Breakaway, a new narrative-driven online football (soccer) game, endorsed by world-famous football star, Samuel Eto'o, hits the global gaming field of play at noon Tuesday, June 22, during the 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in South Africa.

Breakaway is a project driven by the United Nation's Millennial goals to end poverty and violence. Aimed at boys ages 8-15, the game is the first to tackle issues such as gender equality, fair team play and racial stereotypes all within the constructs of a fun and interactive online football game.

The episodic game, developed for the web by students at Champlain College's Emergent Media Center in Burlington, VT with technical support from Population Media Center, features a highly entertaining narrative and tactical electronic game platform that is designed to engage and educate youth. It is available for free online - play at www.breakawaygame.com.

Breakaway is geared to an international audience and offers English, French, and Spanish language versions, with other languages forthcoming. The first three episodes are also being distributed on CDs free worldwide via youth organizations and other partners. Additional episodes of the game will continue to be released through December 2010.

International football star Samuel Eto'o, currently playing at the World Cup for his home country of Cameroon and the striker for the Football Club Internazionale Milano, joined the Breakaway team as its celebrity spokesperson in May. He spent a day working with Champlain College students and faculty, and representatives from the United Nations in Milan, Italy to record interviews for game trailers, develop public service announcements for the game, and to model for his animated in-game character that will be featured in future episodes helping to train and coach players. When asked about the game and its meaning for players, Eto'o said "We can become champions on the pitch, as well as in life."

According to the game design team, the goal of Breakaway is for players to "gain the upper hand against opponents with special moves learned through training with team mates! They will train with a true champion, play and run drills alongside Samuel Eto'o, captain of the Cameroon Indomitable Lions and command the soccer field as never before!"

"Breakaway is a game experience that offers youth the chance to discover how to become a champion both on and off the field. The game offers an engaging and fun way to also develop successful intrapersonal skills," explained Ann DeMarle, director of Champlain's Emergent Media Center.

The game is sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund in partnership with the Population Media Center of Shelburne, VT.

Breakaway's initial beta testing site garnered interest and players from more than 50 countries around the world, DeMarle said. The project, in development for the past two years, has since received attention from major news outlets, online bloggers and has been featured on online video game sites.