Abstract
Deep Dark Life: A science game about life beneath the seafloor
In this 6-minute activity, players ‘discover’ unusual microbes living underneath the seafloor. After identifying them in the lab, they help each species back to its correct habitat so that it can survive and reproduce. In the process, players are introduced to some of the challenges of subseafloor life; they learn about four generalized habitats in the deep biosphere; they meet appealing microbe species and learn about their surprising chemical activities. At the end, users journey under the sea floor to see the microbes in their habitats and learn why these discoveries are so exciting and important. The science-based game appeals to kids and adults visually, and introduces them easily and entertainingly to stories about life in the deep biosphere.
Deep Dark Life is part of the traveling exhibition, In Search of Earth’s Secrets (www.insearchofearthssecrets.com ), sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal Science Learning (AISL) program and centered on many Earth science concepts explored by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). The game is aimed at 6th grade through adult audiences, specifically targeting underserved, rural and female users, with a choice of English or Spanish subtitles. The game will be available for download by students, teachers and the public at joidesresolution.org and other websites selected by CDEBI and IODP. Deep Dark Life was developed by Ceisel & Associates with Patrice Ceisel, Barbara Becker and Matthew Board.
A video of Deep Dark Life can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/264695298.
