Insights · May 7th, 2013
I love superheroes. I always have. That’s why I was so happy to hear last year that I could be one in real life. Thanks to an exciting game called Cyberhero League anyone can be a hero. At last year’s State of the Arts conference, Dr. Dana Klisanin presented the idea of merging philanthropy and gaming into one engaging, adventurous package called the Cyberhero League. Apparently I wasn’t the only one to find the idea appealing. Last year Cyberhero League was selected as a winner in the World Future Society’s Beta Launch Tech competition.
Great! Everyone thinks this game is an awesome idea (because it is). Now comes the part where the idea becomes a reality. First comes funding. They’re off to a great start! According to their Indiegogo page, they’ve already raised over $31,300 for the game that’s being called, “An Adventure to Save the World.”
Cyberhero League is the first part of “Project Milky Way,” an epic transmedia adventure. The aim of this first game is to establish an online headquarters that will serve as a gathering place and training ground for cyberheroes. The game is to protect and serve the world online by completing missions and gathering enough points for non-profit partners to donate real aid to real world problems. One of my favorite things about this game is that you get to extend your game play into the real world by using GPS-enabled smartphones to find museums, parks, and World Heritage sites to visit. Once you make the trip and explore the location, you unlock in-game mysteries and get more points. Gamers also get to build a hideout, complete dangerous missions, solve riddles, and complete other tasks, all while continually donating aid to nonprofit partners.
“In the process of playing, gamer’s will be providing people with water, food, medicine, shelter; they’ll be saving acres of rainforest, protecting endangered species, preserving World Heritage Sites, even defending the night sky!†It’s an exciting time we live in when these kinds of ideas are possible. We can make a game our children can play to learn, develop relationships, and contribute to something they are passionate about through philanthropic organizations. They truly can be superheroes. We all can!
If you like gaming and changing the world, this is the perfect game for you. But it needs to get funded first! There are 7 days left in this Indiegogo campaign, so please go to the Cyberhero League fundraiser page, learn more about the project, and contribute what you can. Then show all of your friends and ask them all to donate what they can. This game opens up endless possibilities for everyone, so let’s make it happen!
Writer: Mallory Smith worked as Program Manager & Administrator at Futurist.com
