"This is not a game” unveils a very serious issue in Mexico that few people talk about: child recruitment from mobile video games.

With the aim of truly reaching and connecting with the audience, we created an online film based on real events. It addresses a sensitive topic but is narrated using gamer codes and language. The story constructs a narrative where any underage individual could be exposed to becoming a hitman or meeting a cruel fate after being contacted by organized crime.

It's very easy to remain incognito in online video games, and anyone can impersonate another person with intentions that can harm minors.

In Mexico, 81.4% of gamers are on mobile platforms. Thousands of children are being recruited through mobile video games to join organized crime. These youngsters become easy targets, being contacted through the most popular and widely played games like GTA, Free Fire, among others.

Movistar Telecom is a socially committed brand in the digital environment, concerned about providing gamers with a safe space. That's why we created a video game film to connect and deliver a message based on real events.

Today, the danger is no longer just on the streets; it's on our mobile devices.

This video game film follows the gaming narrative of Babu, a teenage gaming fanatic who lives with his father, a police commander. Babu spends all his time playing games on his smartphone. One day, he is contacted by an incognito player named "El Perro," who offers him a smartphone.

When he meets "El Perro," Babu is subdued and recruited.

As days pass, he is given the mission to monitor a weapons sale operation. However, they are caught by the police. The protagonist flees the scene amidst the shootout.

Running through an abandoned factory, a police officer blocks his path. Babu turns around and points his weapon, only to realize that the officer is his father. At this moment, the story takes a shocking turn. We discover that the police officer is indeed his father. Now, everything shifts from being a video game to depicting a harsh reality.

Situation:

Recruitment through gaming is a danger that the gamer community was unaware of, and they were not conscious that drug cartels were entering video games. Neither the media nor the government were alerting enough about this issue.

Brief:

As a socially responsible company committed to building a safe digital environment and having a significant presence in gaming, the brand needed to launch an awareness message to alert everyone in the most viral way possible.

Objetivos:

To speak and connect in the codes and language of an audience that is gamers and uses their smarthphones for entertainment. To make them see that recruitment is not a game but a real problem. To clarify that Movistar Telecom, as a socially responsible company, will always ensure the cybersecurity of its users.

Impact

+ 23 millions of views across platforms in 2 weeks.

Reach

More than 34 million users were impacted across different platforms.

Even representatives from the UN/UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) approached us to continue working together.

2 million hours in social media in 2 weeks.

Engagement

A 7-minute piece on digital platforms managed to connect with our audience thanks to its entertaining and impressive narrative.

Change in behaviour.

Searches for parental control increased by 67%.

Brand perception

87% sentiment positive.

Achievement against objective

The initial goal was to achieve a total of 22 million views, which were surpassed in just 2 weeks.

One of Movistar's purposes is to contribute to a safer digital environment for children and young people. For the brand, gaming is crucial, as 81.4% of gamers in Mexico play on mobile devices.

We had the need to shed light on a very serious issue that jeopardized the safety of millions of children by ignoring the dangers they may encounter when criminals enter the game to recruit them, using false identities.