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This publication serves as a proposal for the game concept “Keepers of the Wild�. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission from the artist.
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THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE AN UNPRECEDENTED RISE If you’ve ever eaten fish, bought a wooden table or purchased carved ornaments during the holidays, then chances are you’re part of the wildlife trade, and possibly indirectly involved in the illegal wildlife trade. The world is dealing with an unprecedented spike in illegal wildlife trade, threatening to overturn decades of conservation gains. Ivory estimated to weigh more than 23 metric tons—a figure that represents 2,500 elephants—was seized in the 13 largest seizures of illegal ivory in 2011. Poaching threatens the last of our wild tigers that number as few as 3,200. Wildlife crime is a big business. Run by dangerous international networks, wildlife and animal parts are trafficked much like illegal drugs and arms. By its very nature, it is almost impossible to obtain reliable figures for the value of illegal wildlife trade. Experts at TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, estimate that it runs into
hundreds of millions of dollars, making it the 4th most lucrative illegal business behind drugs, human trafficking and counterfeits, The threats that come with Illegal Wildlife trade includes the compromising of security, altering livelihoods and most importantly interrupting the natural envrionment. F R O N T L I N E P R OT E CTO R S So often when we talk about Wildlife Crime, the basic notion is that the authorities and conservationists are involved, to prevent animals and their habitats from getting destroyed by illegal and harmful activities. But what most people do not realise is that there is a group of special individuals who form the first pillars of any anti-poaching plan and who form the frontline of any wildlife conservation.
They serve under various titles— rangers, forest guards, eco guard and field enforcement officers—and these men and women on the frontline of conservation “are perhaps the most important protectors of the world’s natural and cultural treasures.” Wildlife Rangers are those who place themselves at the forefront, to protect the natural world we live in, animal and habitat, against people involved in the environmental terrorism that is happening today. As the world acknowledges the many efforts under way locally, regionally and globally to promote human welfare and improve the human condition, it is perhaps important too to acknowledge the contributions of a different kind of humanitarian, nature’s humanitarian.
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A W O R L D TO D I S C O V E R , A W O R L D T O K E E P I N TO T H E G A M I N G R E A L M Games have evolved so much over the past century. Once only thought to be for nerds living in basements, it has now become an enjoyable pasttime for all. “It’s been estimated that the average 21 year-old will have spent 10,000 hours playing games, the average gamer is thirty years old, and the gender split is pretty equal with 46% female and 54% male buying games.“ (Harling, 2013) And with how games are engaging people nowadays, as proven by the statistics, games are not only limited to be used as entertainment, but also for social good. To name a few cases, games have been used to raise awareness of issues like the dwindling resources on earth with the game called LP Recharge which is set in a fictional world where robots and humans battle it out to obtain the remaining few Earth resources, while the game has its action and fun for players, those who engage with the
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game can learn about sustainable energy and be aware of the need to preserve the natural resources that is left in the world. For a game closer to the topic of Wildlife Crime, Minecraft has partnered with United For Wildlife, to come up with the game, We are the Rangers, aimed at educating players about species being driven to extinction by the illegal wildlife trade. Knowing this, the idea for Keepers of the Wild sparked - to have a game that not only aims at bringing more awareness towards the illegal wildlife trade, but more importantly, bringing the attention to the Wildlife Rangers, the brave men and women at the frontline, and allowing people to experience and learn what their job is like, what they go through, so as to foster more appreciation towards them, and hopefully more support for their work, be it monetary or just a simple thanks.
A FICTIONAL WORLD BASED ON REALITY As wildlife rangers are present everywhere in the world, they each work in a certain kind of natural environent, based on the country that they are from. Thus a fictional land is where this game is set in, where these different environments come together. Five environments have been chosen to be put together, in which the animals most affected by illegal wildlife trade are from, separated by barriers between each area. The storyline of the game follows the path north-west, starting from the southern-most part.
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tHe RANGERs D E D I C AT E D I N D I V I D U A L S In the recent statistics provided by the International Ranger Federation (IRF) more than 1,000 rangers have been killed in the line of duty during the past decade, with actual count amounting to 5,000 deaths, at a rate of 1 ranger getting killed every 4 days. These is because they are not always fully equipped, trained or appreciated and working under harsh conditions, they put their lives on the line in the face of armed poachers. It is no exaggeration that in some parts of Africa rangers aren’t even paid, and they’re going up against AK47s with stun guns. Yet despite the odds, “Many who become game rangers go into it knowing that the position goes with many dangers of wild animals, dehydration, irritating insects, never mind the poachers—and most are the type of tough personality that can handle the rigors of the job,”
says Kevin Bewick, head of the Anti-Poaching Intelligence Group of Southern Africa. This shows the strong determination and dedication towards protecting our wildlife and going agianst terror. C H A R A CT E R Determined, strong-willed, brave, dedicated, humble — these are the few characteristics of a wildlife ranger. And for the character of the ranger, in this case called a Keeper, I wanted to go for a look that depicted these characteristics. The designs started off with a bald guy character that was inspired from African Wildlife Rangers, which later slowly developed to some final face designs that reflected more presence and heroism.
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O U T F I T E X P LO R AT I O N Basing off several existing outfits that wildlife rangers use, starting from outercoats to uniforms, exploring on the possible character outfit was going around the idea of having a cape of some kind, much like a poncho, maybe a magical poncho, but still wearing the normal ranger uniforms on the inside. Initially, the idea was to have the character wear a turban around its head, but then this lacked the idea of belonging to an organisation, the Keeper’s Organisation, and felt more like a lone traveller, thus to give this sense of authority, a police barret was added to the design. Having the cape/poncho wrapping the character helped to create a more flexible character gender, not feminine nore masculine, but either, which also helped to give a more humble and approachable look to the character.
