BYCATCH-22

A VR experience about fishery bycatch

Bycatch-22 explores the environmental impacts of bycatch, non-desirable species that are caught as a byproduct of commercial fisheries. Onboard a fishing boat of their own, players are tasked with sorting through growing netfuls of flopping fish, scallops, prawns, and trash, and will need to think and move quickly to return bycatch to the sea in time. 

The experience aims to inspire players to make sustainable seafood choices, avoiding seafood that generates excess bycatch, and to join the consumer movement for sustainability.

Bycatch-22 was developed for the HTC Vive and requires tracked controllers. (It supports SteamVR 2.0 input remapping, so it theoretically should be playable on other SteamVR-supported systems.)

Hotkeys:

• G: Restarts the game (back to title screen and tutorial)
• R: Restarts the current level.
• W: Loads the level selection area.
• T: Ends the current level.

Version 1.01 Update Notes: (1/14/2020)

• Updated level end sequence
  • New environmental messaging, statistics on bycatch + real-world impact
  • Better visualizations of player performance and score
  • Fixed faulty collision in ceilings and walls
  • Overall visual improvements
• Changed level timer displays to digital clocks for clarity
• Changed to new font (for commercial licensing and readability)
• Adjusted catch rate for some levels to decrease waiting time
• Updated SteamVR library to version 2.0

Developed by Matthew Grinnell and Peyton Lee, with help from foundry10.