EcoShopper 131

Homescreen of the game
Inside each level
Garden tab - tree animation
Miscellaneous screens

Inspiration

According to a study by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generates 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily, with single-use plastics accounting for 43% of this waste. Our goal is to foster a behavioural change in India, encouraging the use of reusable bags over single-use plastics for grocery shopping. The youth in India are aware of the detrimental effects of plastic waste and support efforts to minimise plastic usage. However, as highlighted in the Perception Survey Report by UN Environment, the predominant reason people forget to carry a reusable bag is simply that it slips their mind when leaving for shopping. Recognising the inherent desire to protect the environment, we aim to link this with a personal task like creating a grocery list to transform this behaviour into a consistent practice.

What it Does

EcoShopper 131 gamifies the grocery shopping experience: jotting down items, carrying a reusable bag, and using it for groceries. Completing these steps on each shopping trip allows the player to nurture a tree. After 131 grocery trips, the tree fully matures, symbolised by the accumulation of sun and water credits earned on each trip, effectively offsetting the carbon footprint of a single-use plastic bag.

How We Built It

The app was developed using Flutter, selected for its efficiency and flexibility in creating engaging, cross-platform applications. We wanted to add visual progression mechanics through an appealing animation, hence went with Rive for creating the same.

Challenges We Ran Into

Our journey wasn't without its hurdles. We started almost 10 days before the deadline, which was a huge challenge in terms of meeting deadlines. Designing a game that was both fun and impactful proved to be a delicate balancing act. Additionally, we hoped to integrate Google Wallet to enhance our app's functionality, but were thwarted by its unavailability in India.

Accomplishments We're Proud Of

We are immensely proud of our initiative to contribute towards sustainability in India. From conceptualising to designing, and finally, to developing EcoShopper 131, the positive feedback from our beta testers has been incredibly rewarding.

What We Learned

Our journey was an educational one; we deepened our understanding of sustainability and discovered the powerful role games can play in driving societal change. Researching transformational games has opened our eyes to new possibilities in game design.

What's Next for EcoShopper 131

Looking forward, we plan to enrich the game experience with enhanced animations, art, and depth. We're exploring avenues to introduce social elements into the game. Our ultimate goal is to launch EcoShopper 131 on the PlayStore and AppStore, making a tangible impact on reducing plastic waste through engaging and thoughtful gameplay.