Ocean Odyssey is a game-based learning platform developed using the Unity game engine, designed to raise awareness about ocean pollution. Unity is chosen for its versatility and robust support for 2D and 3D environments, providing the foundation for creating the game’s dynamic underwater worlds and ensuring compatibility across multiple platforms, including desktop, mobile devices, and potentially VR systems. The game’s architecture is designed to offer an engaging, interactive experience for players of all ages while delivering educational content in an entertaining way.
The core mechanics of Ocean Odyssey revolve around exploration, resource collection, and decision-making. Players navigate an expansive ocean environment, collecting positive conservation items such as reusable bottles, biodegradable materials, and tools for recycling. These items contribute to the restoration of marine ecosystems and the overall success of the player’s mission. The game also introduces negative elements, such as plastic bags, oil spills, and other pollutants, which represent real-world environmental threats. If players collect or encounter too many of these harmful items, they lose lives, mirroring the destructive consequences of pollution in the real world. This reward-and-penalty system drives home the importance of sustainable behaviours and their long-term impact on marine health.
The Unity framework enables the creation of visually rich and interactive ocean environments, complete with vibrant marine life and dynamic ecological systems. Advanced shaders and particle systems are used to simulate realistic water movements, light reflections, and underwater effects, giving players a highly immersive experience.
Ocean Odyssey supports a modular design that allows for scalable content updates. This enables future expansions, such as introducing new levels, marine species, or real-time data integration from environmental organizations. For example, live ocean data could be incorporated to reflect the current state of pollution or biodiversity in specific regions, making the game both an educational tool and a real-world reflection of ocean health.
The game's educational content aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water and Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education (Target 4.7), which emphasizes the need for education on sustainable development. Teachers and educators can use the game as a tool to complement lessons on environmental awarene