Floaty McBoaty

PROJECT BY:

Mike Lowen, Jacob Moss, Nathan Mace

HOW TO PLAY:

W - Move Forward

S - Move Backwards

A - Move Left

D - Move Right

LMB - To click buttons


ABOUT:

This game was produced for a module called "Team Software Engineering" for the University of Lincoln 2022/2023 Computer Science and Games Computing Course. This purpose of this module is to provide us students with the experience of working as part of a team within a simulated commercial setting. Students go through the key phases of software development from idea through to development, testing, delivery, and publishing. Through the module students will learn how to manage and deliver commercial software development projects. This includes ethical, social and professional issues, management, communication, time management, and team working strategies.

This module develops on the skills learnt in the first year and places them in a simulated commercial setting. The artifact produced as part of the software development process should be suitable for inclusion within a professional portfolio. The module is contextualized by program.

For this module we are grouped based on subjects we were interested in, and this one was named "Games for Change". This project is about making a game for a purpose. Specifically, it is a game aimed at raising awareness on certain issues For example, importance of online privacy, issues with IOT security, environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining) of encouraging people to behave in a certain way (e.g. adopting a more sustainable, healthier (mental and physical health), or more financially responsible lifestyles). The project would require you to research that area of interest and  a game that uses its mechanics to encourage or effect the change you are interested in, followed by an evaluation of this change.

The topic we chose to raise awareness for is plastic and litter pollution in the ocean. Approximately eight million tons of plastic enter our oceans each year, and in the next 15 years, this number is expected to double. Giant plastic islands are floating on the ocean surface, and beaches worldwide are increasingly littered with plastic rubbish, even in remote areas. Once at sea, plastic waste breaks down into tiny microplastic pieces, which are swallowed by fish and other sea creatures and end up in our food chain. Executive agencies, non-profit organizations, and charities are researching ways to remove plastic from the ocean.

4Ocean is an ocean clean-up company hoping to end the ocean plastic crisis. They use their own business to fund a global clean-up operation responsible for recovering millions of pounds of plastic and trash from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines. 26 million pounds of trash have already been removed from the ocean since 2017. Another similar charity is The Ocean Clean-up, a non-profit environmental organization that develops technology to extract plastic and rubbish from oceans, as well as preventing those plastics from flowing down rivers.
This project aims to develop an educational Game for Change. We aim to create a game influenced by the activities of these mentioned organizations and using the game as a tool; we aim to educate our demographic about the harmful effects of plastic and rubbish dumped into the ocean on wildlife and ecosystems

Links to charities:
4Ocean - www.4ocean.com

The Ocean Cleanup - theoceancleanup.com

Surfrider Foundation - www.surfrider.org

Oceana - oceana.org

Bahamas Plastic Movement - www.bahamasplasticmovement.org