Betterverse: Nonprofits in the Virtual World

The 2009 Ten Best Public Good Projects in the Metaverse

In 2009, I launched Betterverse as a means of chronicling and highlighting the ways that virtual worlds were being used to promote the public good in the real world.  I was led by the hypothesis that the metaverse as an imagination space was fertile ground for supporting the public sector, charitable work, and social justice causes.  In the brief amount of time that I've been reporting on this space, I've found a remarkable number of innovative projects and initiatives.  

In no particular order, here's are my Top Ten best public good initiatives in the virtual world...

Virtual seed campaign in Farmville raises more than $300K for Haitian charities

While not a virtual world so much as an online casual game, we thought you would be interested in this relevant news about Farmville.  Zynga, the makers of Farmville, have come up with an innovative way to incorporate charitable giving into the gameplay that has already resulted in more than $300K going to Haitian NGOs.

For those that haven't seen this incredibly addictive and popular Facebook game, Farmville challenges the player to manage a plot of farmland by plotting crops, raising livestock and selling their harvest so they can... buy more seeds and animals and grow some more. (I know, it's amazing what becomes popular.)

According to the Virtual Goods News, Zynga recently made available a new virtual item called "Sweet Seeds for Haiti" that costs 25 FV or about US $5. Zynga states that 50% of the proceeds from each Sweet Seeds for Haiti sold will be donated to the Haitian charities FATEM and FONKOZE.  According to the Farmville twitter feed, this has resulted in over $323,000 donated to these charities since October 6.  The campaign ends on October 15, so buy those seeds if you want to contribute!

"Deep Down" Second Life game explores energy industry in Appalachian mountains

In June, I had the pleasure of participating the "Producers Institute" sponsored by the nice folks at the Bay Area Video Coalition in San Francisco.  I was there as a "mentor" for a couple of different documentary projects using virtual worlds and games as ways to build engagement and interest in their subject matter. 

Here's a video about one of the projects I helped with -- "Deep Down," a cool Second Life-powered game that teaches the player about energy consumption and conservation through exploring a mining town in the Appalachian mountains.  It's a great example of how a virtual world can help connect you personally to an issue that might seem distant and esoteric like the coal industry in the southern United States.