‘Minesweeper’ Comes To The Real World, Brought By Nobel Peace Prizewinning NGO
Those around in the 90s will remember the classic computer game Minesweeper. While it provided hours of fun on early-day computers, what if the classic pastime was brought to life?
Recently, Belgian creative agency Mutant has breathed new life into this nostalgic favorite by utilizing it for a greater cause. From a collaboration with Handicap International, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning NGO, comes Real Minesweeper—an innovative awareness and fundraising campaign aimed at addressing the global issue of landmines.
Across the world, there are over one million active landmines, posing a constant threat to innocent civilians. These hidden dangers have far-reaching consequences, as millions of people in 60 countries live in fear of accidentally triggering a landmine.
To highlight this plight, the Real Minesweeper game is a faithful recreation of the original but with a meaningful twist. Players are presented with a grid of tiles to click on, each potentially concealing a hidden “mine.”
The objective remains the same: to clear the board without detonating any mines. However, this video game goes beyond mere entertainment, offering players a glimpse into the challenging reality faced by real de-miners in Ukraine, Iraq, and Laos.
As one engages with Real Minesweeper, they are introduced to the stories of landmine victims and the courageous efforts of 270 Minesweeping heroes who work tirelessly to clear contaminated areas.
This digital experience allows players to understand the gravity of the situation and the importance of supporting the cause. Funds raised through the campaign will be channeled into several critical areas. These include demining contaminated regions, organizing awareness sessions to educate individuals on recognizing mines and avoiding accidents, and facilitating access to prosthetics, rehabilitation, and psychological support for landmine victims.
Jonathan d’Oultremont, a creative at Mutant, told The Stable that while landmines may seem to be a decades-old issue to most, the problem is “more present than ever.”
By applying real data and real maps to a nostalgic game, the experience takes on a “whole new dimension” and transforms into a fundraising tool that could help demine the real world.
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[via The Stable and Ads of the World, images via Mutant]
