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Pipe Trouble basically takes a new spin on the arcade classic Pipe Mania, using the core mechanic of the older game. The goal here is to lay natural gas pipelines to transport the gas from the beginning to the end of each level, earning as much money as possible but at the same time trying to minimize the negative effects on the environment. Depending on where across the gridded map the pipes are being put, the player also risks opposition by the community and the government.

Each level begins with a predetermined start and end point which are to be connected with pipe tiles randomly generated. There are always four pipes offered to choose from as well as a preview of the next four pipes to come. The higher the level, the more obstacles will be found in between the end and the start point. They appear in the form of crop fields, forests or farms, which can all be built through, but only for the price of upsetting the local community, leading to new difficulties in the form of protesters, vandals, government officials or even pipe bombers. These do not only cause higher building costs but can also result in pipe damage or destruction of the whole pipeline. After the first piece of pipe is placed, the countdown for the beginning of the gas flow starts, which means that the player needs to hurry to complete the pipeline before a spill causes an environmental disaster.

To keep the balance between budget and environment always on the player’s mind, a gas company representative is shown on the right side of the screen and, on the left side, a local farmer. Both of them are pushing the player to place the pipes according to their respective goals – maximising the profit or minimising the damage to the environment and the community. At the end of every level the player scores up to three stars for each of the two aspects. The game has a rather simple structure, making it relatively easy to understand but still requiring effort as each level is harder than the previous one.  

A free trial version of Pipe Trouble is available on http://pipetrouble.com/  as a browser game, the full game can be purchased for iPhone and iPad for $ 0.99. Although a button on the homepage suggests that it is available for Android as well, it cannot be found on Google Play.

Trivia
The game received a lot of negative media attention after its release, being labelled an “eco-terrorist, anti-pipeline” game. It was taken down, accused of capitalising a series of pipeline explosions caused by bombings that took place in British Columbia in 2008 and 2009 as it depicts pipeline explosions. An independent review later found that Pipe Trouble didn’t support violence in any way. Also, it became the first game ever featured at the Cannes Film Festival, designed to build awareness for the documentary film Trouble In The Peace.

Teaching and Learning
In the area of school teaching, Pipe Trouble would be very suitable for the use in subjects like Geography or Economics. It could be used to start discussions over the controversial issues of oil and gas production, their transportation and the environmental and economic consequences implied. As it offers different perspectives on the topic, it encourages thinking about possible profits and problems for all parties affected by it: gas companies, communities, government, environmental groups etc. This doesn’t happen only in the game itself but also via short audio messages at the end of every level providing information on different problems and statements concerning pipeline construction. The documentary film Trouble In The Peace could also be beneficial for such discussions.

Furthermore, it can serve as an example for a game according to Jasper Juul’s definition:
  1. “A game is a rule based system.
  2. It has variable and quantifiable outcomes.
  3. Different outcomes are assigned different values.
  4. The player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome.
  5. The player feels emotionally attached to the outcome.
  6. The consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable.”
 As shown above, Pipe Trouble has a fixed set of rules that need to be followed to successfully play the game. The outcomes of playing it are quantifiable and beyond discussion, meaning that the goal is undoubtedly constructing the best possible pipeline route in the given time, having in mind both the environmental and economic point of view. Also, the results may vary according to the player’s skills and effort, even though luck plays a role as well as the offered pipe types are randomly generated. But the choice of the pipe tile’s placement across the map remains in the player’s hands only. His success is illustrated by the number of stars gained in every level (up to three stars for each of the two aspects) and by the facial expression of the farmer and the gas company representative, who can look happy or angry. Of course, the player would normally strive for gaining as many stars as possible respectively keeping both parties happy, so the different possible outcomes are assigned different values – some are more positive, others rather negative. This means that the player would want to use as few pipes as possible to keep the building costs low and at the same time try to keep the damage to the environment to a minimum, not only to prevent protest and vandalism but also to assure the farmers’ safety and wealth. This clearly requires the player’s effort. In accordance to the “game contract”, he or she will probably feel happy when winning and sad when losing a level, thus be emotionally attached to the outcome of the game. Being a game by definition, it has no real-life consequences or rather, the consequences related to it are optional and negotiable.

Pipe Trouble is a simple serious game that is fun to play but also stimulates reflection on a difficult and much discussed topic.

Sources
written by: Katarina Nikic, krampusmaen@gmail.com
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