This post is brought to you by Tree Story.
Not all that long ago I used to play an online game that required planting and caring for things. The game required a fair amount of time, and in the end didn’t really accomplish anything except get people to spend more time playing it. That was time that certainly could have been better spent. Today it is possible to play and enjoy a game that actually provides great benefit to people and the environment. How? I’m talking about Tree Story, a new game from the folks at Zig Zag Zoom.
Zig Zag Zoom is a company founded by former Disney Interactive executives, animators and game designers. Zig Zag Zoom was founded with a company motto of “Have Fun, Do Good.” Here’s why. People put a lot of time and energy into playing mobile games. According to Flurry, Americans spend 2 hours and 38 minutes on their phones everyday with 50 of those minutes dedicated to playing games – the single largest category of apps. Zig Zag Zoom believes that players can actually change the world and do good by playing mobile games.
It is with that belief in mind that Zig Zag Zoom recently launched their first game, entitled Tree Story.
As you probably expect from folks with a Disney background, Tree Story is colorful, fun and approachable. Like that “other game” I was referring to, you (the player) are tasked with taking care of things. Your main responsibility is to plant and nurture baby trees (seedlings) until they have matured into full-grown trees. The trees are characters, which is part of what gives the game its personality.
When you begin the game you decide which area you want to help grow a tree for. You also learn a little about that area.
 
Next you select the type of tree you want to grow, and you name it. Then you start caring for your tree while it grows. Caring for the tree includes feeding, watering, pruning, and providing sunshine. You also need to protect your tree from pests like Asian Long Horned Beetles. Trees can even be customized with costumes! You also entertain your tree by playing different mini-games and activities.
 
Once grown, the virtual trees are sent into virtual forests and schools…and then real world trees get planted!
Wait. What? Real trees? Yes, real trees!
In the game when the tree you have nurtured finally matures, you send it off to the virtual forest. In real life, each time a tree is sent to the virtual forest, a real tree is planted. When the real tree is planted, the player learns where the real tree was planted. The planting in real life is done as part of a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Project Learning Tree, ACTrees, and the Arbor Day Foundation. The first tree plantings have already taken place, at the Yu Ying school in Washington D.C. and the Malheur National Park in Oregon.
Here is a trailer of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uibLwZJT53M
CONNECT
Download Tree Story for iOS for free.
Tree Story website – Tree Story on Facebook – Tree Story on Twitter – Zig Zag Zoom website – Zig Zag Zoom on Facebook – Zig Zag Zoom on Twitter
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What a cool app! This is a great way to help kids learn and help the environment. I love it!
Ok, so we ALL Need to download this game. How awesome is that they are planting real trees?
Wow. What? This is amazing. I haven’t ever heard of this before. This is a must download, how awesome!
This looks like such a cute game! I love that it does good in real life too.
This is fantastic! I love that it looks fun, but it also helps environmentally.
That is truly incredible! My son would love to play this because it is a game, but even more because it gives back.
What a great idea! It’s a great way to teach kids about the environment and saving the planet!
This is such a great idea. It is neat that not only is it fun, but it also helps the environment.
How cool! I love that the game actually provides something good in real life. Awesome!
What a great idea! Something good comes from playing the video game, so sweet!
I think this is such a great way for kids to feel like they are really making a difference, just by playing a game. I know I would have spent tons of time on the app as a kid, just to get as many trees planted as possible 🙂
What a cool video game this is! I would encourage my kids to keep playing and planting real trees!
That’s very cool that a real tree is planted when a virtual one is mature… I love things like that, designed to just give back. And ooooh on a complete side note I just saw my man crush flash by on a video on your page (Jared Leto). gah, that man is purty. not as handsome as my husband is to me, but still he’s purty 😉 Getting back on track…thanks for sharing the app!
How cute is that?!?! I love that by nurturing virtual trees, you can ensure that real trees are being planted.
This is such a fun way to teach gardening and care for our environment. I’ve got two black thumbs, but maybe we can keep virtual trees alive.
This is pretty cool. I like that they both teach you about the trees and plant them.
This is awesome. I love that they are finding a way to make things fun and give back to our earth. Love it.
I grew up near a national park, so I was always exposed to forest conservation and management. I think this is a brilliant way to get kids involved in environmental conservation!
This sounds like an amazing game. I like that it results in real trees being planted. I am going to tell my friends about this.
Sounds like a good game for kids to learn about conservation! 🙂
I have played the game that you are talking about. You build farms just to spend hours building farms. I love the idea that real trees will get planted.
How cool is this! Downloading this game right now!
I love that they plant a tree for interaction too! What a great way to benefit both the kid’s learning and the environment.