With Hurricane Sandy beginning to rattle my doors and windows (not to mention creating rivers of water in my backyard), I decided my mind needed a serious distraction before it veered into full-on panic mode (which it may shortly do anyways).
Thus what perfect timing for the Volvo Group to distribute a unique online game dubbed “Transporters” designed to increase awareness among the general population about the vital functions a variety of vehicles perform every day to keep modern life humming smoothly along.
This game is what Mårten Wikforss, executive VP-corporate communications for the Volvo Group, called a “playful way” of illustrating the transportation industry’s daily contribution to society.
“No matter whether we are talking about transporting food, carrying passengers and goods, or building roads and houses, a variety of vehicles meet daily needs the world over, helping to ensure that the societies in which we live function smoothly,” he explained. “That’s why the Volvo Group released ‘Transporters’ to offer a game in which you get behind the wheel of one of our many vehicles and carry out a variety of transport assignments.”
The aim of the game is to think fast and respond accurately: and by driving different vehicle types, Wikforss said – picking up objects and avoiding obstacles in a variety of environments – everyday people take part in a virtual journey through the important roles transportation equipment plays in everyday life.
“The game is a playful way of illustrating how our products contribute to society every single day,” he explained.
“For instance, one in every seven meals reaches European consumers thanks to trucks," Wikforss said. "In the U.S., the waste that is carried away every week in our refuse trucks could form a column of trash bins reaching all the way to the moon.”
He added that “Transporters” can be played via the Internet, on tablets or smart phones, making it both simple and fun to challenge friends and acquaintances and allowing you to compete against anyone anywhere in the world.
Tell you one thing: I won’t need a game to remind me of the important role trucks play in keeping the lights on, for if the power gets K.O.’d by Hurricane Sandy, I’ll be eagerly awaiting the rumble of their diesel engines.
