Clicking to play cricket is part of an Indian software company's new plan to fight HIV/AIDS.
New Delhi-based gaming company ZMQ Software Systems released four cellphone video games as part of an effort to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness.
"The games are now very popular," the company's chief technology officer, Hilmi Quraishi, said, adding that as of April 30, 2.9 million people had downloaded the games since they were first offered in December, 2005.
PHOTO: AFP
"Games will educate (customers) and create awareness while reducing stigma and discrimination," he said.
One popular game is cricket. In this game, balls appear in the form of condoms, faithful partners, information on HIV and the symbolic AIDS red ribbon. Players must watch out for unsafe sex and use of infected needles.
Ribbon Chase, on the other hand, asks the player to "deliver the message on prevention before the HIV (virus) reaches the city," said Quraishi.
Some of the profits will be given to groups helping people with HIV/AIDS, Quraishi said.
A UNAIDS report last month said around 5.7 million Indians were infected by the end of 2005. In South Africa, the number is 5.5 million.
Quraishi's brother, Subhi, who is the chief executive officer of ZMQ Software Systems, said mobile phones had become "one of the most commonly used tools for communication amongst the common people ... school children, adolescents, adults ... Even in rural areas the cellphone has become popular."
The firm will soon offer the games in parts of Africa, south east Asia, central Asia and Latin America.(AFP)
用電腦玩板球是印度一家軟體公司打擊HIV病毒╱愛滋病的新計畫。
總部位於新德里的電玩公司「ZMQ軟體系統」已推出四款手機電玩,做為提高HIV病毒╱愛滋病意識的募款活動之一。
這家公司的技術長希米.夸萊希說︰「這些電玩現在相當熱門。」他提到,自去年十二月開始提供服務至今年四月三十日為止,已有兩百九十萬人下載這些遊戲。
他說︰「遊戲將教育顧客,提升意識,同時減少污名化與歧視。」
其中一項熱門遊戲是板球。遊戲中,板球會以保險套、忠實伴侶、HIV訊息、與象徵愛滋病的紅緞帶的形式出現。玩家必須當心不安全的性行為,並小心用到受感染的針頭。
夸萊希說,另一項遊戲「Ribbon Chase」要求玩家「在HIV病毒散播到城市之前,傳送預防訊息」。
夸倫希說,部分收益將會捐給協助愛滋病患的團體。
聯合國愛滋病組織(UNAIDS)上個月的報告表示,迄二○○五年底,約有五百七十萬印度人感染愛滋,南非則有五百五十萬人。
夸萊希的兄弟、ZMQ軟體系統公司執行長蘇卜希表示,手機已成為「一般人‥‥‥學童、青少年、成人最常使用的溝通工具之一‥‥‥即使在鄉間,手機也很普及」。
這家公司很快就會在非洲部份地區、東南亞、中亞與拉丁美洲提供遊戲服務。
(法新社/翻譯︰賴美君)
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