Non-profit organisations are using Flash and Shockwave animations and games to reach younger audiences with their social messages.
The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong is among the local groups to put an online game on its site. Abroad, groups such as Greenpeace and Unicef have also joined the act.
The hope is the games will speak to a generation brought up on violent shoot-em-ups and complex, multi-user, role-playing games.
From catching aid supplies dropped from a passing plane on the Unicef site to blocking a whaler's harpoon at the Greenpeace site, online games now have a conscience. The Family Planning Association has posted several Shockwave games on its site.
Bosco Cheung, chief executive of Touch Softworks, a Hong Kong interactive sales and marketing company, said games were effective in capturing a young person's attention. 'You are engaging the viewer for more time in terms of seconds than any other media, so your message is ingrained in the viewer with more effect,' Mr Cheung said.
'You know how long a viewer plays for, and exactly how many viewers there are.'