14 DAY TRIAL // Talkie, a social gaming firm, has announced that it is developing a social-based video game called Ecotopia that will arrive on Facebook and will focus on ecology issues, with backing from popular Hollywood actor Harrison Ford.
Ecotopia is a story and will task the players with taking on a series of missions using the template of the city building game.
The game is being developed with help from Conservation International, a non-profit organization that is focused on creating strategic partnerships that benefit the environment, and the organization sees social gaming as a good way to target young people that can most of their information from Facebook.
Harrison Ford currently serves as a vice chairman of the company.
The idea is to teach and “empower” users so that they can then act in the real world using ideas that have been developed in the virtual space.
The game will be based on the free-to-play model, meaning that players will not have to ever put out cash to get access to it, and it seems that Talkie is even planning on offering real world rewards for those who act according to its rules.
Harrison Ford, best known for his movie work, has stated when the game was announced, “This game represents a refreshing new way to engage millions of people in addressing critical environmental issues and finding solutions that work for the well-being of humanity.”
Larry Bond, who is the chairman of developer Talkie, added, “For the first time, we can fundamentally change the rules on how philanthropic organizations can connect to the 300 million people that play casual games on Facebook each day.”
He says that the role of the game will mainly be educational and that his company might work on other video games that focus on the same issues in the future.