It may seem somewhat paradoxical to ally the Angry Birds franchise to a non profit organisation dedicated to animal rescue, but at the forthcoming rAge expo, that is exactly what gamers and animal lovers can expect.

According to the organisers, Apex Interactive will host an Angry Birds Alley at the expo, whereby players will be able to throw surrogates of the Angry Birds at their nemesis, the pigs, (neither the pigs nor the birds are real, of course) and win a prize. Prizes on offer will include Angry Birds games for PC, Plush Toys and sweets.

In order to enter, players will need to give a minimum donation of R5, which will grant them three throws.

Throwing for animal freedom

More importantly though, the Angry Birds Alley is dedicated to a good cause, as all of the proceeds will go to FreeMe, a volunteer group dedicated to rescuing orphaned, abandoned, injured and displaced indigenous birds, mammals and reptiles in northern Johannesburg.

The organisation, whose ultimate aim is to release wildlife back into its natural habitat in areas carefully chosen, including reserves and conservancies, treats approximately 10 000 animals each year, and provides specialised treatment, care and rehabilitation.

The Angry Birds franchise has largely become one of the most popular gaming franchises on mobile devices to date, and has spawned several differently themed games, and more recently, a Bad Piggies spinoff. At the beginning of September, the game reached and passed its 1 billion download milestone.

To the point

This year’s expo, which will run from 5 to 7 October 2012 at the Coca-Cola Dome in JHB, is the show’s tenth to date. It is though, more than a little gratifying to see that the expo is also making room for a good cause, beyond just showcasing the latest and forthcoming games.