Gaming to raise funds for Nepal by Korean Developers

Using one’s skills to help the needy is an absolute joy. Korean video game developers have used their skills to create a new educational adventure game to raise funds for earthquake victims in Nepal.

A game doesn’t necessarily be about killing the enemy or spending money in virtual world to keep ourselves entertained. The Korean developers are making something that can save people, animals and reconstruct villages. On 12th January a promotional slogan for a new video game surfaced on twitter which read “‘Does a game have to have a player kill the enemy or spend money in virtual world in order to entertain ourselves? We are making a new game where you can save people, animals and reconstruct villages. This is about life in Nepal.” The game developed by a group of young Koreans is named Himalaya Backpacker.

Himalayan Backpacker is a game designed to address the needs of natural disasters victims. The later stages of the games will even encourage player to reconstruct damaged villages and heritage buildings in Nepal. The game is developed to raise awareness about utilising virtual platform to solve social issues around the globe.The developer of the game, Minseok Do says: “I noticed that people’s interest in the earthquake had begun to wane and I wanted to bring their attention back to Nepal through a game as the country still needs help.” Minseok is currently an MBA candidate in Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and has a background in electronic and graphic design. The game project is a combined work of three other developers and illustrators along with him.

Do has used two popular games : Ubisoft’s ‘Valiant Hearts’ and 11 Bit Studios’ ‘This War is Mine’ while making Himalayan Backpacker. Himalayan Backpacker begins with a Korean man getting isolated during a trek. He has to find out a way to escape a cave in the Himalayas with a nepali boy. As the plot continues, the Korean guy makes up his mind to stay back to help the needy instead of returning back to his country.

The entire plot of the game is strategic as well as equally educational. It requires the player to figure out means to feed himself as well as to transport people safely from point A to B, and to conduct first Aid and CPR. The player is also charged with the moral decision of staying to help in a time of need and using his skills to get people to safety. The target audience for the game are gamers above twelve keep difficulty of the puzzles and cultural backdrop of Buddhism and Hinduism in the narrative under consideration. Through his game, Do aims to attend to needy villages. The tentative price range for the game is expected to be $3-5. “We are planning to sell it for $3 without external advertisement and encourage users to pay extra money as a contribution or donation for reconstruction in Nepal,” explained Do, who heads the game development company Dopage.

“I haven’t been to Nepal but I was always fascinated by the Himalayas. Maybe that’s why I felt hurt when I saw the natural disaster there and thought about ways to help the country,” said Do. Himalaya Backpacker will be released on the App Store, Google Play for iPad, Android tablet, PC and SmartTV in June 2016. The effort shown by him is really praiseworthy and aspiring.

Check out the game here:

This post has been excerpted from the original blog post up on nepalitimes.com . Click below to read the full version

http://nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/gaming-to-raise-funds-for-earthquake-victims,2833