Massively multiplayer game to benefit Cancer Research UK
Howard Lake | 8 October 2008 | News
Operation: Sleeper Cell is the world’s first massively multiplayer online game (MMO) designed to raise money for charity. Created by Law 37, the spy-themed puzzle game involves teams of players from around the world working together to solve ‘puzzle cells’ in a grid. By donating money to the game, they can unlock extra cells for all players, and also advance the story, which takes place over websites, blogs, Twitter and even in real life.
Kevin Waudby, Head of Innovation from Cancer Research UK, which will receive all profits of the game, said that the game "creates a cutting edge way of raising money and provides an opportunity to tell people about our work and key health messages".
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Law 37 say that although many games have been created to raise awareness for charities, "Operation: Sleeper Cell is the first to incorporate fundraising directly". They expect several thousand people to play the game.
Players can raise money on their own or in teams, and can also be sponsored by their friends and family. Within the game, these
donations will be used to unlock new puzzles and story fragments. In addition, sponsors will also be able to buy advertising ‘cells’ on the game’s front page.
Operation: Sleeper Cell will run for ten weeks, having started on 23 September, and will end with a live event finale held in London on 29 November.
Law 37 were winners of last year’s Let’s Change The Game competition. The competition, run in association with Cancer Research UK, aims to create ways for charities to connect and communicate with potential donors using massively multiplayer online games.
Law 37 consists of a group of volunteers in the UK and abroad.
The founder of Let’s Change the Game, Adrian Hon, said, "Along with raising money for the vital cause of cancer research, Operation:
Sleeper Cell shows that games can be a real force for good in the world".
www.operationsleepercell.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.