548 Madlib part 2
Since I should zoom in on one topic, let's assume it's...
Original: I am making a serious game in which the user plays a wildlife photographer who has decided to cross the globe to take photos of endangered species before they die off because I want to show the animals in their habitat with information about why they are in danger of extinction in order to help the player understand what is happening and, hopefully, get them to want to get involved.
New: I am making a serious game in which the user plays a wildlife photographer because I want to show the player what is happening with endangered species and, hopefully, get them to want to get involved.
2) Name THREE potential outside advisors.
I feel that, for this, I should really shoot for the stars. Thus, the following people are potentials for my project:
Jane Goodall - primatologist/ethologist/anthropologist
World Wildlife Fund - while they are an entire organization, someone with them might be able to work as an advisor
Makers of Dead Rising - ya ya ya, I know... a zombie game. But part of it is about a photojournalist taking photos of a riot that turns out to be a zombie attack. It might be interesting to speak with people who worked on it o find out how to make a game that rates and scores photos the player takes.
3) Define your audience(s).
I hope that my game would be attractive to gamers and non-gamers, with a fun and easy game mechanic. It seems to me that, typically, the audience of a serious game is the people who already feel the same way as the game's creator, i.e., "preaching to the choir." Thus, I believe that the people that would play my game would be the same people that already want to do what they can to help save endangered species. My challenge, then, is to make the game a fun one that would bring others to the cause.
useful links:
Comments
This sounds fun. Now you get to decide whether it's ALLor ANY endangered animals or if you're going to focus on one or two. Whether it's the entire planet or a continent or country? Assuming you will get your player engaged in the fate of these species, you shouldn't stop there - you should design in, from the beginning, effective involvement. Thus, your advisors could include WorldWildLife Fund, etc. as well as specialists in one species. But if you want Bonobos - I think I know someone who has dedicated his life to preserving Bonobos....
Posted by: pweil | February 14, 2007 2:53 PM