Chris

Task overview 

We are asked to create an idea for a post-apocalyptic game (PEGI 18), set 100 years in the future. The developer is working from a story based around the global extinction of bees and the hugely negative impact this could have on humanity.

We are required to come up with three designs which explores different possibility such as :

  1. Design for a autonomous machine that pollinates flowers, taking over the jobs that bees previously had. (must focus on informative imagery).
  2. Design costume/character and how it can benefit the wearers from the newly developed bees. This direction take the extinction of bee population and replacing them with much more aggressive species that can withstand mites and changes in climate. These developed bees however also claim more territory and multiply at an alarming rate. Only very the rich and privileged can afford protection from these aggressive species. These suits/costume must protect the wearers from bees as well as act as a desirable status symbol (being fashionable).
  3. Design a shady black market area. As plants and crops cannot be produce, Crops are becoming a rarity and considered as a “luxury”. The developer would like to see an illegal market with stores selling coffee, fruits among the poor surroundings, (Must focus on atmosphere and narrative).

We must pick one of these design possibilities and use research to develop our ideas as well as taking inspiration. We must include primary and secondary research.

The target market is 18-25 years old and the developers would like to find out what type of characters this age group relate to, what style of game play they prefer, and what they would look for in a game.

Research 

what happened if bees suddenly go extinct? 

It is estimated that one-third of all food we eat relies on bees for its production. So what would happen if bees went extinct?

Bees plays an incredibly important role in pollination of plants. Cereal crops are wind pollinated however, virtually all fruits and many vegetables relies on insect pollination. Bees pollinates 10 out of 100 crop species, this feeds 90% of the world! Honey bees are also responsible for £23 billion a year in crops in industry and farmers. Without bees, crop yields would fall dramatically.

Colony collapse disorder

Colony collapse disorder is the phenomenon that occurs when the majority of the worker bees in a colony disappears and leave behind a queen. Because of this, all the immature bees in the hive dies out. There have been many theories to why this happen. Researchers who are leading the efforts to find out why are now focused on the increase in varroa mites (a pest of honey bees) which plays a huge part in CCD (colony collapse disorder). This disorder however only seems to affect only European honeybee (Apis mellifera).

CCD was first reported in 2006 by a commercial beekeeper from Pennsylvania. Keepers have been noticing the increase in CCD in recent years from 42.1% in 2015 and 39% in 2014 . 2015 was the first time in history that keepers lost more bees during the summer than in the winter! It is estimated that if CCD continues at the current rate, managed honeybees will disappear by 2035.

About bees

There are about 20,000 different species of bees in the world currently recorded. Bees lives in colonies with three types of bees within each colony. There is the queen bee, the worker and the drone bee.

Image result for what do the drone bees do

Their roles:

Worker

Worker bees are female but they are not capable of reproduction. They do all the work inside of the hive and controls most of what goes on within the hive. Their roles includes:

  • Housekeeping
  • Feeding the queen, drones and larvae
  • Collecting the pollen and nectar
  • Making the wax

Drone

A drone be is a male honeybee. Unlike the female workers, drones do not have a stinger. Their main primary role is to mate with an unfertilized queen.

Queen

The Queen bee is the heart of the hive and controls the actions in which the other bees in the colony does. She has two primary purposes which are to produce chemical scents that help regulate the unity of the colony and to lay lots of eggs.

Artist research