All roads lead to homelessness

And then the Diary rolled a double six and the dragon dropped down dead, so, scooping up as much enchanted gold as it could carry, the Diary made a run for it and, luckily, managed to escape seconds before the mountain – which turned out actually to be a dormant volcano – blew up. Phew. It can be a tough life if you live in a fantasy world. But for some, fantasy turns easily into a nightmare.

Publicis has made a VODKA – Video On Demand Kind of Advertising – campaign for homeless charity the Depaul Trust. The ad, inspired by Fighting Fantasy choose-your-own-adventure books, allows the viewer to control the decisions of Paul – a teenage lad who lives with his mum and abusive stepdad – guiding him through sticky situations that highlight why people end up living on the streets. Unfortunately, Paul always end up homeless, but there is hope. Not by getting a lucky throw, but in realising that there are ways out without resorting – as Paul does in the ad – to drugs or prostitution. Interesting concept, which the Diary imagines it will see more of.