EcoVision

Week 11 – Finalizing Dialogue and Ensuring Scientific Accuracy

This week, our focus was on completing all the dialogue in the game—an important milestone that ties together both gameplay and educational content. In the process, we reached out to subject matter experts (SMEs) to ensure the scientific accuracy of our environmental themes.

Consultation with Danielle Rhea – Penn State Extension

We were fortunate to connect with Danielle Rhea, an Extension Educator at Penn State Extension, who provided detailed feedback and resources related to small backyard water features. Her insights helped us accurately frame the third level of our game—the “puddle” level, which simulates an ornamental pond or water garden.

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Key takeaways from her response:

  • Our water feature (a 1-meter-wide puddle) aligns more closely with ornamental ponds, not traditional ponds.
  • Native plants, biological filtration, and water movement are essential for supporting wildlife and controlling algae/mosquitoes.
  • Nutrient control is critical—excess fish food, fallen leaves, or runoff can lead to algae overgrowth.
  • Methods like barley straw and shade placement can further help manage pond health.
  • Rainfall alone may not be enough to maintain water levels, especially during dry seasons.

Thanks to her help, we were able to adjust our content to accurately reflect real-world ecological processes, ensuring that our puddle level offers meaningful and achievable learning experiences for players aged 9–12.

Follow-up with Amberlee Bozic – Natural Resources Specialist

We also reconnected with Amberlee Bozic, who had previously advised us on ecosystem and soil interactions. While finalizing dialogue for the first level (focused on leaf decomposition), we had two key questions:

  • Is it scientifically reasonable for leaves to decompose between autumn and winter?
  • Does leaf placement affect the decomposition process?

Her response confirmed that:

  • Yes, it is reasonable to set the game in autumn, as leaves begin decomposing immediately after they fall.
  • Decomposition accelerates in winter and spring, especially with the help of moisture, temperature, shredding, or composting.
  • Leaf placement does affect decomposition—areas with direct sunlight and moisture help, but adding leaves to compost is most effective.

Based on this, we decided to remove a confusing line of dialogue instructing players to place leaves in sunny areas. This may confuse players because the leaf will automatically be placed in a specific location when the player approaches it.

Dialogue Finalization Complete

After implementing all SME feedback, we officially completed the game’s full dialogue this week. This not only improves the clarity of player instruction but also ensures our content is scientifically sound, aligning with our educational goals.

We’re incredibly thankful to both Danielle Rhea and Amberlee Bozic for their generous support and thoughtful input. Their contributions have strengthened the game’s accuracy, depth, and real-world relevance.