Kenya – Augmented reality (AR) developer Internet of Elephants has launched a new game to raise awareness of the struggles faced by wildlife and conservation.

Wildeverse was initially designed to be played outdoors, but the Covid-19 crisis has forced Internet of Elephants to adapt the game for virtual play. Roaming around a virtual forest, players experience education and entertainment as they identify animals or look for traces of their presence in the AR-created landscape.

Adding a layer of human connection to Wildeverse, gamers take part in a scripted interaction with a conservationist after completing each mission. Here, players can learn more about the research process involved in the game’s development and the team’s continuing support on issues like forest fires, illegal logging and poaching.

Focusing on the medium of gaming to promote a sense of responsibility can provide inspiration for action and optimism among consumers. For more, read our New Consciousness design direction.

US – Zora is a new online marketplace for internet-born brands that lets early adopters convert their eye for fashion and other goods into profit.

Zora aims to present a new paradigm of transaction between brands and buyers by ensuring creators of limited-edition goods such as sneakers and streetwear receive the full value of items they create. It uses a system of tokenisation for goods, which means they can be dynamically priced.

With a focus on buying, selling and trading limited-edition items, people can use the platform to buy popular products early and sell them back at a profit before even receiving them. They can also fund creators’ work, participating and buying into the ideas and products of creators they love early in the process.

In addition to dynamic pricing, the system also allows items to be fractionally traded, which means people can sell part ownership of an item to another. As the market for fashion re-sale and limited-edition goods grows, Zora shows how new metrics of value are being put in place to fuel the Hype Market.

A new survey by LuggageHero reveals that more than 75% of Americans still intend to travel in 2020.

Respondents were asked about their travel plans between June and December 2020, with 77% saying they still intend to travel as long as their home towns or destinations were not under quarantine.

Some 56% of those surveyed said they already had travel plans in this period, meaning a significant number of US consumers are willing to make travel arrangements from scratch. Of those who have already made plans, 32% say they would now avoid big cities and favour destinations with parks and outdoor areas.

While some consumers may be feeling optimistic about future travel opportunities in 2020, many others are likely to reconsider their trips as a result of Covid-19, instead opting for local staycations and experiences.