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p>By Hereward Holland

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p>NAIROBI, June 5 (Reuters) 5 June (Reuters) Chilli is a gibbon native to Borneo, will soon be jumping from tree to tree in parks from New York to Nairobi as a character in a new virtual reality video game that is designed to promote conservation of endangered species.

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p>Internet of Elephants, a Kenyan software company, has created a computer-generated model of Chilli (a real primate) and three other animals from Africa and Asia.

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p>Their game, Wildeverse, is one of a number of games developed by companies around the world who are seeking to harness the increasing popularity of video games on mobile phones to encourage people to lead more environmentally-conscious lifestyles.

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p>Gameplay that is similar to the cult mobile phone game Pokemon Go, Wildeverse users play as junior scientists studying the habits of animals in the rain forests of Borneo and Congo Republic, using their smartphone camera to look at life-size virtual trees and primates like Chilli superimposed on their surroundings.

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p>The rising popularity of smart phones means that the gaming industry has reached one in three people on the planet and could be a powerful tool for behavioral change, much like a public service broadcaster for the digital age, according to Sam Barratt from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

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p>Barratt said to Reuters that the reach of the industry was "incredible." "We want to help people think differently about nature and how they can live in a (environmentally) more peaceful life."

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p>Gaming is the most popular form of entertainment. According to UNEP's report for 2019 entitled "Playing for the Planet", the industry generates more revenues per person than Hollywood, Bollywood, and music sales worldwide.

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p>Mobile phone gaming revenues surpass those of consoles in 2015 and are expected to grow as data speeds improve according to Newzoo, a gaming consultancy.

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p>Internet of Elephants plans to release Wildeverse as a free app for Android and Apple smartphones in the third quarter of 2011. https://anotepad.com/notes/3hhge72h There are also options for in-app purchases to unlock bonus features.

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p>Jake Manion (head of production at the company) said that the game was designed to be non-prescriptive and did not discourage behaviour change.

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p>He added, "It's easy to fall into the trap of tropes about burning forests, animals that are stranded and so on."

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p>NOT JUST FOR KIDS

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p>As the user-base of video games expands, the demographics are beginning to transcend gender, age, and even geography.

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p>The UNEP report found that only 22% of gamers in the world are younger than 21 and 46% of them are females. Five of the 15 countries with most gamers per capita live in countries with lower incomes like Nigeria and Indonesia. https://coderwall.com/p/iux0yg/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-huge-caves-and-cliffs-update </p>

p>Gautam Shah, the founder of Internet of Elephants, stated that people automatically believe that games are designed for children when they talk about them.

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p>He added that the conservation industry is slowly beginning to recognize the potential of games to attract people in the same manner that it took them a while to recognize the power and potential of social media.

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p>Similar to how conservationists like Shah hope to exploit opportunities in the gaming industry, some of the larger gaming studios are beginning to push green messaging.

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p>Minecraft The blockbuster game of building has launched new versions that allow users to create national parks as well as sustainable cities.

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p>Ban ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, appointed an Rovio character from the loved Angry Birds franchise as an honorary ambassador in the year 2016 to encourage young people "green" to take on climate change.

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p>Rovio also joined forces with the World Wide Fund for Nature in order to promote International Tiger Day.

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p>Minna Eloranta is Rovio's senior communications manager. She stated that Rovio has partnered with businesses to combat climate change in the past, and has advised players to think about it through campaigns in their games.

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p>Niantic, the company behind Pokemon Go with Nintendo Co Ltd organizes Earth Day clean-up events in every corner of South Africa and Singapore every year.

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p>"Games that connect sustainability efforts to their fundamental gameplay mechanics offer the chance to not only improve the number of players they have but also have a significant impact on climate change." Yennie Solheim Fuller is the senior manager of social impact at Niantic. (Reporting by Hereward Netherlands Editing by Maggie Fick, Toby Chopra).

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