Sweepnet Games
Making games about nature and ecology with rich stories and fun mechanics.
Background
I graduated in 2021 with a Master's degree in Ecology, and have since been working as a data analyst for research projects (honey bees, monarch butterflies, and Japanese beetles). My Master's thesis was on the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on monarch butterflies, so I am particularly interested in the effects of human interaction with conservation. I have long been passionate about conservation and ecosystems and wanted to start this project as a way to visualize the complex interactions between living things. Over time, I hope to create a variety of fun games that convey ecological concepts in digestible ways.
Food for crows
Food for crows is the first game I have worked on so far. I started by learning the Godot game engine and hit the ground running. Currently, the game features a variety of plants to grow, the ability to manipulate the environment, and a few short story lines. Thus far, I have organized the way I create the game similar to how levels might present themselves in an ecosystem. The first step way to make the tile properties, and from there adding the plants was a complexity. Now, I am moving on to living things, herbivores, and after I have gotten a few implemented I will add carnivores. The top layer is human interaction with not only the environment, but with each other and the world itself. This project was submitted for a game jam, so the exact order has not been as organized as I had initially planned, but progress is moving along quickly.
Next steps
I hope to gain interest in this project, and will see it through to completion. Once I am satisfied with this project, I will begin work on the next. What a wonderful hobby this is!