AlmapBBDO / Greenpeace Brasil and Planet

Greenpeace Flying Guardians

ActivismGame ModCannes Bronze ’24

Overview

Greenpeace and AlmapBBDO modded a hyper-realistic flight simulator and swapped its maps for satellite imagery from Planet, updated through the year. Fly over Munduruku or Yanomami land in the game and you see the real mining scars, at real coordinates, and you can report them or sign the petition without leaving the cockpit. LOBO made the film that carried it.

Discipline

Gaming & Fintech

Studio

LOBO Creative

Group

lobo.cx

The argument

A flight sim, turned into evidence.

The film has to carry an idea that sounds impossible in a line: a game people already fly for fun becomes a way to witness deforestation. So it builds the argument a step at a time. The simulator. The swap. The fact that where you are in the game is where you are on Earth. And then what is actually underneath you.

A light aircraft flying over a turquoise reef in a flight simulator

A flight simulator, flown for pleasure

A light aircraft flying at sunset above the clouds in the simulator

was turned into something else

A heads up display showing that in game geolocation matches real life coordinates

Because in-game geolocation is real-life coordinates

Interface showing constantly updated satellite imagery from Planet

Mapped with satellite imagery from Planet, updated through the year

Interface showing the aircraft positioned as an Amazon protector

An Amazon protector, at the controls

A forest burning at night seen through the trees

And then, in real life

An aerial view of forest fire spreading through the Amazon

Fire, from the air

An aerial view of felled logs stacked at the edge of the forest

Logging, stacked and counted

A close up of a chainsaw resting on a freshly cut tree stump

A chainsaw on a fresh stump

Flying Guardians

Why it exists

Greenpeace Brasil study for 2023, as cited in the campaign release.

1,409

Hectares destroyed by illegal mining in 2023

Football pitches cleared per day

26,400

Hectares severely affected across three territories

The film

A flight sim with the real maps in it.

The mod swaps the game’s scenery for Planet satellite imagery of the Amazon, refreshed through the year. What you fly over is what is there.

Clients

Greenpeace Brasil, Planet

Agency

AlmapBBDO

Image production

Vetor Zero / LOBO

Year

2024

The Flying Guardians title in green code brackets over an aerial view of forest — Flying Guardians

A plane over a suspension bridge, the words the world’s most realistic

A plane over mountains at sunrise, the words virtual reality simulator

A plane over a turquoise reef, the words an environmental defence tool

A close aerial of scarred ground, the words in real life

The film’s opening line, laid across four shots: the world’s most realistic flight simulator became an environmental defence tool, in real life.

A split screen titled deforestation, original gameplay showing unbroken forest beside Flying Guardians gameplay showing cleared ground — Deforestation. Left, the game as it shipped. Right, the same coordinates with Planet data in it.

A split screen titled illegal mining, original gameplay beside Flying Guardians gameplay showing the mining scar — Illegal mining. Same aircraft, same place, two versions of the truth.

A plane over a mining site with in game markers, the line reading in-game geolocation equals real-life coordinates — In-game geolocation equals real-life coordinates. That is the whole mechanic.

The map is the message.

A flight simulator is a very expensive lie. It renders the whole planet as it was, from imagery that is often years old. The mod replaces the scenery over Munduruku and Yanomami land with Planet satellite data refreshed through the year, so a player flying that route is looking at a mining scar that exists right now, at coordinates they can read off the instruments.

Greenpeace planes, four command towers, four radio channels and a petition command were built into the game. A player can spot a site, note the coordinates, report it and sign, without leaving the cockpit.

LOBO made the film that explained all of that in seventy seconds, cutting gameplay against satellite footage and carrying the whole argument in motion design over the top.

Partner

Planet Labs PBC

Territories

Munduruku and Yanomami lands

Built into the game

Towers, radio channels, a petition

Film

70 seconds