Environment

Nickelodeon Launches Big Green Help: Online Environmental Game

by Jordan Yerman | December 14, 2008 at 12:21 pm

2137 views | 8 Recommendations | 4 comments

Nickelodeon has launched a massive online game called The Big Green Help, geared toward educating and motivating children towards environmentalism and that all-too-cool green lifestyle.

Game play involves using Nicktoon characters to fight pollutant-monsters. Defeating these beasties reveals tips on how to reduce their carbon footprint.

Back in the day, the only green that Nickelodeon promoted was that slime on Double Dare.

Next week, Nickelodeon is planning to launch another chapter of their environmentally friendly challenge by opening up an online game at the Big Help website (Nick.com/BigGreenHelp). Given the enormous popularity of online gaming both in the United States as well as abroad, the online multiplayer kids game seeks to use social media itself as a tool to help educate today's youth about global environmental concerns.

This bit caught my eye in particular:

"With about three quarters of the U.S. kid population actively gaming online, we think our Global Challenge game is a great way to connect them to the pro-social issues they care about, like the environment," Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group, commented. "Our legacy of empowering kids has shown that they can lead the way in addressing positive change, and we hope this game can be the beginning of a kid-led environmental movement."

Three quarters is a much bigger proportion than I'd expect. I checked out their site, and it's a Flash-intensive browser-buster, even the text moves around and makes me feel elderly. My favorite was the Q&A with Lebron James:

"Q: What's your favorite green food?
A: Broccoli"

Hey, c'mon, it's geared towards kids.

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Jawa Lunk

at 12:25 on December 14th, 2008

It's a start for them anyway...

We need to start changing our thinking and it begins with how we teach things to our little ones.

mememine69

at 16:00 on December 14th, 2008

My daughter said that she won't be having grand kids because of the coming enviro climate crisis. Are we being fair to our kids by denying them a future?

Isn't this a bit of an exageration that modern day environmentalism is threatening us with? I say we teach our kids to respect nature, not save it with fear.

Cheers and peace,

Paul in ccccold Canada

Paschen

at 20:32 on December 14th, 2008

The threat is not coming from the environmentalist or Scientist, those are actually looking for the solutions to fix the problem. the tread is coming from those that deny the problem and make it worth through there counter productive action and their lack of actions to change. If you want your daughter to have a future then you better start taking action and do what ever you can to get you surrounding to do the same. Putting your head into the sad and saying it does not exist, it is not true will not help make it better.

mememine69

at 05:55 on December 16th, 2008

Oh spare the morality speech. If waiting 23 years for dooms day to arrive is not insane enough, what IS responsible environmentalism?

There isn't any threat to anything so stop scaring the crap out of an entire generation.

The CO2 theory is falling apart as we speak and when this is all and done, the enviros will be held responsible for being irrisponsible.

Remove the CO2 aspect of the environmental equation and what do you have? No crisis what you have.

Jawa Lunk

at 06:23 on December 16th, 2008

I agree...

Although I am an advocate of the "home first" movement I unintentionally started, which is trying to conserve energy and preserve our environment locally, I do not think that fear has ever really played out well with people.

I am far from a tree hugger (no dis-respect intended), but I am very much for us as citizens taking full responsibility for ourselves and our own personal waste, while trying to develop solutions for governmental waste and pollution.

On the small scale, as in our home, lets face it, saving energy = saving money, and we all need to do that with the economic state we are in.

And as far as pollution, to be honest, I get very tired of walking down to the pier and seeing all the trash that litters the beach and water.

I end up spending as much time trying to enjoy the beauty of the Lake as I do picking up trash from the partying drunks who came to my town to get lit under the guise of sportsman hunting.