Through the power of games, communication, and Kingdom Hearts III; Square Enix and the Ad Council have partnered up in an anti-bullying campaign called Because of You.
As bullying, teen violence, and the effects it has on today’s youth, Square Enix and how the power of games; most notably Kingdom Hearts III; can have to help encourage teens to consider the impact their actions – good or bad – can have on their peers. This new partnership is an innovative approach to combating a social problem that has plagued today’s youth in ways never before imagined.
The PSA released features footage from KINGDOM HEARTS III that makes the message that “because of you, someone’s day, year or life can change forever” with the use of heroes and villains from iconic Disney and Pixar films such as Frozen, Toy Story, and plenty more in a new and creative way.
“At its core, the KINGDOM HEARTS series is about the power of friendship and helping those in need in order to overcome darkness,” said Brendan Docherty, Sr. Manager, Product Marketing at Square Enix. “The KINGDOM HEARTS story is filled with characters overcoming trials and tribulations through friends helping and supporting each other in tough times. We thought these themes matched very well with the valuable life lesson of the Because of You campaign.”
Unfortunately, bullying is on the rise and according to research and data, two-thirds of teens say they’ve experienced bullying, but most of them don’t think they contribute to the problem itself. Many of those surveyed don’t realize their actions may be hurtful or detrimental to others and that joking or not, that they may have crossed a line.
With the new campaign – The Because of You Campaign – the movement seeks to encourage teens to reflect on the power of words and actions their actions. A way to help stop an evergrowing problem.
“Because of You is all about how your actions, for better or for worse, can have a big impact on those around you, and helping teens think about how those decisions could affect others,” said Anastasia Goodstein, SVP of Digital Product Management at the Ad Council. “KINGDOM HEARTS III is one of the year’s biggest game releases, and we’re excited to see the game’s message of support and friendship reach millions of teens. It’s a great fit with our campaign’s idea that everyone should reflect on the power of their actions.”
As a part of our ongoing pursuit to provide a better world for our readers, community members, and our peers – we ourselves vow to help stop bullying whenever and however we can.
Here’s how you can help fight against bullying:
Fans of KINGDOM HEARTS III can visit BecauseOfYou.org and learn more via https://becauseofyou.org/kingdomhearts/. They can also explore the rest of the site and take stock of their own behavior through “Honest Cards,” an interactive tool that prompts users to consider positive and negative behaviors and what impact those actions have on others.
Kingdom Hearts III is now available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in both physical and digital formats.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.