''Attack of the Mutant Artificial Trees'' is a free online video game developed as part of a marketing campaign by the National Christmas Tree Association in 2004. The game was meant to support the natural Christmas tree industry and received criticism from artificial tree producers. It has been described as similar to ''

Whac-A-Mole Whac-A-Mole is an arcade game, originally known as or in Japan. A typical Whac-A-Mole machine consists of a waist-level cabinet with a play area and display screen, and a large, soft, black mallet. Five holes in the play area top are filled wit ...

''.

Game

Players are called upon to pelt mutant

artificial Christmas trees An artificial Christmas tree is an artificial pine or fir tree manufactured for the specific purpose of use as a Christmas tree. The earliest artificial Christmas trees were wooden, tree-shaped pyramids or feather trees, both developed by Germans. ...

with

snowball A snowball is a spherical object made from snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and pressing the snow together to compact it into a ball. Snowballs are often used in games such as snowball fights. A snowball may also be a large ...

s, while avoiding the

elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

interspersed between the garishly colored mutant trees.Munoz, Sara Schaefer.
The Fight Before Christmas: Real Trees vs. Fakes
, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', December 21, 2006, accessed December 18, 2008. Mutant trees emerge from boxes that are marked "100% Fake" or "Made in China".Wohleber, Curt.
Fake Fir
, ''

American Heritage American Heritage may refer to: * ''American Heritage'' (magazine) * ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' * American Heritage Rivers * American Heritage School (disambiguation) See also *National Register of Historic Place ...

'', Winter 2007, accessed December 18, 2008. The trees, as the game says, have "mutated and are sucking the spirit out of Christmas". The game features an "Xmas Spirit Meter" light which dims for every mutant tree missed or elf hit by mistake. Between rounds the game provides "facts" about

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

s, or, depending on your point of view, "didactic little warnings about the evils of fake trees".

Development

The game was developed by a

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

-based Internet marketing firm, Kewlbox; Kewlbox is a launching platform for games created by Blockdot. The

National Christmas Tree Association The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) is a professional organization in the United States of over 5,100 "Christmas tree professionals" in various capacities. The group focuses its work into three areas: promotion and research, federal repre ...

, a trade group representing the

Christmas tree farming Christmas tree cultivation is an agricultural, forestry, and horticultural occupation which involves growing pine, spruce, and fir trees specifically for use as Christmas trees. The first Christmas tree farm was established in 1901, but mo ...

industry, commissioned ''Attack'' to press their message that natural trees are the way to celebrate Christmas.Napoli, Lisa.
Ready, Aim, Splat
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', December 16, 2004, accessed December 18, 2008. The game was released for free download or online play in November 2004.Staff.
Attack of the Mutant Artificial Trees Ho! Ho! Whoa! Holiday Game Fun!
, ''Video Game News'' (gamezone.com), November 23, 2004, accessed December 18, 2008.

Reception

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

'' writer

Andrew Leonard Andrew Leonard (born 1962) is an American journalist who writes feature articles for ''San Francisco'' and contributes to Medium. From 1995 to 2014 he wrote for ''Salon.com''. He has also written for ''Wired''. Career Leonard is credited with coi ...

said of ''Attack of the Mutant Artificial Christmas Trees'', "(the game is) diverting for about three nanoseconds — less, if you give in to the urge to pelt the annoying elf, for which you are unfairly punished". Despite Leonard's assessment, the game was played by 75,000 people in the first week of its release. While the game was meant as light hearted, some artificial tree producers were not amused. The CEO of Balsam Hill Company, a U.S. artificial tree manufacturer, said he was surprised at the negativity of the tree growers ad campaign, adding that it was not exactly "warm and fuzzy".

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Case Studies, Smith-Harroff Advertising Agency 2004 video games Action video games Advergames Artificial Christmas trees Christmas video games Free online games Flash games Mutant characters in video games Video games about plants Video games developed in the United States