The Mapinguari Game

The Mapinguari Game has three sections. In the first, players must plan an expedition to the Amazon. In the second section, they must organize their expedition in the rain forest and establish relationships with the indigenous peoples. In the final section, players collect photographs, video, audio recordings, samples of droppings, and DNA and blood samples etc. as evidence of Mapinguari's existence, hoping to persuade the world community to protect the animal by protecting its habitat - the tropical rainforests - and, therefore, saving the forest's indigenous peoples and their cultures. On daily treks through the forest they play mini-games in which they face hostile ranchers, farmers, loggers, and gold miners, tropical diseases and infestations of parasites and insects, campaigns by skeptical scientists to discredit them, floods and fires threatening their camp, and attacks by anacondas, jaguars, and piranhas. Players will learn a lot about the geography of the Amazon, its fauna, and the peoples who live there. There are mini-games within the main game in which players try to collect evidence or deal with a problem. Players can save a game and complete it at their convenience. Games are ranked, so players can compete with other players, or try to improve their own scores. The game has a comprehensive glossary and numerous sources of information on the Amazon and related environmental issues.