There’s no denying that most people believe in supporting worthwhile causes. Some of us only talk about it, others donate money and a very exceptional few actually donate time. While doing what we can to better the world around us is certainly a worthy pursuit, is it humanly possible to recruit the help of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of other people? Where would one person even begin?

Guerillapps tackles that very pursuit with a simple game: Trash Tycoon, a social game that shows players the benefits of recycling.

Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of pollution and global warming, Trash Tycoon reveals wonderful things that can be created with recycled materials through the process of upcycling. While many parents and teachers would love to teach kids about recycling—essentially, why we need to separate our trash and what happens to it after it’s picked up—it’s quite challenging to make a lasting impression and ultimately mold environmentally aware kids. However, even 30 minutes of Trash Tycoon has potential to make an impact as players can truly appreciate its fun, casual gaming medium.

Trash Tycoon isn’t just a marketing angle, either—Guerillapps really believes in this cause. Not only are they hard at work recruiting sponsors who donate to conservation charities, but themselves donate a portion of their revenue to Carbonfund.org.

Raviv Turner, CEO of Guerillapps, took time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about his motivation for creating Trash Tycoon.

AppSauna: Trash Tycoon is currently in Beta, how much of the game content is complete and can you reveal any of the items on your wish list to work on post release?

What you see in the game right now is only the tip of the iceberg of what Guerillapps has in the works. The game is constantly getting updated with new content and features every week or two, and we even have a special Winter Holiday update in the next few weeks. Upcoming features will include “Ask Friends for Energy,” “Upcycle Wish List,” and even trash-stealing animals. Each month will also bring new characters and new missions.

AppSauna: What came first—the game or the cause? Did you decide you wanted to make a game and then began looking for content, or did you set out to promote saving our environment first in the game development process?

It was a completely simultaneous process. We knew that we wanted to leverage the engagement of games to change recycling behavior—we then discovered the world of upcycling, the process of making greater value products out of waste. TerraCycle, a recycling-centered company based out of Trenton, New Jersey, even decided to partner with Guerillapps to make a social game about the concept.

AppSauna: Can you discuss your relationship with Kraft and if you are pursuing any other partners to help support recycling?

Kraft is one of our integrated brands. They make a really big push on sustainability and are great fans of our game. We got Kraft integrated down to the core game play in a fun and engaging way, and are currently communicating with other consumer packaged good companies and retailers.

AppSauna: Are you working on any other games outside of Facebook to help increase awareness for recycling?

Yes, there is a mobile and browser-based kids version in the works.

AppSauna: Are there any other causes you plan to turn into games? Renewable energy perhaps?

Yes, definitely. We are looking at both the health and energy space next—both sectors can benefit from a game platform that can better engage the consumer.

AppSauna: Do you recycle?

Absolutely! Amusingly enough, I constantly have my three-year-old son chasing me around the house to place the water bottle in the right bin.

Thank you Raviv for your time.

Visit the Trash Tycoon webpage on AppSauna, rate it 5 stars and play it on Facebook. You’ll feel good you did.

Re-Posted from AppSauna.com

An excerpt from the post here reads:

“Brands and companies have realized that friendly competition and metered rewards are a great way to get people interested and engaged in a product. Green initiatives are getting wise as well. Games such as Trash Tycoon challenge players to recycle their way to victory whereas sites such as myenergy, recyclebank or DailyFeats encourage users to reduce their energy consumption or improve their green actions by offering light competition and relevant rewards for eco-behavior.”

Green Facebook game Trash Tycoon integrates major consumer brand into game world

NEW YORK CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Trash Tycoon, the first-ever upcycling game in social networking from Manhattan-based social gaming startup Guerillapps, is proud to announce the game’s roster of 350,000 registered players and its first corporate integration since launching in open beta in September 2011. Kraft Foods’ cheese brands have joined the growing lineup of key players in the green space already integrated into Trash Tycoon, including TerraCycle, TreeHugger.com and Carbonfund.org.

