One of the most endearing trends of the last year or so have been the large number of games developed for worthwhile purposes. The most exciting, in my humble opinion, are the games that enlist players in various scientific pursuits.  Games such as EyeWire are using games in a citizen science context, and have done some tremendous things.

Others, such as Fort McMoney, have attempted to provide an educational facility to help inform stakeholders, which in this instance were residents of a mining town.

Earlier this year, drug company Eli Lilly released a similar effort that aimed to inform players about the drug development process.

It’s on this theme that a new project has been launched with royal approval.  Prince William has teamed up with the makers of Angry Birds to create a new tournament in the game to help raise awareness of the Pangolin species, which is suffering from illegal poaching.

“These species are being pushed to the brink of extinction due to poaching. These magnificent creatures will die out in the wild during my lifetime if we do not take notice now,” The Prince said.

The game, called Roll with the Pangolins sees players try and protect the anteaters, which are hunted for their meat and scales.

You can see what Prince William said about the game below, or join in the tournament here.