TyrAnt, by Preloaded, is
one of the three "Serious Games" nominated in 2014 for the Games for Change Best
Gameplay award category. Gone Home and Papers, Please are
the other two nominees. The winning games will be announced on April 23 at the
11th Anniversary Games for Change Festival.
Preloaded has been
working with Amplify to produce a series
of games to be sold to schools across the United States, designed for the
Amplify Tablet and a variety of other platforms including iOS. Amplify is a
US-focused educational publisher reimagining the way teachers teach and
students learn. At the heart of this ambition is a groundbreaking digital
curriculum for K-12, focusing on Science, Math and English Language Arts (ELA).
As part of their focus on Science they have developed TyrAnt, a light, Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game
where the player seeks to protect and grow a colony of ants. The game is based
on the US Life Sciences curriculum, touching a broad range of themes including
biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural selection. It has been rolled out to a
number of US schools as part of the Amplify pilot program and set to launch in
2014.
Serious Game to experience how ants
reproduce within a delicate and biologically diverse ecosystem
Developed for Android and
iOS platforms, the game allows players to discover the hidden world of ants through
intuitive touchscreen controls and strategic mechanics. As you take
charge of a new and vulnerable colony, you'll discover the incredible
adaptations that have led to their survival and proliferation.
The lifeblood of the
colony is fresh green leaves - the resource the player must gather in order to
grow the colony and trigger the flying ant’s nuptial flight. The player takes
control of different ant castes, each with a particular part to play in the
colony’s potential success. Players decide how to best develop their colony, balancing the collection of food with defending
territory and maintaining the structure below ground.
The game is designed to be highly replayable, with each new game presenting the player with a new colony and the next generation of ants. As play continues, natural selection becomes increasingly self-evident with ant castes becoming increasingly specialized.
The game is designed to be highly replayable, with each new game presenting the player with a new colony and the next generation of ants. As play continues, natural selection becomes increasingly self-evident with ant castes becoming increasingly specialized.
About Preloaded
Preloaded is an award winning games
studio, focusing on arts, entertainment and education.
Preloaded works with a range of clients, from broadcasters and production companies to galleries, museums, educators and enlightened brands. Its client list includes, amongst others, the BBC, Channel 4, Turner Broadcasting, Science Museum, Wellcome Trust, Tate, Parliament Education and Disney.
Award wins include gongs from BAFTA, Cannes Lions, Royal Television Society, SXSW (Best of Show) and BIMA.
Based in London's
Shoreditch area, Preloaded is still independent and has just celebrated its
12th birthday.