Guerillapps has integrated Kraft Naturals, Singles and Snacking brands under Kraft Cheese to take advertising in social games to a new level capable of immense social impact. The game already creates positive social impact by donating 10 percent of in-game dollars to environmental projects sponsored by Carbonfund.org and providing players with a daily bulletin of important environmental news from TreeHugger.com through an in-game newspaper. Now the game’s recycling element has become even more realistic as players consume, collect and upcycle household brands they know and love.

By sponsoring the game, Kraft Cheese is enabling the 840,000 consumers already collecting in the Cheese Packaging Brigade to earn more money for their schools and charities, while also earning unique game items and prizes for collecting more packaging in real-life. Guerillapps and TerraCycle have created a system that provides special rewards and bonuses, both in the game and in real life, for Trash Tycoon players who also help collect Kraft brand cheese packaging.

Through its real-world Cheese Brigade Program, groups of individuals can help divert packaging from landfills by sending their own Kraft Foods cheese product packaging to TerraCycle. For every piece of cheese packaging returned, TerraCycle and Kraft Foods contribute two cents to a school or charity of the collector’s choice. The collected packaging is upcycled or recycled into eco-friendly consumer products available online and at major retailers nationwide.

“Players are now able to collect Kraft Cheese product wrappers, upcycle it to make new products and share the accomplishment with their Facebook friends—all roads that lead to increased consumer awareness and product sales for our sponsors,” said Raviv Turner, co-founder and CEO of Guerillapps. “We are fortunate Trash Tycoon’s successful September launch has ignited numerous marketing opportunities with Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies like Kraft Foods who are looking to make the move into social games, particularly those that support such important causes as environmental responsibility.”

The energy items players need in order to complete Trash Tycoon game functions are advertiser’s products such as KRAFT string cheese. Once a player has used the energy item, the leftover packaging becomes the raw material to make special game items. Players also build branded Kraft Foods factories to create items, win points and even secure Kraft Foods branded badges for their Facebook profile pages.

“Kraft Natural Cheese is excited to continue partnering with TerraCycle to promote sustainability and raise awareness for the recycling opportunities of post-consumer packaging,” said Melodie Bolin, associate brand manager of Kraft Natural Cheese. “It is particularly exciting to spread this message by leveraging such an educational and fun format as Trash Tycoon.”

Guerillapps’ team of former EA, Playdom and Lego game designers designed Trash Tycoon to engage Facebook’s extensive network in an immersive game with room for real-world impact. Guerillapps’ focus on real-world ties and deep brand integration is the first of its kind across social and mobile gaming platforms. Guerillapps intends to apply Trash Tycoon’s real-world approach to other verticals like health, fitness, energy and more in the near future.

For more information or to play Trash Tycoon, please visit http://www.TrashTycoon.com.

About Guerillapps

Founded in 2010, Guerillapps, LLC is a Manhattan-based, social gaming startup led by a team of industry veterans across social and mobile platforms. The company collaborates with established consumer brands to develop original social games focused on Lifestyle of Health & Sustainability markets that support real world causes. Guerillapps is a Rhodium funded startup. For more information, visit http://www.guerillapps.com. For media inquiries, contact Ashley Eggert of Dittoe Public Relations at 317-202-2280 x15 or ashley@dittoepr.com.

About Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT - News) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion. Twelve of the company’s iconic brands – Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Tang and Trident – generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually. On Aug. 4, 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to divide and create two independent public companies: a high-growth global snacks business with estimated revenue of $32 billion and a high-margin North American grocery business with estimated revenue of $16 billion, based on 2010 financial results, adjusted for divestitures. The transaction will take at least 12 months to complete, during which time plans regarding the structure, management, governance and other matters will be announced. A leader in innovation, marketing, health & wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index. Visithttp://www.kraftfoodscompany.com and http://www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.

About TerraCycle

Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with over thirty major brands in the U.S. (and in a growing number of other countries) to collect used packaging and products (chip bags, candy wrappers, juice pouches, pens, toothbrushes, etc.) that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new eco-friendly materials and products that are available online and through major retailers. The waste is collected through TerraCycle’s Brigade programs, which are free fundraisers that pay schools and non-profits for every piece of waste they collect and return. For information on how to join a TerraCycle Brigade and on purchasing TerraCycle products, please visit us athttp://www.terracycle.net.

