June 5, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: info@mcdonaldsinteractive.com
Photos and downloads: www.mcdonaldsinteractive.com
International Serious Games Event: www.seriousgames.org.uk
McDonald's Games Division To Leave Parent Company
Company policies "lead the planet to ruin"; division aims for mass mobilization
McDonald's Interactive announced today that it is striking out on its own from parent company McDonald's. The announcement was made at the International Serious Games Event in Birmingham, England. "We can no longer stand by while McDonald's corporate policies help lead the planet to ruin," said Andrew Shimery-Wolf, co-director of the former Interactive Division.
McDonald's Interactive was formed four years ago to help the company adapt to new market conditions.
"We began developing a simulation of the fast-food industry, for use by managers in developing market strategies." said Division CTO Sam Grossman. "When we added a climate simulation module, it showed those strategies helping lead to global calamity."
"Management doesn't seem to care, and we can't sit back and fiddle while Rome burns, so our team has decided to break away from McDonald's and do something about it," said Grossman.
The new organization's charter will be to help stimulate mass mobilization for policy change. "Mass mobilization has had some huge effects," said Dan Licari, the organizer of the International Serious Games Event. "No matter what the government thinks they want to do, they have to act, they're pressed into action."
"Scientists believe that to avoid ever-more-likely calamity, we must reduce our emissions by 70% very quickly," said Shimery-Wolf. "Since governments won't do that without popular pressure, helping to generate revolt is the only responsible choice, the only true CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)."
He characterized ordinary CSR efforts as "trivial improvements to a sinking ship, serving only to reassure passengers" and singled out British Petroleum's CSR campaign in particular as just a "slightly more polite form of world annihilation."
Click here for the full text of today's announcement, here for photographs and downloads, and here for campaign images.