Food Force Now Available In Finnish

Representatives from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have confirmed the launch of a Finnish language version of the organization's popular serious game Food Force. Fida, one of Finland's largest and most influential non-governmental development organizations will handle the game's distribution in that country. The Finnish version joins the game's seven previously released translations, including the French, Hungarian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Polish editions already available, as well as the original English version of the game that launched in April 2005. Food Force is an educational computer game created by the WFP to teach children about the problem of hunger and the importance of humanitarian aid work. The game, which is targeted at children aged 8 to 13, is available as a free download and has been played by at least four and a half million people since its launch. All of the game's versions have been made possible through donations from game industry leaders and international organizations, with the French version even being supported by major software developer and publisher Ubisoft. The version of the game designed for Finland will also include some of the country's most recognized actors providing voices for the game a pro-bono basis, including Jasper Pääkkönen, Minna Haapkylä, Kati Outinen, Mikko Leppilampi, Hannu-Pekka Björkman and Santeri Kinnunen. “Fida is pleased to cooperate with WFP to promote food security issues in Finland through launching Food Force,” commented Eero Horstia, Fida’s Head of Development Cooperation. “We recognize WFP’s global mandate as a leading agency in the fight against hunger. Food Force is an innovative, effective and motivating medium to communicate these challenges to young people. This matches our aim to enhance Fida’s role as a global actor.”