The Chinese version of a video game called
Food Force,
designed to teach children about world hunger and the importance of
humanitarian aid work, will be launched on Thursday.
Food Force, an educational computer game created by the
United Nations World Food Program (WFP), is targeted at children
aged eight to 13.
Players take on missions to distribute food in a famine-affected
country and help it recover its self-sufficiency. At the same time
they learn about hunger in the real world and the UNWFP's work to
prevent it.
The Chinese version is downloadable at the game's official
Chinese website http://food-force.sdo.com. The
website also provides facts and figures about hunger in China.
The Chinese version will be the game's seventh language which
has been downloaded more than 4.5 million times since its debut in
mid-2005.
"Food Force is clear evidence that with the right
medium, an issue as invisible and distant as hunger in the
developing world can trigger interest and support in countries
where too much food is the high profile problem today," Neil
Gallagher, WFP's director of communications, was quoted as saying
by Beijing Youth Daily.
All Food Force language versions were made through
donations from game industry leaders and international
organizations. Shanda Interactive, a leading entertainment media
company in China, produced the Chinese version. Six well-known
Chinese pop singers provided the dubbing for the game
characters.
(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2006)
