01) game you click on the icons for various city programs and watch the town go from cruddy and mucky to green and clean. It’s more trivia and educational than strategic but it’s certainly effective for the younger gamers. A simple chart shows how much waste is recovered and how much the recovery efforts cost. Not graphically amazing but, hey, the EPA’s trying.

Gardening Mama DS game
There’s always that mini-game-a-palooza DS release, Gardening Mama ($29.99). Released earlier this month (April 2, 2009), you dig, pour, plant and pick your way to a beautiful garden. It’s packed with the usual toxic cuteness and a new layer of ecological thoughtfulness. The game’s site also includes a “Go Green” section where you try to get a flower to bloom via an online Flash game.

We’ll add to this post as more green games and activities are revealed.