At a function in Montfort School, Ashok Vihar, New Delhi on 6 February 2009 at 10 -11 am, the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, Ms. Connie Hedegaard is launching a mobile phone and PC game on climate change awareness called "Copenhagen Challenge"
Photo: Launch of Copenhagen Challenge at Montfort School, India. Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, Mrs Connie Hedegaard, in orange blouse
The number of mobile phone users in India reached 347 million at the end of 2008 (according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India). In addition, more people in India have access to mobile phones than landline telephones or PCs, which makes mobile phones an extremely powerful medium for communication in India.
According to Ms. Connie Hedegaard, mobile phone gaming is therefore a natural choice for communicating with youth in India today on climate change awareness.
“Climate change awareness is about understanding what you can do in your own life to reduce the risk of climate change. We are only borrowing the earth from the younger generation, so I want to empower the young to make their own choices”, says the Danish minister.
The game "Copenhagen Challenge" combines a serious issue with the fun of a classic detective game. It has been developed by the Indian software company, ZMQ, which is specialised in e-learning and edutainment. In 2008, ZMQ won the UNDP ”World Business and Development Award” in recognition of ZMQ’s efforts aimed at reaching the UN Millennium Development Goals through technology. ZMQ has successfully developed a number of games on HIV/AIDS and other health and development issues, which have been distributed to millions of people in India and Africa.
The preview of the "Copenhagen Challenge" at Montfort School, Ashok Vihar, New Delhi, will be a pilot test of the game. After possible adjustments suggested by the participating students, the game will be made available at seven leading mobile phone operators in India, who collectively cover 70 million subscribers. One of the operators will make the game available for free for the first three months. The other operators will make it available at a reduced rate. The game will further more be distributed on 10,000 free CD-RoMs to youth and science clubs in India in English and in Hindi.
For further information, kindly contact Ms. Dorte Vizard, Press Officer at the Danish Embassy in New Delhi (dorviz@um.dk; 9810898567) About Copenhagen Challenge:
COPENHAGEN CHALLENGE
Game Write-up
Scientists from India, Maldives, Kenya, Denmark and other parts of the world are doing research on the causes of climate change. The research has produced valuable results, and a lot of scientific data has been collected. Recommendations are being prepared which will be published during a UN Conference in Copenhagen (COP15), where the countries of the world are meeting to solve the problem of climate change.
The research will expose fossil fuel as the biggest source of carbon emission. This is not in the interest of the mafia dealing in fossil fuel trade. They do not want the report to be published. For their malicious objectives, the mafia has kidnapped Dr. Kumar – a well-known climate change scientist from India.
You have been assigned the task to rescue Dr. Kumar. Can you help Dr. Kumar get back his valuable research and escape him from the clutches of the dreaded mafia? To accomplish your mission, you need to collect various objects that will help in Dr. Kumar’s escape. In this process, you also need to answer questions related to climate change, energy efficiency and greenhouse gases. Choose your answers correctly as each decision you make will directly affect your mission. A word of warning, if you choose too many incorrect answers, your mission will be unsuccessful and you will need to start the game again.
Instructions
There are 6 levels (scenes) in the game. You need to explore each scene by clicking and moving around from one place to another. Clickable areas are indicated by “Finger-tip”. You can further click on the different objects in that area, which are indicated by “Green-arrow”.
There are various objects and messages hidden in each scene. You need to collect objects which will help in Dr. Kumar’s escape. To collect an object, you need to answer a question on climate change by selecting a right option. You score 20 points each to answer a question correctly. There are 3 lives in the game. Answering a question incorrectly, you loose a life and start afresh in that scene.
There are also a few places in each scene; by clicking on them you get a message on climate change awareness for which you score green points (10 points). You have 20 minutes to complete the game.