Originally posted on Yahoo News.

From Mike Perk at ideate.co.za

There is no denying that social networking is no longer “the next big thing,” it’s “THE thing” – with sites like Facebook now home to over 800 million active users and Twitter well over 200 million registrants. The numbers alone mean that it would be a huge mistake to overlook social networks as a viable platform for communicating ideas and inspiring global change, much as it’s a mistake to discount the benefits of online university programs or business networks. But what are the best ways to get communicate through these channels?

Surprisingly, the best one may be to use what the social networking giant has become infamous for: social gaming applications.

Social games spark cultural revolutions

Social gaming has inadvertently sparked cultural revolutions that were unplanned by the game creators, such as the spike in farming loans acquired by the successful upper middle class in Turkey, which was later linked to FarmVille. Playing the detailed farming simulation inspired doctors, lawyers and businessmen to start thinking about where livestock comes from in real life. Thus, the game was able to take an abstract concept and make it real. Would these people have thought to raise livestock if it weren’t for FarmVille? Probably not, and it’s unlikely that Zynga masterminded their game as a plot to get urban dwellers more interested in farming and raising livestock. But that’s the effect it had—an effect that could easily be used to inspired other changes.

Nonprofits and charities should seriously consider using social gaming to generate interest in their causes. The wall that block most charities is a lack of understanding rather than a lack of caring. Everybody knows about poverty, pollution, disease and all of the other problems in the world, but these are just abstract concepts rather than concrete facts with tangible solutions. If charities can make it real and actionable, people will respond accordingly.

Al Gore spoke out about gaming at the 2011 Games for Change Festival, citing social gaming as a mass medium for reaching people in droves. Gore highlighted the fact that games can take overly complex issues and make them into something simple, which people can really understand.

Social media games teach people to be environmentally responsible

The Facebook game Trash Tycoon puts these principles into action by turning the concept of “upcycling” into a fun and competitive entrepreneurial adventure that challenges players to clean up their virtual town while simultaneously turning a profit. The only way to successfully complete both goals is to turn waste into useful products that may then be sold. The game’s interface and graphics are slick and pleasing, and concepts easy to understand. Players compost organic waste, collect vintage clothing and re-purpose paper and glass into new items like paper towels and fish tanks. Players interact with their virtual town through their customized character, much like in FarmVille or Pioneer Trail, and gain levels by completing “missions.” In addition to educating the masses about the real life applications of upcycling, the creators of Trash Tycoon also donate 10% of their profits to CarbonFund.org, which works to reduce waste in the real world. Players of Trash Tycoon will never look at trash the same way again.

Another example is the game Spent. In this game, players experience what it’s like to live in poverty by trying to keep their bank account balanced. Players are forced to choose between paying the rent and paying vet bills, or between going hungry and swallowing their virtual pride to opt for food assistance. Many people are fortunate enough to not fully comprehend what living below the poverty line is like, and the game Spent gives them an opportunity to experience it in a safe atmosphere. Judgments that people tend to make about those in poverty melt away as players realize that it’s hard work to be poor. This understanding gives way to empathy, and that empathy inspires them to give to their fellow man.

Social networking games have the potential to impact the world on a global scale quickly and effectively. It’s a golden opportunity for charities and nonprofits to connect with people from all walks of life, and make the issues real to them.

The idea behind Guerillapps’ Trash Tycoon is simple and elegant: Reward gamers with points for performing environmentally conscious tasks in the real world and reward them with tangible goods for succeeding in the virtual world.

“When we looked at so-called green games and none of them were fun, we asked, ‘How do we motivate consumers to do the right thing?’” Guerillaps CEO Raviv Turner says.

Now that he has come up with a solution, Turner has set his aim high, saying “we want to be the Angry Birds of change.”

