The Guides and Scouts of Finland and UPM MobiMetsä's mobile game provides a new way to view the forest
(UPM, Helsinki, 4 July 2016 at 13.00 EET) - In the recently released MobiMetsä game, players get to explore how to use wood raw material and run a company in a completely new way. The mobile game produced by the Guides and Scouts of Finland and UPM is developed by an experienced Finnish company, NordicEdu, which specialises in educational games. The MobiMetsä game is strongly linked to the Scouts' Roihu Finnjamboree 2016 that will take place in July. The game will be played in the forest activity valley at the Roihu event. Download the exciting and fun MobiMetsä game for free from Apple Store, Google Play or Microsoft Store! The languages available are Finnish, Swedish and English.
"When you play the game, you get to know how versatile wood can be as a raw material, and of course playing the game is fun too! As some of us are active participants in Scout events, we were able to utilise these experiences in the development of the game," says NordicEdu CEO Tomi Kokkonen.
"You can make almost anything out of wood, and we want to encourage young people to discover versatile and responsible ways to use the forests. In the MobiMetsä game you can realise the possibilities that combining raw wood material and technologies can offer. It is also great that the game takes the player outdoors - to the forest to explore real-life trees as well," says Paula Savonen, UPM's Manager, Marketing & Customer Support, Wood Sourcing and Forestry.
"Scout activity is probably not the first thing you would associate with mobile gaming, but for Scouts the game provides new ways to learn things and brings new energy to the Scout programme," says Jaakko Nippala, Forest Coordinator, Guides and Scouts of Finland.
The goal of MobiMetsä is to bring children and young people closer to the forest and strengthen this relationship in a new way. The target audience of the game is Scouts aged 12 to 15. It's a fun game, capable of getting just about anyone hooked on it.
The game familiarises the player with versatile use of the forest
In the MobiMetsä game, the players establish their own the forest industry companies and choose a product for them. The product is developed over the course of the game in addition to getting to know forestry and forest management. The game takes the player outdoors as well, as the player has to identify real trees and photograph them in order to progress in the game.
In the Roihu 2016 Finnjamboree, the theme of the MobiMetsä game is strongly linked with the event's forest activity valley. In the activity valley, the Scouts establish their own company in the forest industry and develop solutions for varied needs using raw wood material. The MobiMetsä game can help the jamboree participants think up new products.
The Roihu cooperation is part of a larger collaboration between UPM and the Guides and Scouts of Finland. The common objective of the Guides and Scouts of Finland and UPM is to improve young people's relationship with the forest and highlight the forest as a versatile source of well-being. Developing a forest-themed mobile game is a concrete way to advance this common objective.
For more information, please contact:
Paula Savonen, Manager, Marketing & CRM, Wood Sourcing & Forestry, UPM, tel. +358 (0)400 343 851
Jaakko Nippala, Forest Coordinator, Guides and Scouts of Finland, tel. +358 (0)40 451 9131
Tomi Kokkonen, Managing Director, NordicEdu, tel. +358 (0)50 430 0178
Press release 5 November 2015: UPM and the Guides and Scouts of Finland start cooperation - a mobile game about forests to be designed
Press release 1 January 2016: NordicEdu develops a mobile game for UPM and the Guides and Scouts of Finland
Press release 22 June 2016: The co-operation of UPM and the Guides and Scouts of Finland visible at the Roihu 2016 Finnjamboree
UPM, Media Relations
9.00-16.00 EET
tel. +358 40 588 3284
media@upm.com
Through the renewing of the bio and forest industries, UPM is building a sustainable future across six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Paper Asia, UPM Paper Europe and North America and UPM Plywood. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. We serve our customers worldwide. The group employs around 19,600 people and its annual sales are approximately EUR 10 billion. UPM shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. UPM - The Biofore Company - www.upm.com
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NordicEdu develops engaging, high-quality educational and serious games for the future. Since 2011, NordicEdu has concentrated on developing games for mobile platforms to facilitate learning in a more inspiring and efficient fashion. NordicEdu consists of four young, passionate professionals who have created ambitious world-class products with uncompromising usability both in Finland and abroad. This can be achieved by combining gaming aspects with the needs of traditional industries in a fresh and exciting way. www.nordicedu.com