Hawke’s Brewing Co. launches the pokie machine that donates to charity via The Ministry for Communications & The Arts and NAKATOMI

Hawke’s Brewing Co. has unveiled a bespoke gaming machine that donates all of its ‘takings’ to environmental causes. Built in partnership with creative company The Ministry for Communications & The Arts and technology innovation company Nakatomi, the ‘Game for Good’ will live inside the brewing company’s hospitality venue The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre.

Says David Gibson, creative partner at The Ministry for Communications & The Arts: “The ‘Game for Good’ is a parody of a vintage ‘one arm bandit’ pokie machine. But in this case, guests can play without the harm associated with pokies. Instead, every token put into the machine will equate to a donation to a local environmental group in the form of a real payout.”

The machine’s algorithm offers players the chance to win small, novel prizes, including Hawke’s beer and merchandise, plus snacks from the venue’s Lucky Prawn Chinese Restaurant. When a player unlocks the ‘jackpot’, the jackpot total is passed on as a donation to a local environmental group. Players can even nominate to donate the value of their prizes directly to the jackpot pool.

The game’s title, King of The Climate, refers to Hawke’s co-founder Bob Hawke’s achievements as Australia’s “Environmental Prime Minister”.

Adds Gibson: “The Hawke’s journey started with Bob Hawke passing on his royalty share to help the company support environmental causes. Since then, every Hawke’s beer enjoyed has helped us keep that promise. The ‘Game for Good’ is a continuation of that spirit, while delivering an important message around our collective gamble with the environment. Ultimately, if the environment loses, we all lose. If it wins, we all win.”

The ‘Game for Good’ is partly powered by solar energy, sourced from Hawke’s 100kW rooftop solar farm, one of the largest of its kind in Sydney’s inner west.

Client: Hawke’s Brewing Co.
Kate Sorensen: Head of Marketing

Creative Agency: The Ministry for Communications & The Arts
Founder / Creative Partner: David Gibson
Founder / Creative Partner: Nathan Lennon

Technology Company: Nakatomi

Cinematographer: Glenn Pokorny