UN food agency releases innovative video game for children in Italian language

An Italian version of an innovative and popular video game that is already teaching millions of children about global hunger was launched today in Rome by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

Originally released in English in April of last year, “Food Force” uses a non-violent scenario in which children race against time alongside a team of aid workers to feed thousands of people on the fictitious island of Sheylan.

While the game focuses on peace, observers have noted that the reality faced by aid workers is fraught with genuine danger. Evidence of this can be found in the fact that it is dedicated to the memory of Paola Biocca, an Italian aid worker who died in a helicopter accident on her way to a mission in Kosovo in 1999, and who helped initiate the project at WFP.

“Food Force continues to be a great success all over the world, from the USA to China, kids and teachers love this game. They can learn about world hunger while having fun,” said John Powell, Deputy Executive Director of WFP. “It is an opportunity for Italian students and teachers to use this education tool without any language obstacles.”

The game, designed for children of 8 to 13 years of age, is available as a free Internet download in Italian from www.food-force.rai.it and www.foodforce.rai.it. WFP developed the Italian version in cooperation with Rai Net, a division of RAI-Radiotelevisione Italiana, Italy’s public broadcasting system.

Food Force has been downloaded for free more than 3 million times since its launch on the web. It was translated into Japanese last fall and WFP has plans to produce versions in Chinese and French as well. Educators throughout the world have praised the game because it is not only entertaining and challenging, but offers a strong ethical message.

Rai Net built the Italian game and promoted it with the backing of Pubblicita Progresso, a non-profit advertising agency that helps educate people about social issues, and Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo, a programme for long-term development projects within the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Players have to complete six action-packed missions, including piloting a helicopter to locate the hungry, delivering food aid in the face of tricky obstacles and helping people rebuild their lives after a disaster.