The aim of the game is to unlock new corners of the virtual city by cleaning, repairing, and “upcycling,” or improving, accessible parts of the city. Like FarmVille, Trash Tycoon lets the gamer purchase virtual goods, but they’re all of an environmental bent, such as free-trade coffee, falafel, a worm farm, a plastic crusher, garden sculptures, and more.

By making purchases, players qualify to “vote” for real environmental programs like a bio-digester in California, reforestation in Louisiana, and truck-stop electrification across several states. After they vote, players can then have 10 percent of their purchases donated to Carbon Fund, an organization that offsets carbon footprints. The game is part education, part activism, and part fun. But if Turner succeeds at his goal, it will be mostly fun.

Gamification—tech-speak for the process by which some companies disguise their agenda as entertainment—can go awry. The end result, says Turner, is often a boring product that is 70 percent corporate agenda and 30 percent fun. One example might be Big League Bites at www.nba.com, which lets players travel from one basketball arena to another to “whip up the tastiest food in town” and “give it to your hungry customer.” A decade ago, this would probably have just been map of stadiums designed to bring in visitors. The concept of gamification turns a plain-old map into an interactive experience…of questionable entertainment value, unless serving hot dogs with cheese sauce at the Philadelphia 76ers stadium appeals to you.

Guerillapps aims to flip this practice on its head. “Fun is key,” says Turner. His goal is to create a game that really entertains. No “edutainment,” no pop-up message asking, “Did you know?” Just games. And the games, he says, came first. The thinking is that by letting the game drive the experience, whatever the player happens to learn is organic and easily translates into their daily lives.

Turner’s philosophy is simple. If the games aren’t fun, we won’t play them. And if we don’t play them, we won’t learn what he has to offer.

Turner says Trash Tycoon has registered 350,000 game players in its first two month of business, and it has gathered more than 16,000 likes on Facebook. It’s no Zynga, but not bad.

Read more: http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-tech-observer/2011/11/03/guerillaps-trash-tycoon-teaches-green-practices-with-games#ixzz1ch4VMjGP

Original posting here.

Look, recycling and resource management have always been snore-inducing topics. But those very issues have the world in quite a scary predicament right now, and New York City-based social game maker Guerillapps looks to change that with Trash Tycoon. Since our first look at the game, we recently sat down with the new developer’s CEO Raviv Turner and community manager Chris Dugan to learn more about Trash Tycoon and get some pointers on how to make the most of the eco-friendly game.

“We had this idea that sometime in the near apocalyptic, but fun, future the city got destroyed with trash,” Turner gushes to us. “But waste is your best friend–it’s a resource, right? With this, we also hope to change the set of mind among our players looking at waste. Again, the idea was to create a 100 percent pure, fun and engaging experience, not to educate. So, we try to stay away from edutainment, take it to a fun place, but there is still this subtext once you’re done playing for the day. Maybe the player is going to look at waste a different way.”

Turner tells us that the developer has over 90 days worth of content planned, and later joint team features that make liberal use of its support from Terracycle will be implemented. Guerillapps is working with its strategic partners like Terracycle and Carbon Fund to help its players hopefully make a tangible difference in the environment. While players can only donate to the cause directly with Facebook Credits now, Guerillapps is working with Carbon Fund so its commercial partners will allow the company to donate to the cause through virtual goods bought even without Facebook Credits. But onto how to get by in Trash Tycoon:

Games.com: I noticed that you need to be at least Level 8 to access the next portion of the city in Trash Tycoon. So, what’s the best or fastest way a player can reach that point?

Dugan: The map really is massive, and even in the area that’s not fog-of-warred off it’s nice to see how much there is to do and to clean up. The best way to reach Level 8 is really diligence, as with any Facebook game, and being on top of your productions as well as prioritizing.

You can level up a number of ways: through just cleaning up trash, you gain experience points for completing goals. With the goals, there are very obvious short term goals and there are long term goals, and you have to plan your playing time around those deadlines.

And you’re referring to creating the fertilizer (pictured below) and other items?

