Georgia Aquarium visitors diving into water technology through virtual experience

A new electronic game at Georgia Aquarium’s Ocean Voyager exhibit allows visitors to virtually come to the rescue of whale sharks, manta rays and hundreds of other species by learning how to apply filtration and other water treatments to create a clean, healthy ocean environment.

The aquarium’s Clean Water Challenge game, which debuted this fall, is the result of a partnership between Georgia Aquarium and Xylem, a technology provider. 

“The idea of the game itself came about through discussions with Georgia Aquarium around our excitement about how we further educate the public and our customers around clean water and sustainability practices,” said Scott Holzborn, Xylem vice president of industrial treatment, Americas. (Image credits: Georgia Aquarium and Cortina Productions.)

Visitors who play the unique interactive game learn about sand filtration and water reuse technology used throughout the aquarium, which enable the reuse of most of the 11 million gallons of water used in the facility. Through a series of prompts, the game challenges players to build the proper filtration system to ensure a healthy ecosystem for the exhibit’s inhabitants. 

When players land on the correct filtration train, the water on the screen becomes virtually cleaner and clearer.

“The whole game is enveloped in a really cool sci-fi-like frame, and the actual look and feel of it has a retro 1950s comic book style look,” said Josh Blaylock, senior manager of exhibits for Georgia Aquarium. “It starts in black and white, and then when you complete it, it becomes a colored comic book.”

The fish in the exhibit always remain safe because the actual filtration train is separate from the sequences in the virtual game.

“This game has nothing to do with the actual operation of the exhibit,” Holzborn joked. “Otherwise, I would never be allowed anywhere near it. The game was developed for all ages as an interactive way to share facts about how water is managed and recycled.”

The Georgia Aquarium is the largest saltwater aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, but visitors do not typically realize what goes into maintaining a healthy environment for 2,000 fish, Blaylock explained.
 
“This interactive game helps tell that story,” he added. “Our education department, including teachers, said they have used it as a great tool to help teach kids how we filtrate the water throughout the whole building. The response has been very positive that it’s a very educational tool for our educators, but also in general that kids love playing the game.”

Georgia Aquarium’s mission is to educate visitors about aquatic biodiversity throughout the world. The aquarium is committed to working on behalf of marine life through education, preservation, exceptional animal care and research across the globe.