Discovery Channel
Discovery Networks International launched an innovative multi-player, multi-language online space game called Helium-3, developed by 20:20 and seeded by Viralnet, you can play the game at http://www.helium3game.com.
The game’s launch complemented space and science programming aired on Discovery Channel around the world, including landmark series NASA’s Greatest Missions, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. The game launched in four languages English, Spanish, German and Portuguese.
Set in space in the year 2035, the game dramatizes the story of energy depletion on earth. Players are in a race to search for and mine Helium-3, a pollution-free energy source that is abundant on the moon, to capitalize on the valuable resource.
A 3D representation of the moon that sits on a database of 10,000,000 available games allows the user to track the ongoing depletion of Helium-3 and drill down to watch every game ever played. The game also incorporates dramatic educational footage from Discovery’s latest space programming and a global ranking system that displays the performance of individual players within the community as well as displaying the performance of each individual country.
In addition to the gaming experience, players also have access to content based on Discovery’s popular science and technology programming from the Discovery Channel website (www.discoverychannel.co.uk), including image galleries, an interactive timeline and a wide range of short-form video about space.
The game was seeded globally and has had over 1.5 million unique game plays with over 10% registering and opting in to future communications.