TORONTO – The makers of a game pulled from public broadcaster TVO’s website after it drew criticism from the premiers of Alberta and British Columbia say their game has been misinterpreted by media reports describing it as being an advocate for eco-terrorism.
In a statement from Pop Sandbox, producers of the game Pipe Trouble, the company says the game is clearly intended as over-the-top satire and an engagement tool that promotes a “balanced” approach to natural gas development. The game was created to drive awareness about the Six Island Productions’ documentary film Trouble in the Peace, and prompt a larger discussion surrounding the oil and gas industry in BC’s Peace River region.
The company says recent media coverage of the game focused on a 40-second trailer for the game, which includes bombing of the pipelines, one of the extreme game ending outcomes players must expressly avoid in order to win. Alex Jansen of Pop Sandbox told Vancouver radio station News1130 that the “game was designed to show what kinds of ethical, environmental and economic considerations have to be balanced when a pipeline is built.”
In the game, players are tasked with successfully building their own pipeline while balancing environmental and financial considerations in overtly cartoonish situations anchored in real world events that are also featured in the film. Successful balance and meeting both interests is the only way to gain a top score or ultimately "win."
Jansen told News 1130 that the game does draw from some real-life events, including the six bombings that targeted a natural gas pipeline operated by the Encana Corporation in northeastern B.C. in 2008. That has drawn the ire of Dawson Creek mayor Mike Bernier, who criticizes the game’s developers for sensationalizing the terrible events that took place and continue to affect his community.
