The mobile game industry has gotten used to the occasional release of some outstanding games, but some projects stand out more for their originality and creativity.
This April, Playcore released Tallest Tree, a mobile game that could be described as a ‘Play-to-plant.’ It allows users to plant trees just by playing the game.
How does this scheme work?
While controlling one of the animal characters, players climb to the top of the playground, avoiding deadly traps and collecting various items.
A small advertisement is shown to the player when receiving a reward at the end of the level. Playcore transfers the proceeds from this ad screening directly to TreeNations, an organization involved in planting trees and conserving forests around the world, and they plant a tree through this simple scheme. Playcore, together with TreeNation, has already planted and continues to plant more than 30,000 trees.
Tallest Tree game is available on Google Play and App Store. According to Apptica data, about 82,4% of all applications on iOS that will be released this spring are going to be games of all genres.
More green
There is no specific formula by which the number of trees to be planted. The placement amount depends on various parameters, such as the region where the player resides and the specific funds the company is currently transferring funds. There are no limits, and there won’t be: the more you play, the more trees will be planted.
Playcore occasionally sends notifications about the events and petitions of other nonprofit foundations such as Greenpeace, but participation in such initiatives is voluntary. Income from in-game purchases is spent entirely on re-greening forests.
How did the idea come about?
Nils Vosilus, one of the Playcore developers, once proposed the idea of a game where all in-game progress is rendered into real physical trees. The team immediately agreed and took the project. Yes, the publisher cannot make a commercial profit from Tallest Tree. Still, the company says the opportunity to do something significant for nature and posterity is worth it.
One of a kind
The game industry is at the forefront of the growing technology industry, but posing a threat to the environment is also included in this growth. Despite this, not every studio can devote their time, resources, and money to something like this. Tallest Tree is one of the first projects with such mechanics, and the Playcore team is proud of it.
