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An article of interest to geography educators (and parents) Mission accomplished for illustrator http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Video-Mission-accomplished-for-illustrator-10052011.htm He brought us the controversial board game War on Terror – but now Cambridge illustrator Tom Morgan-Jones has come up with a novel solution to dealing with tiny terrors. Raymond Brown talks to the creative artist about his latest venture. Next time a voice from the back of the car asks: “Are we nearly there yet?” parents can battle their boredom with the latest inspiration from the guerrilla explorers behind Mission: Explore books. They solve an age-old problem to keep the kids occupied, according to its creators. Mission: Explore On the Road and Mission: Explore Camping have been created by The Geography Collective with illustrations by Tom Morgan-Jones. He promises they will occupy everyone with fascinating missions that will keep the entire family interested from A to B, and back again. The book is packed with 50 unique missions and promises to open children’s eyes to the interesting and curious things around them, whether they’re on holiday, in the car or up a tree in the garden. Tom was inspired to create the books because children today have less outside space in which to play. He said: “My involvement with the children’s books first came about due to War on Terror, the board game. Dan Raven-Ellison, a secondary school geography teacher at the time, had used the game in his classroom and got in touch with me. “He liked the educational aspects of the game and our approach in tackling a tricky subject using this medium. We talked about The Geography Collective as an idea and what we could aim to do in the long-term, starting with children’s books which would be different from a lot of the current offerings. “The Geography Collective is now a bunch of teachers, academics, artists and guerrillas who want to encourage young people to see the world in new ways. “And anybody who is interested is encouraged to get in touch and become involved. So at their core, TerrorBull Games, which created War on Terror, and the Geography Collective are very similar really. “One reason we created the first book, Mission: Explore is because the spaces and places where kids can play are being reduced, and we want to actively challenge this. “When Dan told me young people are allowed to explore an area 90 per cent smaller than they were 20 years ago I was shocked. “Our books ask questions and encourage kids to explore for themselves, but not just space. Ideas and conventional ways of thinking are also challenged. “We encourage adventures which are often ridiculous and fun, so kids get really involved. The books are designed in such a way that there is space for the children to record, draw, mess up and scribble in them. “I think they’re a great idea, each mission is illustrated by myself and then the kids make the books their own by adding their ideas.” The books have already wowed parents and children. Tom said: “We were at a lot of festivals last year and we’re doing more this year. A lot of parents were bowled over and said to us: ‘This is the summer holidays sorted’. “I think they rather relished the idea of letting the kids go off exploring together while they could chill and have a beer or two. “We’ve had some great feedback from parents and educators which has really bowled us over.” The creators of War on Terror caused a storm after its release with some shops banning its sale – but it has now become a cult game. Tom joked: “The game is going really well. Sadly, Barack Obama has dropped the phrase but has increased funding to an all time high. “Ah, perhaps you were asking about our board game.” He added: “Over the last year or so the game has been gaining more and more academic recognition. “It’s been referenced in several PhD theses and academic books and is now on university syllabuses including politics, geography and game design. “We’ve also been lucky enough to give talks at universities ourselves. Andrew Sheerin, one of the designers, gave a good talk at Newcastle University in January which you can see a video of at our website. We’d love to do more of these and always welcome inquiries.” The game has received high praise from leading academics. Dr Nick Megoran, lecturer in geopolitics and human geography at Newcastle University, said it was “a cleverly crafted satire that can be used by educators to provoke students to think critically about one of the most important issues of our time”. The game now also resides in several permanent collections including The Imperial War Museum, the V&A museum of Childhood, The Glasgow Museum of Modern Art and The Bodleian Library in Oxford. Tom said: “We’ve recently released a second edition of War on Terror which looks, dare I say it, shockingly good. “It’s got well over a hundred new illustrations, we’ve played a bit with the rules, added some great new cards and there’s now an amazing new possible ending to the game which is devastating to say the least. “We’re currently developing a War on Terror app which will be released later this year. “Crunch – ‘the game for utter bankers’ – is still selling well and we’ve been publishing free print and play games which you can download from our website. “Greenpeace International liked these in particular, gave us a call out of the blue just before Christmas, and we’ve ended up making one for them called Deepsea Desperation. And we’re now talking with some other interested organisations.” So who is the man behind this growing game empire? “I’m a 36-year-old fool who hasn’t really grown up,” said Tom. “I graduated from Cambridge School of Art in 1997 under the tutelage of Martin Salisbury. “There were a great bunch of students and lecturers then and I know the courses are better now than they’ve ever been. I sometimes think I’m still recovering from the fun we had back then. “I draw with a dip pen, and my work crops up in all manner of places from children’s books, magazines and papers to apps, the backs of buses, the tops of cakes and on the sides of milk cartons and football stadiums.” And Tom is proud of a letter he received from someone who had been caught up in the London bombings. Tom said: “We received a message from an anonymous supporter which was very touching. It said: ‘You have turned terrorism into a theme that can be toyed with. And for the first time since my evacuation from the Tube July 7, 2005, I have been able to do just that, without having it crawl under my skin. You have no idea how grateful I am.” And the game has received a host of other accolades. Investigative reporter John Pilger said: “Through the fog of an often collusive and compliant media comes this extraordinary game, achieving, with its black humour, its own truth about the pernicious ‘War on Terror’.” The Mission: Explore books are on sale in Heffers book store, Cambridge. The books are all fully interactive, with a complimentary website and iPhone app, and encourage young people to explore and investigate the places they visit. Happy exploring!