Yes, and items can take anywhere from five minutes from a whole day to create. And some goals require a variety of items like five that take five minutes and one that takes a day. So, you have to figure out how long you can be logged on for a certain time to knock out those five items, but you need to think more ahead to be like, ‘This glass window is going to take an entire day to construct, so I’m gonna put it on and come back to it.’

I saw that in the early goals you’re given the option to create and upcycling building you want. Is there any advantage to certain buildings, or do goals require items from all of them?

Goals will require items from all, but I’d say that the main advantage is that you’re getting a randomized generation of trash, so you never know what you’re going to have. So, it’s the kind of thing where you could have a lot of plastic, but you might be running low on glass. So, you might have to go to friends neighborhoods and check their piles–not using your Energy points, but Friend points.

Or, of course with most Facebook games, there’s the idea that time will replenish your stockpiles. The trash does replenish over time, and will inevitably give you what you need for the upcycling machines.

Now, would you recommend building multiple instances of each machine?

It sort of depends–for example, in the first neighborhood the dirt area you have to build upcycling machines and worm farms is quite limited. I found that it was best to have a couple of worm farms, and then one of each of the upcycling machines, a warehouse and some other dumpsters just to make sure you never overflow. It’s most efficient to have at least one of each upcycling machine. Prioritize that first, and everything will just fall into place with everything else you have.

Now, the social features: Are there other advantages to adding friends other than the five free points you get daily?

There’s obviously the gifting feature, which is present in many Facebook games, kind of the idea that you can circumvent having pay up for decorations that increase your Greeness value. Also, the prospect of constructing teams and having that sense of community, which we tried to implement through the chat feature.

What advantages does the in-game chat feature bring?

[There is real-time interaction in the game, so] say you have your Friend points and your friend is low on Energy and they really need to finish cleaning this building. Then, that’s something you could talk about that in team chat [and work it out in real time.]

If you could choose one thing that players should focus on in Trash Tycoon to advance, what would you say that is?

Certainly, the goals. It’s great to sort of branch out and make upcycled items on a whim, [but] if you’re kind of carelessly spending your resources you’re likely to run into walls much sooner than other players. You have to be very efficient in how you manage your resources–very much like the real world, obviously. It’s a constant battle between ‘I want to make these things’ and ‘I need to make these things.’

Thanks for filling us in, Raviv and Chris.

Have you tried playing Trash Tycoon yet on Facebook? What do you think of social games that have real-world implications?

See Full Original Article on Games.com

Guerillapps, a Manhattan-based social gaming startup, has launchedTrash Tycoon, its first green-themed social game for Facebook, along with partners TerraCycle, Carbonfund.org, and Treehugger. The game is now available for play and takes a unique approach to social gaming by incorporating awareness for environmental issues and sustainability. The first game to ever highlight the concept of upcycling, Trash Tycoon is an immersive game that presents opportunities for real-world impact.

As the online community dives into game play with Trash Tycoon via Facebook, they take on the role of recycling entrepreneurs by collecting litter in a trash-strewn city and upcycling waste into higher-quality, environmentally friendly products. Upcycling, a process in which discarded waste is repurposed for use, can range from building a house of abandoned material to finding innovative uses for discarded plastic bags. After completing missions, users collect money and earn points to ultimately earn the title of garbage tycoons. The game’s trash-tackling premise directly mirrors that of its sponsor, TerraCycle.

“Something as simple as a social game where players earn points for recycling in the real world is capable of changing people’s behavior for the better,” says Raviv Turner, co-founder and CEO of Guerillapps. “We’ve organically integrated real-world recycling goals into the game to ensure that players have fun and see Trash Tycoon first and foremost as a game, while at the same time presenting a proactive approach for more mindful actions as users approach real-life situations with acquired knowledge from Trash Tycoon.”

As the gaming world continues to reach beyond traditional gaming consoles, and social games continue to evolve beyond farming and gangsters, Guerillapps’ team of former EA, Playdom, and Lego game designers engage Facebook’s extensive network in an immersive game experience. However, according to Guerillapps, its focus on real-world ties and deep brand integration is the first of its kind across social and mobile gaming platforms.

