Using Cause Marketing Gamification to Reforest Madagascar

Zynga has been using cause marketing for more than two years now and other game developers are taking note. Mobile game developer XEOPlay offers Tilt World that helps to reforest Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island and a hotspot for biodiversity, owing to its relative isolation. Lemurs, a member of the primate family, are the nation-state’s most recognized denizens.

Just as Lemurs are a branch of the primate family Tilt World is related to Mario Brothers and Pac-Man/Ms. Pac-Man. The goal is for Flip, a tadpole, to eat carbon molecules, plant mushrooms, recycle bottle caps and capture fireflies as an alternative energy source.

There’s 15 levels and points earned in the game translate to tree seeds purchased for and on behalf of the tree-planting charity WeForest. XEOPlay’s goal is to plant 1 million trees in Madagascar, which suffers from the effects of deforestation.

My description makes it all sound a little bit earnest, but Tilt World looks fun. I haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but the graphics look good and Tilt World makes good use of the accelerometers in your iPhone.

Zynga’s growth is said to be slowing due to the rise of mobile gaming, so I’m glad to see a mobile gaming company take up the cause marketing banner.

Tilt World is $0.99 on iTunes.

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