Graduate of Fanshawe's Computer Programmer Analyst program and founder of Ponder Games, Dylan de Coning has released his first commercial game, based on environmental awareness.

Called Pufu's Spiral, the game stars a penguin called Pufu, with gameplay focusing on three spinning rings, one inside the other, with orbs circling on the rings as the rings spin in alternating directions. Match up like-coloured orbs and you're raking in the points. If this doesn't sound like the hottest and latest shooter-based game, then Ponder Games is already half way there on delivering what they believe in. Pufu's Spiral is a game designed for kids, and although I had fun playing it too, this is not your average educational kids game.

I caught up with De Coning recently to ask him about his motivation behind designing an intuitive environmentally-themed game, and what Ponder Games is up too next.

Interrobang: What is the premise of Pufu's Spiral?
De Coning: The basic idea of the whole game, first of all, is that we're trying to promote environmental awareness. The premise of Pufu's Spiral is we want to try and teach children at an early age about environmental concerns in the world today.

So we try to focus on a simple, little character that children can latch onto, and basically he travels around the world through 17 different countries and meets all sorts of little friends around the world. Basically just a kids game.

Interrobang: With Pufu's Spiral available now, what's next for Ponder Games?
De Coning: Well, Ponder Games, we are going to carry on making environmental games, but we've already started looking into different avenues for business. One of them we've developed a synopsis for children's television show based on the characters from the game. So sort of like Spiderman or whatnot, where they go from a comic book to a movie, or a comic book to whatever.

Interrobang: Like Viva Pinata [an Xbox 360 game that spurred an animated series]?
De Coning: Yeah, same idea. We're going to be moving that same message of promoting environmental awareness over to TV, for kids.

Interrobang: Why is Ponder Games interested in environmental awareness?
De Coning: Because I think a big problem in the video gaming industry is young children know more about guns and grenades and ammo types and armor and whatnot, they know a lot more about that than they even do about the species that live in the same habitat that we do. I think the message that we're selling to kids is definitely wrong. We're not using the medium to project the correct message.

Interrobang: Just like the Discovery Channel, the environment can be just as interesting, or more interesting, than guns?
De Coning: Yes, well, I think too environmental games specifically have a bit of a problem too. I've said it before, but most environmental video games really suck, and nobody likes playing them, because it's too educational. Our take on it is, a very clever gentlemen I met a couple weeks ago, he called it “trojan horse” learning. So basically kids are going to play the game and learn while they play. So we've taken a different spin on it.

Dylan de Coning partnered with Big Fish Games for the release of Pufu's Spiral. If you have a kid in mind that might just enjoy Pufu's Spiral, you can give the game's demo a whirl at www.BigFishGames.com.

Besides pumping out articles and interviews, Kyle is also now the host and producer of the Gaming Union Podcast. Search for it on the iTunes Store and sit back for a treat to any gamer's ears.