Project by DRUID Creative Gaming recreates missing people in real life in the game Starfield to give visibility to the cause.
The disappearance of people in Brazil is a social phenomenon that mainly affects low-income families. In the State of São Paulo alone, an average of 25 thousand people disappear each year. In support of this cause, ABCD – Brazilian Association for the Search and Defense of Missing Children, known as Movimento Mes da Sá, has played a fundamental role since 1996 in helping families search for missing loved ones.
In addition to being a reference in the process of research, search and elucidation of the disappearance, ABCD also offers family members differentiated assistance, providing guidance on legal procedures and making referrals to the competent bodies. However, much of the financial and personal support for the movement has been declining. At the beginning of the year, then, when there is a lot of talk about renewing hope, the topic can gain strength, attention and make the cause more latent again. With that in mind, the DRUID Creative Gamingan agency specialized in communication and creative strategy for the world of games, developed an innovative project to bring the community closer to this very important cause and take advantage of the popularity and reach of electronic games as a media and dissemination platform.
With the launch of Starfield, an adventure game about exploration in space and considered a great success in recent months with the sale of more than 10 million copies worldwide, the insight for creating the opportunity was given, since one of the aspects that draws the most attention is the “Character Creator”, a tool in which players can define the characteristics of their avatars. This Starfield feature is so advanced, it became even more famous among the community after several players began posting tutorials and videos on how they managed to replicate famous characters within the game, such as artists Keanu Reeves and Willem Dafoe.
Thus, DRUID created the project that transforms photos of missing people registered with ABCD into characters from the game Starfield and invited major gamer influencers to donate their time and audience to the Movement’s cause, pledging to play with these specific avatars.
Why not take advantage of the opportunity that the game offers and give visibility to helping important causes such as missing people?” asks Rafael Hessel, general director of Creation at DRUID. To achieve the perfect modeling of the faces in the Institution’s database, the agency had a team expert in in-game captures.
Big names in the gaming segment, such as Rakin, SMZinho and Menye B, supported the action, and used their social networks and streaming channels to talk about the Movimento Mes da S and the work carried out by the Institution. The aim is to generate awareness for Mes da S while, with more people following the Institution’s profiles, the database with missing people also gains more access. During all the lives held, the streamers were trained by DRUID on the history of ABCD so they could talk about the subject with their followers in their chats.
The action is already underway. “Our expectation is to be able to engage gamers, a huge, united and active community, to increase the flow of information about the missing, in addition to knowledge, the serious work and purpose of the Institution. And, of course, the biggest dream of all of us and those who embraced this idea with us is to find a loved one who is being looked for by their family, says Rafael Hessel.
Movimento Mes da S is a non-profit entity and provides relevant services free of charge and has made it possible to locate missing people not only in the State of São Paulo, but throughout the country. Every 15 days, mothers gather on the steps of the Cathedral of São Paulo, in the capital of São Paulo, carrying out a silent demonstration with photos and posters of their missing children, as a way of alerting the public and authorities regarding the problem of disappearances in Brazil. Brazil. Today, it has more than 12 thousand registered cases and, since its inception, has directly collaborated in finding more than 5,538 people.
“We are a tool and instrument of defense in the search for missing people, and we seek to have recognition and effective support from public and private authorities in cases of disappearances. Therefore, we believe that any and all actions that help us in a serious way and with genuine intention will make a difference when it comes to fulfilling our mission, explains Ivanise Esperidio da Silva Santos, creator of the Mes da S Movement, whose daughter, Fabiana, disappeared at the age of 13, about 120 meters away from home, on December 23, 1995.
TECHNICAL SHEET:
Client: S+Starfield Month
Product: Institutional
Agncia: DRUID CREATIVE GAMING
Title: Missing Avatars
Planning: Bruna Pastorini
General Creative Director: Rafael Hessel
Creation: Ana Agra, Ivana Ribeiro and Matheus Carrera
General Director of Customer Service: Mariana Nunes
Service: Thamires Barros
Project Management: Leandro Silva, Gabriel Businari
Influencers: Bernardo Mendes, Flavia Guitarrara
Producer: Bruna Amorim
Post Production Coordinator: Renan Godoy
Motion Designer: Renan Godoy, Pedro Fiza
Client approvers: Ivanise Esperidio da Silva Santos
Follow Adnews on Instagrame LinkedIn. #WhereTransformationHappens
