Bristol-based digital agency Thought Den and wildlife charity Wildscreen have joined forces to release ‘Survival’, a free quick-fire game for smartphones and tablets that raises awareness amongst young people about the world's endangered animals.
 
The game immerses players in fascinating endangered species facts through a series of fun game mechanics - did you know that the blue whale has a heart the size of car? Or that the polar bear has black skin?
 
In a race against the clock, players tap, pinch, drag, scroll and swipe their way through a series of quick-fire mini-games that test four key survival skills: speed, agility, endurance and intelligence.
 
The collaborative team devised a series of game mechanics based around endangered species facts, immersing the players in the subject. Did you know that the blue whale has a heart the size of car, or that the male seahorse gives birth?
 
With families and young children in mind, ‘Survival’  has both Single Play and Team Play, enabling the whole family to play together using only one smartphone by passing it, like Hot Potato, working together to survive as long as possible.
 
Players are rewarded with new characters and stunning photos from Wildscreen’s ARKive initiative – a unique online collection of the very best films and photos of the world’s threatened wildlife, freely accessible to all at www.arkive.org.
 
"What a brilliant idea! It's a fun way to learn about endangered species - though I have to admit I was too slow to beat my eight-year-old goddaughter." Mark Carwardine, Zoologist.
 
Richard Edwards, Wildscreen Chief Executive, said: “Wildscreen's mission is to use the power of wildlife imagery to inspire us all to appreciate, value and protect our natural world. We are always exploring new and innovative ways of reaching greater audiences, and by launching the Survival gaming app, on both iOS and Android platforms, we're looking to reach the younger generation and inspire the conservationists and environmental stewards of tomorrow.
 
“We wanted to work with a local Bristol agency with real expertise and cutting-edge ideas in the mobile world, and Thought Den were a great match, as they share our ethos of combining educational value with fun, and are passionate about strong playability.”
 
Ben Templeton, Creative Director at Thought Den said: "Bristol is internationally renowned for its natural history media industry, and is becoming well known for so it's a real honour to work with Wildscreen on such an important and innovative project. We're hoping the game adds a modern angle to Bristol's legacy." 
 
Survival is available for free now on the App store from bit.ly/playsurvival and Android Market from bit.ly/survivalandroid
 
Find out more about ‘Survival’ at: www.arkive.org/apps/survival