CREAM PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF TREE TAP ADVENTURE, A MOBILE GAME THAT PLANTS REAL TREES
Like mobile games? Love planet earth? Say hello to Tree Tap Adventure! Cream Productions is unearthing an innovation that blends gameplay & learning like never before.
Want to play a game that combines the virtual world with reality? Grow your lush virtual forest, complete with animals, insects, and birds, and in parallel, get real forests planted! All this, and much more, is possible now with the launch of Tree Tap Adventure, a unique game that fuses 2D and AR gameplay & learning like never before.
Toronto and LA-based Cream Productions, a premier creative production company known for their highly successful documentary television, specials, and digital media, announced the worldwide launch of their nature-learning game, Tree Tap Adventure. The game treats adventurers of all ages to an enhanced and impactful gameplay experience that combines 2D and augmented reality (AR) gaming with a generous dose of natural history storytelling. The game ties in perfectly with Cream Production’s mission to encourage the intelligent use of technology to inspire a positive future.
It takes more than technology to challenge the current gaming environment - and break the mold. While the creators are new to the gaming industry, their passion brings some of the most engrossing, amusing, and artistic experiences to the table. Speaking to the real inspiration behind developing this mobile game, the creators of Tree Tap Adventure take a delightful trip down memory lane. Tree Tap Adventure was inspired by a childhood exploration project where leaves were collected from different plants, named and finally pasted into a family scrapbook. Fast-forward to the present day, reminiscing childhood memories and talking about this scrapbook collection left the creators wondering if they could challenge the gaming landscape with AR, and bring about a similar experience. The idea was to create a collection-based game, to be played in parks, and get kids more enthused about time outdoors, thereby encouraging physical movements in green settings. “We wanted to bring kids the same joy and benefits we had from a life growing up feeling connected to nature”, the passionate storytellers said.
As for parents, the creators feel that it’s only natural that they feel their kid’s game time needs to be cut off if they are to succeed. But what if we told you that kids can use Tree Tap Adventure to learn and have fun while doing it? The secret is the unique “game-first” approach to teaching. “The AR-based games ask players to play outdoors (safely in their backyards or parks) in nature using characters and interactions that they can find worldwide, and explore an augmented natural landscape. Beside learning natural history, the game encourages outdoor play and independent exploration - kids get time in open green spaces, exercise, strengthen hand-eye coordination, and work on building fine motor skills when they play the AR,” the creators believe. Tree Tap Adventure, available now on iPhone and Android, is the first-of-its-kind kid’s game that combines AR and regular 2D play and is completely free-of-cost.
Finally, addressing the evident pandemic pain point facing parents out there, the creators said, “Based on today’s climate, we think our strongest foot forward is that we’re a technology that is fun, educational, and does real-world good. A massive pain point facing parents during the ongoing pandemic is technology guilt – without school, parents have relied on tech to occupy their kids while they’re occupied working from home. So, we are offering a game that engages kids in play and encourages them to start real conversations about science and the environment.”
Here’s how it works. Tree Tap Adventure allows enthusiasts to select and grow digital trees in a unique micro-world, by recreating a stunning natural forest ecosystem and giving it an educational angle, too. Players, everyone from the age of 6 years and up can watch their trees come to life in realistic augmented reality into stunning forests that become home to quirky critters. The game, which is based on proven commercial mobile gaming successes within the ‘casual & collection genres’ paired with innovative AR gameplay, allows players to literally walk in the shoes of different forest creatures! The depth and scaling of the forest landscape, accompanied by an upbeat soundtrack to boot, heighten the experience.
But that’s not all. These digital forests create real forests! Cream Productions have partnered with Forests Ontario/Forest Recovery Canada and Eden Reforestation Project, as a part of its mission to protect and regenerate forests around the world, so that these ecosystems can continue to support the lives of critters and humans for future generations. Every tree that you raise in the game will support real reforestation efforts by Tree Tap Adventure’s planting partners, providing new or restored habitat for wildlife, clean air for everyone to breathe, and other important ecological services. According to the creators, “The goal of the game is to build empathy for nature and natural surroundings. We do so by harnessing technology to build awareness among the younger generation to make a real change.” If you thought technology and nature didn’t mix - think again!
The mobile game aims to entertain, inspire, and empower kids to start early to make a real difference to improve the planet’s health. Part role-playing, part strategy, and part reforestation campaign, the innovation blends gameplay & learning to give players a sense of journey, immersion, and progression. Together with funding from Ontario Creates and the Canada Media Fund, and support from Ryerson University’s TransMedia Zone and Children’s Media Lab as well as George Brown College; the creators have made it their collective goal to help kids reconnect with nature and engage young people in conservation.
Get going today by downloading Tree Tap Adventure from the App or Play store. Visit www.treetapadventure.com for more information. Develop a green thumb and sharpen your platforming skills while learning about the fascinating ecosystems that define our planet!