MTV Me
MTV
Goals
Produced with the support of Y-Peer (the Youth Peer Education Network), this project was to form part of an on-line / on-air awareness campaign championed by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. The aim was to engage a youth audience in the important issues they face growing up today. The experience needed to present everyday situations within a narrative made up of believable teenage dilemmas. Importantly it needed to retain the abstract nature and quirky tone of the overall campaign.
Solution
Preloaded created an engaging and visually vibrant point and click adventure game, reminiscent of old-school classics such as Lucas Art’s “Monkey Island” series. Despite its retro origins, the ME game communicates with the player in a contemporary and positive manner, with a look and feel that is highly stylised yet current for the audience. An Avatar creator allows players to recreate themselves in this visual style for use in-game, reinforcing their connection with the virtual world they are exploring.
Set across four locations on the eve of a blind-date, the player pushes the story forward by solving puzzles, participating in exchanges with other characters they meet along the way and making key decisions that effect others. As they progress, a virtual PDA collects further information on the subject matters they tackle, which can be read there and then or printed out to read after leaving the site.
Results
Issues concerning sexuality, sex and STDs, drink and drug abuse, bullying and many other social topics are covered with humour ensuring the experience is an entertaining one. The result ensures participation and involvement from the visitors which encourages them to play through to the end, maximising involvement in the messages presented.