Angry Birds Friends is set to collaborate with the United States National Parks Service for a 4th of July themed event.
Angry Birds Friends will receive 30 new levels based on scenic features of the United States such as the Badlands and Everglades. The event will start on the third of July and is set to run for at least a week. The Badlands and the Everglades themselves are both vast areas of wilderness in the United States which should offer unique and visually interesting locations for the title.
For those unaware, the United States National Park Service is a federal agency in America that’s responsible for the preservation and management of the vast wilderness in the country. This includes their promotion and conservation, managing the vast number of tourists that visit the parks yearly. They manage areas such as Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon, both world-renowned locations that attract thousands of tourists each year.
Promoting nature
It’s not surprising that the National Park Service is collaborating with Angry Birds. Although one would assume that natural features such as the Everglades, Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon are areas that everyone is familiar with, more minor natural features and the role that the National Park Service plays in the upkeep and conservation of these areas is not widely known, or at least appreciated. With Angry Birds being a cross-media sensation the partnership seems even more obvious.
By working with a company like Rovio and a title like Angry Birds Friends which boasts a vast audience, the National Park Service can reach out to a far larger number of people than with many other traditional or new media channels. It’s also noteworthy because it exemplifies how traditional government institutions are slowly beginning to recognise the potential that gaming, including mobile gaming, have in engaging with the wider public.
