AQUABOTS

 Aquabots is a fast-paced multiplayer action RPG conservation game built on the Roblox platform, designed to transform ocean literacy into an exciting, interactive adventure. Players pilot specialized underwater drones to restore damaged coral reefs while battling an enemy drone.

There is 3 coral defender players versus one enemy drone player in the main PVP mode. The 3 drones must fight to plant enough coral before time runs out and the enemy wins!

Success is not guaranteed by combat alone, success depends on restoration and teamwork. This underwater, heroic victory system sets the game apart from traditional battle formats. 

 For thousands of years, the ocean has been full of life. Coral reefs were homes for fish, they protected the coasts, and helped keep our planet healthy.
But things began to change.
Humans became greedy. They took more and more from the ocean. Overfishing, rising temperatures, pollution, and deep-sea mining damaged the underwater world.
Machines were sent into the ocean to collect valuable resources, tearing through coral reefs and destroying the homes of the sea creatures.
Soon, some reefs were almost completely gone.
But the ocean wasn't ready to give up.

The Aquabots were ready to defend, restore, and rescue.

 Each drone has a unique role inspired by real marine species.
Scout drone (the Sailfish): Clears plant sites covered by sand, detects and pings objectives for team members.
Logistics drone (the Manta Ray): Transports artificial reef structures to ensure restoration missions remain supplied and continuous.
Planter drone (the Cuttlefish): Takes coral samples and plants them on the reef structures.
Hunter drone (Enemy role): An industrial submersible that tries to obstruct the restoration work. 

 Additional game modes allow you to scuba dive, exploring the coral reef and underwater caves. Players can find collectable items such as fossils. In the lab players can adopt fish and coral species as well as visiting other players labs. The game includes a coral garden that generates in game currency, and allows players to build their own unique landscapes. Learning mechanics include trivia quiz, educational conversations with NPCs and an exhibit with ocean facts and dioramas.  

 
The project is guided by clear educational and social impact goals:

1. Increase ocean and reef ecosystem awareness among youth
2. Teach restoration and  conservation concepts through interaction
3. Encourage teamwork and collaborative problem-solving
4. Inspire interest in marine science, engineering and technology
5. Demonstrate how technology can support conservation education

Quizzes and knowledge cards allow a player to get more points, motivating players to engage with real marine science concepts. 

  At a time when marine ecosystems face growing threats from pollution, habitat destruction and climate change, a new digital initiative is transforming how young people learn about ocean conservation through interactive gameplay. The playable prototype of this game was developed during the Nature, Environment, Wildlife and Filmmaking (NEWF) Game Design Lab in South Africa, where the idea of the game was born.
What began as a creative lab concept has grown into a promising educational game designed to inspire awareness and action for the marine environment. 

 The motivation behind Aquabots came from a shared concern about the growing disconnect between environmental issues and public understanding, especially among youth. While ocean threats such as reef destruction, thermal stress, and pollution are increasing, awareness and engagement often remain limited.

The team wanted to design an experience that makes conservation active and participatory.
The belief driving the project is simple: interactive learning can make environmental responsibility and conservation more memorable and motivating.  

 Early prototype demonstrations and peer play-testing sessions have shown strong engagement and positive response from the audience. Players quickly grasp the cooperative structure and restoration objectives, they have noted that the game feels both meaningful and enjoyable combining actions with purpose. 

 NEWF is an organization dedicated to building capacity for African visual storytellers to celebrate and advocate for the protection of her natural history. The organization aims to remove barriers to entry and build capacity in order to foster a culture of equity for African nature, environment and wildlife storytellers.

NEWF offers professional development, capacity building, mentorship and networking opportunities through events like the annual NEWF Congress, NEWF Fellows Summit, and NEWF Labs. 

 NEWF, in collaboration with the Internet of Elephants organization, held a 6 day Game Design Lab in South Africa designed to craft game ideas with a purpose - the protection and conservation of our natural world. A cohort of 8 were selected and split into four teams, each team working together to design a proof of concept where storytellers/scientists were paired with game developers to create a prototype of the idea.

The teams were given the opportunity to pitch to the NEWF organization, and our team was awarded a grant for further development of the game. 

 Aquabots is built on Roblox, a platform that guarantees unprecedented accessibility and scalability. Roblox supports half-a-million concurrent users, offers seamless global distribution, and provides cross-platform access across phones, tablets, and PCs. With no downloads or barriers to entry, the game is instantly accessible anywhere in the world.

Roblox has a large global youth audience, supports multiplayer and cooperative mechanics which are central to the game’s teamwork-based design, and runs on a wide range of devices improving accessibility and inclusivity which are key factors for an educational impact project. 

 The project was developed by a multidisciplinary team from the Game Design Lab and other dedicated game developers that joined the team. The diverse mix of skills within this team allowed us to combine scientific accuracy with engaging gameplay and meaningful environmental narratives. The team members who contributed to the development of the project are listed below. 

Eric Gardiner (Game Developer, Programmer)

Frank Buluma (Marine Scientist, Researcher)

Bradley Omondi (3D Artist)

Sabrina Roberts (2D Artist)

Juliette Love (Sound Designer)

Dustin Van Wyk (Music composer)

Sean Morrey (3D Artist)