About this project:
This project aims to explore the potential of disseminating social science research through digital games. In order to gain a holistic understanding of what such a process entails we have developed our own game concept which aims to achieve benifits for biodiversity conservation through the use of animal movement data. By developing an initial idea into a storyboard that can be pitched to a games development company will aim to uncover the potential and pitfalls of this new frontier in conservation outreach.
Our game concept:
There are a large number of smart phone applications (apps) available for health and fitness. Many of these use the GPS within modern smart phones to track a participant’s movement as they run, cycle or swim as part of their exercise routine. We're proposing to give the users of these apps the chance to measure their performance against wild animals by using animal movement data collected by conservation organisations. Imagine finishing a run and finding out that you've completed 5km faster than a wildebeest and were just short of the time set by a wolf. Would that motivate you to push onwards to your next training milestone? What if you could try to match the daily travel distance of an elephant in Kenya or you and a group of friends could try to clock up as many miles whilst cycling as a cuckoo does when it migrates back to the UK from its wintering grounds in West Africa? How about a marathon training program based on the performance of a top animal athlete? These are just a few of the ideas we are going to be working with as we develop the proposal for an app that will literaly let a user Race the Wild.
About this website:
This blog will record the experience of developing the game concept from a conservation and project development view point. there will be posts specifically linked to the creation of our game storyboard and others that aim to place the work we are doing into the broader contexts within which the game sits. By the end of the project we envisage that the site will form a valuable resource for others looking to explore the potential of digital gaming and new forms of app based outreach in order to meet conservation targets.
This project aims to explore the potential of disseminating social science research through digital games. In order to gain a holistic understanding of what such a process entails we have developed our own game concept which aims to achieve benifits for biodiversity conservation through the use of animal movement data. By developing an initial idea into a storyboard that can be pitched to a games development company will aim to uncover the potential and pitfalls of this new frontier in conservation outreach.
Our game concept:
There are a large number of smart phone applications (apps) available for health and fitness. Many of these use the GPS within modern smart phones to track a participant’s movement as they run, cycle or swim as part of their exercise routine. We're proposing to give the users of these apps the chance to measure their performance against wild animals by using animal movement data collected by conservation organisations. Imagine finishing a run and finding out that you've completed 5km faster than a wildebeest and were just short of the time set by a wolf. Would that motivate you to push onwards to your next training milestone? What if you could try to match the daily travel distance of an elephant in Kenya or you and a group of friends could try to clock up as many miles whilst cycling as a cuckoo does when it migrates back to the UK from its wintering grounds in West Africa? How about a marathon training program based on the performance of a top animal athlete? These are just a few of the ideas we are going to be working with as we develop the proposal for an app that will literaly let a user Race the Wild.
About this website:
This blog will record the experience of developing the game concept from a conservation and project development view point. there will be posts specifically linked to the creation of our game storyboard and others that aim to place the work we are doing into the broader contexts within which the game sits. By the end of the project we envisage that the site will form a valuable resource for others looking to explore the potential of digital gaming and new forms of app based outreach in order to meet conservation targets.
Who are we:
Bill Adams
I teach in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge. My research explores the tensions between conservation and development, particularly in Africa and the UK. I am currently working on landscape-scale conservation and ecological restoration, and the implications of novel ecosystems and synthetic biology for conservation practice. I blog at thinkinglikeahuman.
I teach in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge. My research explores the tensions between conservation and development, particularly in Africa and the UK. I am currently working on landscape-scale conservation and ecological restoration, and the implications of novel ecosystems and synthetic biology for conservation practice. I blog at thinkinglikeahuman.
Chris Sandbrook:
Chris Sandbrook is Lecturer in Conservation Leadership at UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and an affiliated lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge. He was trained as a biologist, but has a PhD in Anthropology, on gorilla tourism in Uganda. He does research on the relationship between conservation and society. His interests include the implications of computer games and drones for the future of conservation.
Chris Sandbrook is Lecturer in Conservation Leadership at UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and an affiliated lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge. He was trained as a biologist, but has a PhD in Anthropology, on gorilla tourism in Uganda. He does research on the relationship between conservation and society. His interests include the implications of computer games and drones for the future of conservation.
Peter Damerell:
My background is studying how to engage communities with conservation initiatives and the use of new technologies within environmental outreach. In this project I'm venturing into the world of Apps to see if a the mobile phone could be the tool of choice for conservation organisations hoping to make the concept of sustainability go viral.
My background is studying how to engage communities with conservation initiatives and the use of new technologies within environmental outreach. In this project I'm venturing into the world of Apps to see if a the mobile phone could be the tool of choice for conservation organisations hoping to make the concept of sustainability go viral.