SEAWEB: WEB OF LIFE
An educational board game teaching biodiversity, systems thinking, and ecological resilience through play.
Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
Processes: Ecological Research, Systems Thinking, Educational Game Design, Prototyping, Playtesting, Card/packaging design, AI-assisted illustration
Web of Life: Ocean Edition is a hex-tile card game designed for children ages 10–12 to explore the fragility and resilience of ocean ecosystems. Players build interconnected marine food webs across four biomes—Shoreline, Reef Zone, Open Water, and Deep Sea—linking producers, consumers, and predators based on real ecological relationships.
As the webs grow, players face ecological challenges drawn from real-world events such as microplastic contamination, coral bleaching, oil spills, and invasive species. Disaster cards remove or endanger species, while Protection and Action cards model conservation strategies like habitat restoration or species reintroduction. These mechanics immerse players in the reality of ecological disruption, showing how small disturbances can ripple across an entire food web.
The game emphasizes biodiversity over point-scoring: the winner is the player who builds the most extensive and diverse web, reinforcing the idea that ecological strength lies in interdependence. Iterative prototyping shaped the card system, iconography, and age-appropriate illustrations, while user testing informed clarity improvements and a fold-out Game Guide. The final prototype included over 80 custom hexagonal cards, a disaster deck, action/protection cards, and a hand-assembled hexagonal box.
Ultimately, Web of Life: Ocean Edition is more than a game—it’s a tool for environmental education. By combining strategy, storytelling, and systems thinking, it equips young learners with curiosity, empathy, and a sense of responsibility for the natural world.
Visual assets were AI-assisted, created under my direction to prototype and communicate the educational mechanics of the game.
