Launching its first animation on YouTube, “C’mon Australia, Don’t Let The Game Play Ya!,” Born Bred Talent, the University of Technology Sydney and Studio Hackett have come together to raise awareness about how deeply ingrained gambling is in Australian culture.

Voiced by social media influencers and brothers Dylan and Mitchell Orval, the animation takes a different approach to traditional responsible gambling messages and focuses on changing behaviour and attitudes to gambling while also shining a light on the complexity of the issue in the Australian context.

Born Bred Talent Founder and Director Clare Winterbourn hand-selected Dylan and Mitchell specifically for the project as they appeal to the target audience and have a personal story to share when it comes to the impact of gambling above your means.

“Dylan and Mitchell have a great connection with young males in Australia and they are approachable and relatable, so it was a no-brainer to have them involved in the project,” she said.

“Influencers can amplify an important message in a way that gets attention, and that is more impactful when the message is tied to a personal story and there is a genuine connection to the cause, which is the case for Dylan and Mitchell.”

On why he was attracted to the project, Dylan said it was personal and stems from his own struggles and experiences with a gambling addiction.

“Looking back, I know I turned to gambling to help manage financial pressures however, gambling actually put me in a worse position, both financially and mentally, and it started to impact my relationships.”

“I learned that you never actually win when you gamble, and when I realised how much money I could have saved, or put to better use to support my family, I knew I needed to use

my platform to encourage open conversations and spark a shift in gambling behaviour in Australia.”

“I wanted to be involved in the C’mon Australia initiative to share my story and encourage young people, and particularly young men, to talk about their gambling behaviour and talk to someone they trust before they get in over their heads.”

Writer and Director James Hackett said the partnership between Studio Hackett, Born Bred Talent and the University of Technology Sydney was an opportunity to spark a conversation about gambling and draw attention to this societal problem in Australia.

“Gambling is so entrenched in our national identity that we don’t even name it: the slaps (pokie machines), a flutter at the races and now gaming on a smartphone can also be gambling, so this initiative seeks to get people to call out their behaviour and pay attention to their attitude towards gambling,” he said.

Strategic and Visual Designer at the UTS Design Innovation Research Centre Lucy Klippan, said the initiative takes a different approach to responsible gambling messaging and empowers young people to recognise how they can be sucked into gambling addiction so they realise the signs and can take control of their decisions.

“In terms of campaigns, there’s little out there that speaks directly to young people about this problem and that doesn’t feel preachy, or that’s effective in changing mindsets and behaviour, so we created something with young people that was specifically designed for this audience.”