Forest warrior : a virtual reality application to enhance climate change awareness

• Main Author: Sankar, Ahkshara
• Other Authors: Seah Hock Soon
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Computer science and engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/153311
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Virtual Reality (VR) has been gaining prominence over the last decade. This technology has seeped its way into the various realms of day-to-day life colonising the education, business, aviation and the games sector, among many others. This powerful tool has been utilised to design and develop Forest Warrior in an attempt to find a solution for the age-old problem, Climate Change. Forest Warrior is an educational game aimed at students to enhance their environmental literacy. The prototype introduces deep insights into deforestation along with its causes and consequences. The initial greenery that evokes a sense of calmness and peace is disrupted when the flames ravage the forest. The stark distinction in the colour scheme and the barren land following the scene of the forest burning is built to create a long-lasting impression in the users' minds. The art of storytelling was entwined to directly interact with the users to highlight the consequences of deforestation and motivate them to take responsibility for the current environmental destruction, further urging them to take control of their actions. The last part of the application is the game segment which involves users to slash paper. While the slashing of paper is a key to entice the students and keep them engrossed in the game, the idea of it runs much deeper. The action of slashing paper subconsciously evokes awareness about the abundant and mostly unnecessary use of paper. As the papers get slashed, the forest gets restored. The immediate change in the environment and the visual representation of the greenery blooming back to life accentuate the importance of cutting down the usage of paper. To summarize, Forest Warrior is designed and developed for the VR device, Google Cardboard aiming to motivate students to reduce their paper consumption by employing engaging storytelling techniques and immediate visual feedback during gameplay.