Incorporation of real world brands—an empty Kraft box or wrapper, for example—adds bearing to TerraCycle’s mission without detracting from the game’s casual and fun landscape. Trash Tycoon also defers the social gaming norm by offering multiplayer, synchronous play to ignite a global conversation. Users can communicate and collaborate in real time during play, banding together with friends to attack trash.

“We are honored to be affiliated with a social game such as Trash Tycoon that will provide the best in consumer engagement, as well as potential for positive, impactful actions,” says Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle. “Trash Tycoon’s message speaks to the core mission of our company by presenting a fun yet innovative solution that aids in educating others on the importance behind environmental responsibility.”

Original Article by Anne Marie Mohan: http://www.packworld.com/news-32362

Trash Tycoon is a green-themed game for Facebook from social gaming startup Guerillapps. The game, which launched this week, teaches players about environmental issues and sustainability while they compete.

Trash Tycoon highlights upcycling, the concept of converting trash into new products. Users take on the role of a recycling entrepreneur, collecting trash and finding new environmentally friendly uses for discarded items such as plastic bags or building material. As you complete upcycling tasks, you earn points, money and ultimately the title of “garbage tycoon.”

The game’s creators believe social play has the ability to affect real-life behaviors. “Something as simple as a social game where players earn points for recycling in the real world is capable of changing people’s behavior for the better,” says Raviv Turner, cofounder and CEO of Guerillapps.

In addition to teaching sustainable behaviors, Trash Tycoon will donate 10% of its in-game purchases to CarbonFund.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting climate change.

Original Article by Zoe Fox: http://mashable.com/2011/09/09/trash-tycoon-social-gaming/

Instead of building a city, Trash Tycoon asks you to clean one up. The houses and streets are already there, but they’re a mess. It’s a game that attempts to teach players about the benefits of recycling, but it doesn’t really feel like an educational game. And that’s because, in spite of a few flaws and the fact that it doesn’t really do much new, Trash Tycoon is actually pretty fun.
You start the game in what looks to be a suburban neighborhood. Only it looks like one that’s been through a tornado or two. The houses are destroyed and litter is everywhere, and so naturally it’s up to you to clean everything up. As you pick up piles of trash you’ll gather items like shards of glass, plastic bottles, and scraps of paper. But instead of simply recycling them, you can upcycle the resources to earn some money.

While most of the buildings in town are already in place, you can build a number of facilities that turn recyclable goods into something useful that you can then sell for money. Plastic can be turned into a lunchbox, for example, or some toys. Depending on what you choose to make the process will take a certain amount of time to complete, and the longer it takes the more money you’ll earn.

And that’s most of the game. You clean up areas and then use the resources you gather to create new items that can be sold for cash, which you can then use to further beautify the town. The problem is that most actions take far too much energy. Cleaning up a pile of trash or a small house can easily wipe out all of your energy, which makes it hard to accomplish much in one single session. The game alleviates this somewhat by letting you buy energy with in-game currency, but you can only buy enough to refill your meter once per day.

On the positive side, the game looks great. The art style is clean and colorful and the character’s are packed with personality. Even in its early dilapidated state, the city still looks great, while the facilities you can purchase hum along with a steady stream of animations. Even better is the catchy, upbeat soundtrack that you’ll likely be humming even when you’re not playing.

In the grand tradition of educational games, Trash Tycoon stands out as a rarity. It has a positive message, but it doesn’t bash you over the head with it and the message doesn’t interfere with the gameplay. The energy system can be frustrating, and it would be nice if there was a little more variety to the gameplay, but Trash Tycoon is still a breath of fresh, smog-free air.

Original review: http://www.gamezebo.com/games/trash-tycoon/review

A note from us: We’re really grateful for this positive review, but just also want to ensure everyone that we have loads of new content coming down the line and are continuing to work on improvements to energy balancing, amongst other things. We’re here to work on this game until it’s the best game we can possibly make it.