![]() I kept the camera on the shark as it swam past us, giving us the side eye. The shark was enormous! I still remember what I said – “holy cow!” – but what I did amazes me. One instrument had a large radar reflector attached to it (so we could find it) and the reflector was about 1 meter across. We were diving at a methane seep in the Gulf of Mexico and were checking on some instruments we had deployed at the seabed. I saw this animal when I was doing my first dive in the sphere – as lead scientists on a dive – of the Johnson Sea Link submersible. One of the most remarkable animals I’ve ever seen from inside a sub was a 6-meters-plus sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus). I’ve had incredible ‘up-close-and-personal’ experiences with animals from inside a submersible and while scuba diving. Could you describe what’s that like? What was the most memorable encounter you had in the depths? You’ve been in submersibles and must have experienced amazing encounters with all sorts of fantastic and weird creatures. In the game, the player can dive and experience the ocean’s wildlife up close. I don’t look at the game as one part being more developed than another – I see this as a way to allow seamless downstream production. I love that science is central to the game! The gameplay and flow were developed strategically, and there are several jumping off points for development of future gaming scenarios. What do you think is the game’s greatest accomplishment in this regard? And what theme(s) do you think should have been explored further? We can see a good deal of science was weaved into Beyond Blue. Inside DeepRover during the BBC Blue Planet II filming expedition (at the brine pool). We also ideated technology that we felt was needed today – “in demand” – and that could be developed in the next 10–15 years. I helped ideate gameplay scenarios and assured that scenarios are based firmly in known science. My role involved sharing my knowledge of the ocean – particularly the deep ocean – with the E-line team. How did your experience in Marine Sciences was translated into Beyond Blue? What kind of advice were you giving? Overall, my work strives to understand how ocean ecosystems respond to perturbation through adaptation and resilience. I study the ocean “top to bottom” – I am fascinated by connectivity and complexity and a lot of our work assesses benthic-pelagic coupling and exchanges. I work a lot in deep sea extreme environments like hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, but we also work in the pelagic ocean. By training I am a microbiologist and a geochemist, so my work is interdisciplinary at its core. Serving as science advisor to the team was a rewarding and enriching experience.īefore we move on to talk more about your time with Beyond Blue, would you mind explaining a little bit of your research to our readers? ![]() When I met the members of the E-Line team and heard their vision for the game, I knew that I wanted to help in any way I could. I was connected to the E-Line team through my BP II contacts. ![]() I served as a science advisor to the BBC team during development and shooting of Blue Planet II. How exactly did that partnership came about? You were one of the experts who gave advice to the game designers of the recently released Beyond Blue. Samantha “Mandy” Joye from the University of Georgia (USA), to understand her role during game development and to get to know a little bit about the actual science that is backing Beyond Blue. We reached out to one of these scientists, Dr. And even better than that, they had the support of actual scientists to give them expert advice about everything that goes on in the sea. One of the most interesting things about Beyond Blue is that the team at E-Line partnered with BBC Studios and OceanX Media for creating the game. ![]() During your dives, you can see and interact with the marine fauna. The game is set in the near future, and you explore the ocean as part of a new research team. Beyond Blue is a new multiplatform indie game by E-Line Media. ![]()
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