The Mo's

Welcome screen
Meet a new mosquito
Quizz on malaria
Swat the mosquitoes

Genesis of the project

Back in 2007 & 2008, I made two separate trips with friends, one to Burkina Faso and another to Ghana. While I was aware of malaria, these trips brought the reality of the disease home to me. Having to take anti-malaria medication, use mosquito repellents, and sleep under a protective net during the whole journey highlighted the severity of the situation. The impact of the disease on the population was especially striking in Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest countries. Many of the local people suffer from malaria and have to live with it.

At the same period, I was very interested in the nascent activity of mobile application development. As a Java developer, I naturally turned to Android and started learning the ins and outs of the framework.

One particular game that caught my attention at the time was Ninja Fruits. The mechanic was very simple: you had to slice virtual fruits that were thrown in the air. This game's simple yet engaging gameplay became a significant source of inspiration for my own project.

Around 2010, all these elements came together. What about making a game that would both entertain people and raise awareness about malaria, even helping fight the disease for real?

I worked on this idea over several months and finally released the first version in 2011. The game, called The Moskies, was available only on Android. It had two parts: an entertaining one where you had to swat mosquitoes on the screen before they could bite you, and an educational one where you would take a 10-question quiz on malaria and mosquitoes.

The game was a paid version, with the collected money directly supporting a project in Haiti through an NGO. The funds were used to purchase anti-malaria kits (including two long-term mosquito nets and a diagnostic kit) for the local population. Our goal was to finance one kit for every 100 app downloads, and we hoped to reach 150,000 downloads. However, despite marketing efforts like social media and app store optimization, the project never achieved the desired reach.

I turned the page and moved on to other professional activities. However, the experience always stayed with me, leaving a sense of unfinished business.

In 2019, I started exploring Flutter, initially as part of my professional activity. Then came Covid, and suddenly I had much more time to delve deeper into the framework. I was quickly impressed by Flutter's development tools, environment, and large, active community (I even attend regular Flutter meetups in my town).

So when I heard about the Flutter Global Gamers Challenge in early 2024, it dawned on me that this was the perfect opportunity to revamp The Moskies.

Meet The Mo's

The Mo's is a new fun and educational game that teaches you about malaria while you swat some seriously nasty mosquitoes!

Here's how it works:

Play through 15 levels of increasingly challenging mosquito-squashing action.
Meet the Mo family - Mo Jo, the nimble son, Mo Dell, the deceptive daughter, Mo Ma, the nasty mom, and Mo Bill, the grumpy dad. They may look like a family, but these Mo's are out to get you!
After each exciting round, test your knowledge with trivia about malaria and its global impact.

With The Mo's, you'll:

Develop lightning-fast reflexes swatting virtual mosquitos
Learn essential facts about malaria and mosquito prevention
Help raise awareness about this serious global health issue

This is just the beginning

This initial version was specifically developed for the Flutter Global Gamers Challenge. Within the constraints of time and resources, I created a streamlined version that serves as a strong foundation for future improvements.

Building upon this strong foundation, there are many exciting ways to expand the game, such as:

Introducing new characters: These characters could have unique features, skills, and behaviors (like a "flying mode") to increase gameplay variety.
Adding new challenges: keep players engaged and test their mosquito-squashing skills.
Expanding defensive options: Players could unlock new defensive techniques like swatters or repellents to strategize against the Mo's.
Release to new platforms: Thanks to Flutter cross-platform built-in capability, the game is ready for release to web, mobile and desktop environments Storytelling with animation: Animated videos about the Mo's family can add depth and humor to the game.
Enhanced user experience: More animated content can make the app visually appealing and engaging.
Immersive sound design: Adding sounds and music can create a richer and more immersive gaming experience.
Supporting the fight against malaria: This remains a key goal. The game can incorporate links to anti-malaria organizations or even collect funds through the sale of virtual goods.

This is just a snapshot of my current ideas, and I'm sure there's much more to come!

How climate change impacts the fight against malaria ?

Climate change throws several wrenches into the fight against malaria, making it more challenging to control the disease. Here's how:

Mosquito breeding grounds:

Warmer temperatures Warmer weather can lead to

Extended breeding season: Mosquitoes can breed year-round in some regions, increasing their population and potential for transmission.
Faster development: Warmer temperatures can accelerate the development of malaria parasites within mosquitoes, shortening the time it takes for them to become infectious.

Changes in rainfall patterns:

Increased rainfall: Heavy rainfall can create more stagnant water bodies, ideal breeding grounds for Anopheles mosquitoes, the primary malaria vectors.
Erratic rainfall: Unpredictable rainfall patterns can disrupt control efforts like insecticide spraying, which may be timed based on historical rainfall patterns.

Mosquito behavior

Increased activity: Warmer temperatures can lead to increased mosquito activity levels, leading to more bites and potential transmission.

Parasite development

Faster parasite development: As mentioned earlier, warmer temperatures can accelerate the development of malaria parasites within mosquitoes, making them infectious sooner.

More in the WHO World Malaria Report 2023 Here