ROM inspired video game launched at Museum’s annual FLAP event
FLAP display included 2,100 migratory birds fatally wounded colliding with GTA buildings in 2015
FLAP and Last Hour Games raise awareness about habitats and perils of migratory birds
Clash of the Talons is the first commercially available game developed at ROM Game Jam
TORONTO, March 9, 2016–The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) today hosted the annual Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada display of bird specimens. The display, part of FLAP’s public awareness campaign, highlights the impact of urban environments on migratory birds and featured over 2,100 bird specimens, representing 90 different bird species, including several species at risk. The birds perished in the past year after colliding with GTA buildings. The display represented a fraction of the up to 1 billion birds that die in fatal collisions with buildings across North America each year. Following the FLAP display, the ROM unveiled the bird-themed Clash of the Talons game, the first commercially available video game developed during a ROM Game Jam.
“We are always looking for ways to engage visitors beyond our galleries,” said Mark Peck, ROM Ornithologist. “We hope Clash of the Talons inspires players to learn more about birds and conservation in a fun, interactive way.”
Clash of the Talons is produced by Last Hour Games, and was inspired by the ROM’s Ornithology collection and developed during a ROM Game Jam event. The animated game teaches how bird predators and their prey interact. A typical clash might pit a Red Tailed Hawk against a Great Horned Owl in a woodland environment. The game features ten bird species hunting in five habitats.
“FLAP is proud to work with the ROM and inspire the Museum’s visitors to learn more about the importance of protecting bird populations in Canada and neotropical areas such as Central and South America,” said Michael Mesure, Executive Director of FLAP Canada.
“We are very proud to have been involved in this project,” said Francesco Ciarlandini, Co-Founder of Last Hour Games. “We’ve learned a great deal about these amazing birds while developing the game, and we hope users enjoy playing it as much as we did making it.”
Further Clash of the Talons details, a video trailer, and purchase information is available online.
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ROM Media Contact
Wendy Vincent, Bilingual Publicist
416.586.5547
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About the ROM
Opened in 1914, the ROM is Canada’s largest museum of natural history and world cultures and has six million objects in its collections and galleries showcasing art, world cultures and natural history. The ROM is the largest field research institution in the country, and a world leader in research areas from biodiversity, palaeontology, and earth sciences to archaeology, ethnology and visual culture - originating new information towards a global understanding of historical and modern change in culture and environment. For tickets, memberships and 24-hour information in English and French, visit rom.on.ca or call 416.586.8000.
