MAKING LEARNING FUN.
DEEP SEA IS AN EDUCATIONAL CHILDREN’S COMPUTER GAME THAT WAS DESIGNED TO HELP TEACH KIDS ABOUT THE OCEAN AND THE THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT SPECIES THAT CALL THE OCEAN HOME. BY ADDING GAMIFICATION DEEP SEA ALLOWS CHILDREN TO LEARN WHILE HAVING FUN.
THE TARGET AUDIENCE
The main target audience for Deep Sea would be young children ranging from the ages of six to twelve. These children would be in the age range from elementary school to just about middle school. Children this age are interested in learning about topics like animals and marine life however their attention span is very short. By adding in an interactive game element children are able to have fun while also learning without even knowing about it. Research shows that children between the ages of 4-14 are more likely to learn and remember information if they have fun while doing it. This game was designed to help educate children on the ocean and the marine life that lives there.
EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN
It is known that we actually know more about space than we do about the ocean. We have only explored about 10% of the ocean even though the ocean makes up over 70% of the earth’s surface. The ocean is also home to about 228,450 known species however many species live in depths of the ocean humans cannot reach and remain unknown. Deep Sea aims to educate young children and get them interested in learning more about our oceans.
What users are looking for in an educational ocean game
This is research gathered from local elementary school students in Pittsford, New York. This data was gathered by interviewing multiple children ranging from first grade to fifth grade. Research was also gathered through polls conducted by teachers given out to their students. This research was conducted in effort to understand what the target audience wanted to see in an educational game.
USER PERSONAS
NOW IT’S TIME TO DIVE IN!
Loading Screen
Right from the start the user is drawn in with this dark and eerie loading screen hinting at what could be lurking in the deepest depths of the ocean. This also introduces the user to the illustrative style and design of the following game. This screen is meant to draw and get the user excited about the game their about to play and the creatures their about to see.
LEVEL 1: SEA LEVEL
The user would then enter the main home screen. This screen lays out the 3 levels of the game starting at the top of the ocean at sea level and progressively getting deeper and deeper. The user would be inside the submarine pictured which would blink every time it dives a bit deeper, indicating the advance to the next level. This home screen allows the user to know what part of the ocean they are actually exploring and what depths these animals live.
LEVEL 1 BEGINS
Once the user selects the depth of the ocean by clicking their submarine the fun begins. The user is launched into a first person point of view where they are in fact captain of a submarine and in the driver’s seat. The submarine begins its descent and sinks deeper and deeper into the ocean. As the descent gets deeper the user experiences different marine life that lives at those depths. The deeper you go the more crazy what you discover gets!
ADD a NEW SPECIES TO YOUR LOG
Anytime you have a new species come across your screen if you quickly click on it before it swims away you can add that new species to your personal species log! Think of this as if it is like catching a Pokemon, when you add a new species to your log it collects them and add them to your book where you can always go back and view the species you’ve added. Adding new species to your log also ultimately allows the user to level up and continue to dive deeper, each level requires the user to capture a certain amount of species before letting them advance to the next level. When you click on the species to add it to your log, the screen shows details and facts about that species helping educate the user.
MORE FROM LEVEL 1: SEA LEVEL
TIME TO LEVEL UP!
DIVING INTO LEVEL 2: THE TWILIGHT ZONE
Once the user has added enough species to their species log and completed level 1: Sea Level, they are submerged even deeper into level 2: The Twilight Zone. This level begins at about 200 meters below the ocean surface. The ocean water begins to get darker as sunlight less and less sunlight reaches these depths, the deeper you go the darker it gets. The users submarine will now turn on its headlight giving the user better ability to see at these deeper depths. In the Twilight Zone you will experience new species that live at these deeper depths.
Species of the Twilight zone
Just like level 1, in level 2: The Twilight Zone your submarine will continue to dive deeper and deeper into the ocean. Again, as you dive deeper new creatures will swim across your screen, so act quick so you can add them to your log and continue your descent to the bottom of the sea! As your submarine gets deeper the ocean gets darker making your visibility decrease and the species get faster. This means the deeper you go the harder it is to add these new species and the harder it is to ultimately level up and make it to the bottom of the sea.
HIGHER CHALLENGE, HIGHER REWARD
Although as you descent deeper and deeper capturing new species gets more difficult, the reward is greater. These species are more rare and sought after as they live at depths that make them harder to find. These species are worth more points and help you continue to advance to the bottom of the sea! The deeper the species is collected the more value it adds to your personal species log.
MORE FROM LEVEL 2: THE TWILIGHT ZONE
EXPLORE THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN IN THE FINAL ZONE WHERE TRULY MYSTERIOUS CREATURES LIVE…
LEVEL THREE: THE MIDNIGHT ZONE
Once you have finally completed the first 2 levels and gained enough species in your log, you can advance to the deepest and final level, The Midnight Zone. Here the ocean water is basically pitch black as the depths are so deep little to no sunlight makes it here. The species you will find in this final zone look more like aliens than they do marine life. Following with the theme of the game, as you dive deeper the harder these species are to add to your log however this makes them more rare and worth more to collect.
ALIENS OF THE SEA
At these depths it is almost nearly impossible for any mammal to survive. The ocean pressure at these depths is so great it takes advanced technology to even be able to reach this point. Down here it is pitch black and home to many species that don’t even have names. Many of the creatures who live down here are a complete mystery to the world as they live at depths so deep it is almost nearly impossible for humans to view and learn about them.
MORE FROM LEVEL 3: THE MIDNIGHT ZONE
DEEP SEA VIDEO PROTOTYPE
This is a prototype of the game and what it would be like to experience playing. This helps show more of the flow of how things would move and how they would exist online. This also helps show how things would be clickable and how the user flow would work.
