Conservation game a hit with Reef visitors
TECHNOLOGY is the latest tool for tourism operators to help guests learn about the Great Barrier Reef and stay entertained on boat journeys.
A virtual reality game that inspires people to conserve the Reef will be developed for passengers to play on Reef boats after it was successfully tested on board Passions of Paradise.
Eco Games founders Associate Professor Alexandra Coghlan and PhD candidate Lewis Carter from Griffith University combined their tourism, marine science and ICT background to create the conservation game.
“Players don a headset to build their own reef in an immersive 360-degree, three-dimensional underwater seascape,” Dr Coghlan explained.
“They have to determine where coral can be planted to attract turtles, mantas and sharks so they move in and create a healthy reef system.
“The game teaches how different species make a healthy reef, why corals use chemical warfare against each other, interesting fish facts and what in- dividuals can do to protect the Reef.
“We introduced the game to passengers travelling from Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef on Passions of Paradise with great success. Many players were engaged for more than an hour and the beautiful thing was that they became more curious about the Reef as they played.
“Of the 35 passengers who played, 72 per cent chose to make a contribution to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre as part of the game instead of receiving a free onboard drink or going in the draw to win an Oculus headset.
“It can be difficult for people to understand more than a handful of facts about the Great Barrier Reef on their first visit and for many it is a bucketlist destination so they do not plan on returning.
“However, the trial showed the game encouraged people to seek more knowledge about the Reef and realise that they would like to return with a better understanding of what they were seeing.”
Passions of Paradise managing director Alan Wallish said the game would show people what a dynamic ecosystem the Great Barrier Reef is. “There is no such thing as dead – it’s part of a cycle of renewal,” he said.