Raising awareness with a gun in the hand: Become a war drone master
THE TERM “DRONE” IS USED FOR THOSE WHO BLINDLY FOLLOW SOMEONE, SUCH AS BEES DO WITH THE QUEEN BEE IN A HIVE. A “DRONE” IS ALSO USED FOR THE BUZZ THAT THESE AIRCRAFTS DO WHEN FLYING.
¡BECOME A WAR DRONE MASTER!
With this phrase is how Amnesty International Spain (AI) is trying to persuade their audience to download B3H1ND, a war videogame in where the user will learn how to handle this warlike vehicle, in 2 training sessions and 3 missions with real fire in Afghanistan.
It seems a bit contradictory that a NGO such as Amnesty International creates a game based in war, weapons and their consequences. However, this is the key of the campaign. The goal is facing the gamer to the pressure of achieving military objectives without surpassing the laws of war. As the international organisations says, “military drones have become a daily threat for thousands of people around the world. It is a weapon that is increasing concern on different organisations: are drones respecting war laws, that is to say, international laws that care for civilians in war conflicts?”.
AI, in this campaign, doesn’t really want to entertain users. Its main goal is to raise awareness about the consequences of the use of drones in war conflicts. In this way, B3H1ND changes completely the market’s perception on war videogames. It gives a different version of war, from what these games normally do, in where civilian casualties are common and frequent. AI tends to entertain and make people aware of the issue at the same time.
Amnesty International has used a completely innovative tool for this campaign, with a persuasive horizon still to be discovered. The real power of e-gaming is its possibility of impacting AI’s new target, in a real need of positive values; youth. At the same time, the game sends a real and impacting message to a fictitious scenery, in which the targets immerses itself, with the possibility of creating a stronger link, that goes beyond the screen and keyboard.
Taking into account that videogames have moved away regular leisure options in society, it is a good question to ask ourselves how will they impact young audience, even more with its great capacity of diving into the market. And what happens if the game is imbued of such a positive and active message as AI is willing to communicate? I am sure that many people inside the NGO would be really happy if the APP gets viral in the youth market, but they would be joyful if they achieve that a vast audience stop using their phones to entertain themselves with the game and start looking for information on the issue.
The use of new technologies and e-games to raise awareness means that this incredibly creative tool has adapted, adapting itself to a big audience, with incredible capacity of getting viral and having a big repercussion on their users.
To conclude, in this campaign Amnesty International has learned to adapt themselves and their message to the times running, using a videogame to reach their message to the biggest number possible. You know what they say, “if you are going to shoot, take a deep breath, shut one eye and evaluate your objectives”.
Enrique García, Strategic Planner & Creativity en Always Group
Comments are closed
