Python invasion has spread from the Everglades to the virtual world.
Orlando-based game studio Bigglesworth Studios announced the development of a mobile video game designed to shed light on the Burmese python, an invasive species slithering through South Florida.
Players will “control a Burmese python with their finger as they go on a virtual expedition through the Everglades,” said Necole Pynn, Bigglesworth Studios spokeswoman.
The educational aspect of the game is in line with the evolution of video games, said Dennis Frohlich, a 28-year-old UF doctoral student and professor of a class called The Cultural Impact of Video Games.
“A lot of people are looking into using video games for teaching because people learn through all sorts of different means,” he said.
But Frohlich said it may be difficult to engage players.
“The challenge is: How do you make it interactive without too much information?” he said.
UF biologists and professors have been working to promote awareness of the real-world python invasion. Last year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission partnered with a UF research center to organize a monthlong event where hunters were encouraged to capture the snakes.
For students like Michael Pham, a 20-year-old UF computer engineering junior, the game promotes awareness.
“I don’t even know what a Burmese python is,” Pham said. “I’ll go Google it now.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/30/2014 under the headline "Florida python invasion slithers into virtual world"]
