A Serious Game to Increase Children's Awareness About the Vital Role of Sharks in Marine Ecosystems

The alarming decline in populations of many shark species requires an increase in education on this critical environmental issue. Overexploitation and indiscriminate fishing have pushed many shark species to the brink of extinction, threatening marine ecosystem biodiversity and trophic structure. This paper describes the development of a serious game, comprising two mini-games, designed to positively influence children's perceptions and raise awareness about the crucial roles sharks play in marine ecosystems. Additionally, the study aims to establish a link between player types and performance metrics collected during gameplay. The game was developed using a participatory design method, involving children throughout different phases of the project. It underwent four versions, with a total of 52 children participating. Out of these, 38 tested the final prototype, providing promising and interesting results both in the knowledge gain and in perception, which positively changes pos-game.