03 · 11 · 2022

The PoN Project

The PoN project

PoN is an acronym for Politics of Nature (“Políticas da Natureza” in Portuguese) that gave name to our game for mobile phones and tablets, which is called “PoN! – Armadillos Island”, and which was officially released on August 31, 2022.

Based on the board game PoN created by the Danes Jacob Raffn and Frederik Lassen as an immersive experience in the concepts of the French philosopher Bruno Latour about the relationships between humans and nature beyond the anthropocentric perspective, as presented in his book “Politics of Nature” (1999, FR ; 2004, US; 2019, Brazil). PoN! – Ilha dos Tatus is a fun and thought-provoking mobile game (available on iOS and Android systems) for young people between the ages 13 to 15, based on deep research and philosophy, but properly simplified and targeted to their age group.

PoN in Brazil emerged in 2018, in Brasília, in a cooperative process between Brazilian and European partners, and the idea of the game was born in the context in which European youth is avant-garde in climate action, but lacks biodiversity and, conversely, Brazilian youth, which is part of the most biodiverse country in the world, lacks agency (for various reasons) compared to their European peers. As such, the PoN game attempts to bridge this gap with a constructive approach in order to engage, inspire and connect young people around the world for the climate cause.

But the PoN project is not limited to the mobile game, which is highly scalable and built for long-term development, with options for future expansions and in different languages.

In this project, we also have a pedagogical kit, which helps teachers and educators to use the game in schools and other educational places, and a program of socio-educational events, in which they serve to support youth to express their potential in all areas. areas, generating changes through new contacts and encounters.

With more than 40 local and European partners, we highlight climate NGOs such as Engajamundo and Fridays for Future Brazil (FFF).

Socio-educational events

As part of the project, PoN had some events in which the game was shown to the public, such as:

BIG Festival, in São Paulo, SP, in July;

UNESCO Creative Cities Meeting, in Santos, SP, in July;

European Languages Day, in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, in September;

Sesc Guarulhos, in Guarulhos, SP, in October;

Sesc Santos, in Santos, SP, in October;

Sesc Gama, in Gama, DF, in October;

Institutional Launch of PoN at the Goethe-Institut SP, in São Paulo, SP, in October;

Brasilia Book Biennial, in DF, in October.

The game

In PoN!, players are peaceful armadillos who live on an island threatened by terrifying robots that cut down trees, pollute rivers, mine and burn, destroying nature. In the face of such devastation, the island’s ecosystem becomes increasingly unstable, and can collapse and disappear completely.

A group of brave armadillos decide to face the robots and protect the island. And that’s when they discover that their enemies are not just machines. They are other armadillos, like them, but they are trapped in robotic shells, unable to think or act on their own.

Players then need to work as a team and free their friends from robotic domination, so that together, everyone defends nature and helps restore balance to the island.

The mechanics were created from an inspiration in the armadillo itself, the species chosen to star in the game. Characteristic of Brazilian biomes, the three-banded armadillo was selected for being able to bring to the game its unique natural feature: closing itself in its shell forming a ball.

Partners:

Alliance Française (Rio de Janeiro e Brasilia), The Animation Workshop, British Council (São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro), Consulado Geral da Suíça, Deborah Macedo, Delegação da União Europeia no Brasil, Embaixada da Bélgica, Embaixada da Dinamarca, Embaixada da Finlândia, Embaixada da França, Embaixada da Irlanda, Embaixada da Itália, Embaixada dos Países Baixos, Embaixada da Suécia, Engajamundo, EUNIC Clusters de Brasília, Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, Frederik Lassen/PoN (DK), Fridays for Future Brasil, Game e Arte, Goethe-Institut (Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo), Goethe Zentrum (Brasília), Ilex Games, Instituto Camões (Brasília), Instituto Cervantes (Brasília e Rio de Janeiro), Instituto Cultural da Dinamarca, Instituto Italiano di Cultura (Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo), Instituto Querô, Matthias Löwe (DE), Morten Thorning (DK), Mostra Ecofalante, Nicolas Corman (FR), Prefeitura de Santos, Prefeitura de Viborg (DK), Reconectta, Sesc DF, Sétima Produções, Spcine e World Wildlife Fund.

PoN! is available to everyone free of charge. Download now in your application log or visit www.jogopon.com.br

To see more about the project’s events, follow our social networks:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jogopon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jogo.pon/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jogopon

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pon-a-ilha-dos-tatus

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jogopon

Discord: https://discord.gg/8mNApS7n

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCALBZcjY29RSocdxBf-Zwmw