Alex Wills

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Roy, Tania

Area of Concentration

Computer Science with Rhetoric and Writing

Abstract

The Florida manatee faces most threats from humans, including starvation that results from human-caused nutrient pollution. To reduce this threat and lower nutrient pollution, a Virtual Reality (VR) educational game called “Dumpling Manatee Simulation” was developed to raise awareness on this issue and what everyday actions players can take to contribute to making a difference. In this simulation, the player starts by becoming a manatee underwater and living a day in the life of a manatee. Then the player learns about nutrient pollution and eutrophication at manatee school before experiencing firsthand the increased difficulty the issue poses to manatees. The game ends after the player reads a letter with actionable items and becomes a human again. By leveraging embodiment, landscape visualization, and the increased engagement from gamification and the immersion of VR, this project aims to increase user empathy with manatees, educate users on nutrient pollution and what actions they can take to help, and create a lasting impact to motivate users to take these actions. A proposed evaluation of the simulation consists of a user study that utilizes surveys administered outside the game and gameplay data collected automatically during the game to measure the simulation’s educational impact, usability, immersion, and presence. Evaluation results could be used to further iterate this simulation or inform the development of future VR games that seek to increase players’ environmental awareness.

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