Dr. Jones Introducing Food Webs in the African Savanna” is an interactive game that guides students through the African Savanna ecosystem. The game focuses on understanding food webs and chains, and the energy transfer across trophic levels. Students construct and refine their own food pyramids, and the game’s scoring system rewards accuracy, emphasizing attentiveness and comprehension

*This game was designed and developed by Gemcraft Games for Washington DC based startup, Legends of Learning and appears on their educational games platform to be used by middle-school students in the US.*

Under the expert guidance of Dr. Jones, students embark on a journey through the diverse African Savanna ecosystem.

Students explore food webs and food chains, gaining a deeper understanding of how energy cascades from the lowest to the highest trophic levels. They are introduced to a diverse array of organisms within this ecosystem and discover the complex interactions that take place among them.

As part of their experiential learning, they construct their own food pyramids and closely observe how these structures evolve over time. With every new iteration, they refine and adjust their strategies to enhance their final scores.

As they respond to relevant questions, rewards are given for correct answers, while incorrect ones incur penalties. The repercussions of these rewards and penalties extend to their ecosystem, underscoring the importance of attentiveness to the lessons embedded within the game.

• Educational Content: Short lessons about the theory of food webs and ecosystems, providing a foundation for gameplay.
• Creation and Customization: Allows players to construct a food pyramid by selecting from over 50 African Sahara flora and fauna.
• Turn-based Gameplay: Each round provides players with energy to add organisms to their ecosystem.
• Dynamic Ecosystem: Organism populations rise and fall based on food connections. Weather impacts also alter the ecosystem, providing varied gameplay experiences.

• Energy System: Players earn energy each turn from the surviving organisms, creating a strategic element to the game.
• Real-world Theory Application: All game algorithms are based on simplified, yet authentic food web theories, offering a virtual, simplified simulation of an ecosystem.
• Interactive Learning: Players answer game-related questions that unlock positive or negative events affecting their ecosystems, reinforcing educational content in a practical context.
• Pleasant Aesthetics: Hand-drawn and appealing art that enhances the gaming experience.