Into the Blue

• 

  The Making of the Game on Unity

• 

  Mrs. Scuba D. Iver on top of platform

• 

  Floating trash

• 

  Mrs. Scuba D. Iver next to a mine

• 

  End of Explosion Animation

• 

  Collect the trash to save the turtles

What Inspired Us

The group agreed to implement our idea into a game since two of the members expressed interest in game development. We wanted to create something that represented our first experience in a hackathon and the WomxnHacks event so we ended up choosing sustainability as our starting point. We understand that WomxnHacks has put in a lot of effort in making this event ecofriendly and sustainable. We took inspiration from the WomxnHacks scuba diver mascot and have decided to create an underwater setting where the player would help clean the ocean.

Why did we decide on "Into the Blue"

"Into the Blue" is a game developed to make people aware of the consequences of unsustainable practices that could lead to waste polluting our oceans. According to the NOAA, scientists estimate that 8 million metric tons of plastics enter the ocean every year. These plastics can break down into microplastics and can also harm the marine ecosystems. Our team felt that by adapting our idea into a game, we would be able to connect more easily with the current generation and hold their attention.

How was "Into the Blue" created

"Into the Blue" was developed using Unity. Using assets available in the Unity asset store, we were able to bring our underwater theme to life with the addition of some self-made animated objects that were created to help fit the theme. Part of our game development was spent learning about Unity and scripting which we used to tie certain game elements together.

What were some challenges we faced

None of our team members have ever made a game before, so it was definitely a learning experience. Many mistakes were made, and many things were learnt. Many times, we had encountered problems with our script or the interaction between objects which led us to scouring the internet for answers. As more objects and interactions were added into the game, the complexity of our problems seemed to increase. Even now, we understand the camera view, gameplay elements, and special effects show room for improvement.

What are some accomplishments we are proud of

Having come in with no experience with game development and making the game come this far is an accomplishment we are very proud of. We also had a great experience collaborating with others.

What we learned from "Into the Blue" and Womxnhacks

As first-timers to Womxnhacks and hackathons in general, we faced many challenges turning our ideas into functional elements of our game. Much of our time was spent learning how to best use the Unity game engine and attending various workshops. While our team definitely learned a lot technically, learning how to collaborate with others and actively learn on our own are some of the most important skills we have received from this event.

What's next for "Into the Blue"

In a future version of "Into the Blue", we hope to have improve gameplay and the players' reception to our message of sustainability by having a storyline. As the player progresses, they can collect pieces of information about sustainable practice as well as enjoy loading screens with additional fun facts. To increase the difficulty of the game, our team wishes to add more challenging obstacles and implement a health system. Other important areas of improvement include setting the limits of the screen, creating a start menu, cut scenes, and better effects.

Built With

• unity