Elior Anina, Kady Ferguson, Alex Helderman, Ray Wang

bos14whales@wpi.edu

“Right Whale” by Alex Helderman, 2014

Abstract

North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered with a population of about 500whales. We worked with our sponsors at the New England Aquarium to produce a right whalevideo game framework. The purpose of a right whale video game was to raise awareness aboutright whales and how we as a community can support right whale conservation efforts. Ourframework and recommendations laid the foundation for the development of a video game thatWPI student game developers will prototype.

Executive Summary

About the Project

We worked with our sponsors at the New England Aquarium (NEAq) to develop aframework for the NEAq to make informed decisions about the production of a North Atlanticright whale video game. This framework includes information to inform choices about intendedaudience, location, platform, content, and narrative for the right whale video game. This projectwas the first step in the video game development process where WPI student game developerswill create the prototype of the North Atlantic right whale video game.

Introduction to the Problem

Historically the right whale was hunted to the verge of extinction (Kraus & Rolland,2007). Right whales are one of the most critically endangered whales in the world with apopulation of about 500 whales remaining (North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, 2013).Today, they live along the coast of the United States and parts of Canada. Their close proximityto commercial seaports and fishing areas leaves them vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gearand ship strikes (North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, 2013). Because so few right whalesremain, losing even one whale can jeopardize the population (NEAq, 2014).

Project Goal

The purpose of a North Atlantic right whale video game will be to raise awareness aboutright whales, why they are endangered, and how people can support efforts to create a safer andhealthier ocean for right whales. The goal of our project was to deliver a framework to informNEAq decisions about the design and production of the video game that will be prototyped byWPI student game developers.

Methodology

This project was the first step in the video game development process. Through ourliterature review we identified several elements of video games that must be considered in design:intended audience, location, platform, content, and narrative. Our framework includes each ofthese elements, and information for how they might be defined for the right whale video game.
To develop the information for each element in the framework we had the following threeobjectives:

1. Determine the potential locations, audiences, and platforms for the video game

We narrowed a list of potential locations, platforms, and audiences based on proximity toour project center location, interviews and visitor demographics. Due to time constraints, ourmethods were limited to assessing three locations, considering three platforms, and defining oneaudience.

2. Identify factual content details for the video game

Factual content for the video game was chosen based on our selection of right whales,researching detailed information on the selected right whales, and compiling all the informationinto tables, which we call “content detail tables.” A limitation of this method was that is we hadto choose only the most commonly found species in the right whale environment because theNorth Atlantic Ocean contains a large variety of marine life.

3. Develop a storyline for the video game through meetings with the WPI student game developers and NEAq experts

Content for right whales were turned into example storylines by following criteria createdfrom interviews with industry and field experts. This set of criteria are meant to guide the WPIstudent game developers in designing the video game.

Findings

1. The WPI student game developers listed four project requirements.

2. The video game can be exposed to the most visitors at the NEAq main visitor building.

3. Most visitors at the NEAq main visitor building are children ages seven to nine years old andadults thirty-five to forty-one years old.

4. The primary reasons people visit the NEAq main visitor building are to bring children and tobe entertained.

5. The NEAq main visitor building visitors spend two to three minutes at each exhibit.

6. Live animal exhibits are the main attraction for visitors at the NEAq main building.

7. A video game museum exhibit could simulate a live experience to accompany the right whale skeleton at the NEAq.

8. The NEAq has a list of criteria for evaluating exhibits.

9. A mobile app is not suitable for the NEAq main visitor building.

10. BHC whale watching tours lead naturalist and staff members are interested in a multi-language mobile app on right whales to be available during tours.

11. BHC whale watching visitors have no significant interest in a mobile app.

12. Accuracy of the video game educational content is a priority of the NEAq.

13. There are several types people involved in right whale conservation that can be included as characters in the right whale video game.

14. Maine lobstermen are negatively impacted by the new whale regulations.

15. A video game with a hopeful tone is a priority of the NEAq.

16. The NEAq identified four main messages to convey in the right whale video game.

17. There are three specific actions the NEAq hopes people will be empowered to take to help in right whale conservation efforts.

18. The NEAq prioritizes design criteria to consider for the right whale video game.

19. A framework is the clearest method of presenting the right whale video game options to the NEAq and WPI student game developers.

Recommendations

Based on our findings we recommended the following to the NEAq:

• the NEAq should create a right whale video game in the NEAq main visitor building.

• the NEAq should display the video game as a video game museum exhibit.

• the NEAq should use the proposed framework to support informed decisions about the design and production of the video game.

Based on our findings and NEAq preferences for the video game, we recommend the following to the WPI Student game developers:

• the WPI student game developers should use the sample narratives compiled in the framework as a guideline when designing the video game prototype.

• the WPI student game developers should use the North Atlantic Right Whale Video Game Content document provided to them to accurately depict the environment of the video game.

• the WPI student game developers should convey the main messages and concrete actions as outlined in the framework.

The following recommendations are for both the NEAq and WPI student game developers:

• They should design a video game appropriate for all audiences with the content gearedtowards children.

• They should convey the video game content in a hopeful tone.

•They should create a role playing game.