According to the World Health Organization, around 230,000 children under the age of 15 died from AIDS in 2011. A large portion of the children infected with HIV every year are the result of mother-to-child transmission. While it's hard not feel helpless when looking at numbers so grave and staggering, there are ways to offer support. BitMonster Games has teamed up with (RED) and Coca-Cola to produce a new iOS game with goal of donating funds to this important effort.

If you're a fan of iOS games, you've most likely heard of BitMonster. The company was founded by former Epic Games developers, and just this year, released the visually impressive Lili. But for the studio's second outing, a musically eclectic auto-flyer called (THRED), the end goal is significantly different.

"Coca-Cola had approached Epic Games about doing this project for them, and asked if they knew anyone that would be interested in pulling it off in a very short time-frame," said BitMonster co-founder and president, Lee Perry. "So, they pointed [Coca-Cola] in our direction, and things just kind of went from there. Epic very generously donated the engine license for the project."

After a brisk development period of only 30 days, BitMonster has released (THRED) into the App Store. The game features a small spaceship-like vehicle flying through tunnels, avoiding obstacles and collecting power-ups infinitely to rack up your position on the leaderboards. While the free-to-play model has certainly faced its share of occasional criticism, (THRED) is a bit of a rarity: 100 percent of the proceeds from those in-app purchases are donated to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

A current initiative plans to stop the spread of mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015, through the use of antiretroviral treatments which have proven incredibly effective. Of course, those treatments cost money, but Perry―along with (RED) and Coca-Cola―is hoping a videogame could make a significant difference in reaching those funding goals.

"We've always really wanted to do smaller, focused projects like this," Perry told MacLife. "It was kind of a really great motivator, to see if we could get through this in only a month, and it was excellent knowing there was a lot riding on that, as well. Because it actually could mean someone is alive at the end of this project, because of what the game is doing."

(THRED) offers what you might expect from a similar game in the genre: purchasable points to redeem for power-ups, etc. But Lee and his team put careful consideration in to how those in-app purchases were priced, and the opportunity for a player to directly save a life is readily apparent.

"It sounds absurd to have a $210 micro-transaction, but we came up with that number working with (RED) and Coca-Cola," says Perry. "Basically, this is the value in daily treatments for an expectant mother with HIV to go through her entire pregnancy and early breast-feeding period. This is the amount of money it takes to save a life. It's such a powerful message."

Of course, there are also smaller in-app purchases, but the idea of knowing a life has been saved potentially saved as the result of playing an iOS game―regardless of the contribution size--is certainly unique. (THRED) includes the usual social sharing functions we've grown accustom to, including Twitter and Facebook, but Perry notes this may be one instance where sharing your amount of in-app purchases to friends is actually rewarding.

"Usually, no one is going to say, 'Hey, I spent $50 in Tiny Tower, aren't I awesome.' But this may be the one project, for all we know, where people who spend money on the micro-transactions might actually take pride in it," said Perry, poking a bit of fun at the usual in-app purchase setup.

MTV shot a documentary about the development of (THRED). Perry says the experience of having a camera crew around during such a intense time schedule was initially "daunting," but the impetus to stay focused ended up being a motivator. The show, Making the Game for (RED), will air in late December.

The results of BitMonster, (RED), and Coca-Cola's efforts to raise awareness of, and money for, the fight against mother-to-child HIV transmission are yet to be seen at this early stage. But in the end, if the free-to-play iOS game model can somehow save the lives of children, the team's hard work is completely justified. The entire process has left an impression on Lee Perry and his development studio.

"You know, it may not end up being the number one free app," said Perry. "But whatever it's accomplishing, I hope the end result is we've made a significant impact on a lot of lives; that would mean a lot to us."

"If we've done something that actually meant some people are alive because of it? Even if the rest of our careers tanked, at least we have this one kind of legacy."

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