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T H E K E E P E R S O R G A N I S AT I O N Apart from just the main character alone, similar to a ranger oraganisation and a cross between a law enforcement organisation, there are the other non-playable character (NPCs) in which the players can interact with to learn about areas in the game, but more importantly the factual information on the illegal wildlife trade and the animals involved in which the missions will come in after knowing these infromation. These NPCs include the area keepers and the commanders. The area keepers are the ones who stand guard at the checkpoints, styled closely to the main character, but with a much simpler outfit design, which is the area symbol reflected on the centre of the coat as well as with a smaller carrier.
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R A N K I N G A N D S TAT U S S Y M B O L Apart from the area symbols, the Keepers are also represented with a symbol that shows up differently for the different ranks in the Keepers organisation, as well as reflecting the status of the player as they pass through the different area stages in the game. The player starts with the symbol without the diagonal lines and only with the vertical and horizontal ones, which represents a beginner,
and a starting rank. From here, how the symbol is used to tell the status of the character is that with each stage that the player passes, a digonal mark will appear starting from the left. A complete symbol is formed once the player finishes all 5 area stages in the game, reaching the status of a high-ranking member in the organisation. For a area keeper, keepers at the first area will only have 1 diagonal
line, the keepers at the second area will have 2 diagonal lines and this goes on all the wall till the last area, which is the fifth and so keepers in that area will have a symbol reflected with the complete diagonal lines. For the commanders in the Keepers Organisation, they will possess a complete symbol but in red to differentiate them from the keepers at the fifth area and a player who has reached the fifth area.
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I N - G A M E C H A R A C T E R LO O K The character adopts a simpler and less detailed design, making use of mostly shapes to form the whole character. The use of yellowish green was to give this sense of optimism to the character as limegreen symbolises positivity. The character ends up having a shawl around its neck to add a little sense of ‘coolness’ to the look. Depicted in the later pages, the poncho in which the character is wearing will reflect the area pattern in which the player is in to facilitate knowing one’s whereabounts and status in the game.
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tHe POACHER N O LO N E R U N T R A I N E D Previous notions of poachers were that they were poor and untrained individuals poaching to get a little extra cash, Though this is still true for a few, but it has become such that poachers have millitary background and prowess, more like a skilled hunter serving terror organisations. Knowing this, the poacher was styled with a terrorist image as a base, refering to some of Kony’s soldiers for inspiration. To match the look of the Keepers to make it seem that they belong to the same universe, various outer coverings were explored. The symbol in which to represent the poachers is inspired from how the skull(death) looks like, and the ‘X’ symbol in the middle also represent like the a pirate flag with the 2 bones overlapping each other. This is to therefore symbolise, terror and destruction.
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tHe KingPIN STRIKING TERROR Over the years, illegal wildlife trade has evolved to the point where it has started to fund terrorist groups like the Lord Resistance Army(LRA) led by the infamous Joseph Kony, where they are poaching elephants and collecting ivory, just to trade with the Sundanese Government for arms and weapons. This in turn contributes to the increase in killing and poaching at the front, where communities, animal and human, are all affected, and most importantly, where embattled rangers, often the only defence for the Wildlife and communities against the killers, are increasingly being brutally murdered or tortured. This is how the scenario is like in the african plains and thougn for other
countries, the situation might not be as terrifying as this, Kingpins are still dangerous criminals that only care about their poached goods often keeping a hidden identity that makes it hard for authorities to track and stop them. Take down the Kingpin, you take down a whole line of poaching activities, and yet they hardly get caught, often hiding behind the poachers that they hired indirectly. C H A R A CT E R D E V E LO P M E N T The general idea behind the Kingpin was that this character had to seem like he was wealthy and living the good life, but at the same time the character needed to exude this sinister look, much like an evil mafia boss.
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C H A R A CT E R E X P LO R AT I O N The Kingpin adopted a big, almost over-sized body shape to depict how wealthy he is to be able to consume all that good sustenance. Some explorations along the way was trying to find an outfit that matched the character’s status above the poachers, and the keepers as well.
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It was preferred that the Kingpin had more modern clothes, to give a hidden meaning that with modern demands, and depicted by the Kingpin who represents modern demands, our wildlife and natural habitat keeps getting affected.
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The final design of the Kingpin depicts him wearing a shiny leather coat, donned with blueish-grey feathers that might perhaps come from an exotic amazonian bird, and holding on to a beautifully crafted ivory cane with its colour complementing the sumatran tiger tooth necklace he wears arounf his neck as an added charm to spice up his overall look. He surrounds himself with his poached goods.
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tHe wIlDliFE VUNERABLE VICTIMS Illegal Wildlife Trade continues to be a threat to many species, from marine turtles to timber trees, countless species are constantly overexploited to fuel the demand in the market. At this current moment the species that are becoming a concern to natualist and consevationists, are the depleting numbers of tigers left in the wild, along with the increased poaching of rhinos and elephants. Thus the tigers, rhinos(black and white) and elephants are what rangers are trying to protect now. Many other species are also affected by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, they include the lion and giraffe as well.
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The in-game designs for the animals will adopt a simple render with focus on purely shapes. This is so as to differentiate them from the heavy environmental graphics. As the player goes deeper into the game, starting from stage 2 ( old-growth forest/primeval forest ) onwards, they would be able to start encountering animals, in which the missions include saving trapped animals from poaching snares, as well as raiding poaching dens to rescue caged animals.
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ENVIRONMENTS WITHIN THE N AT U R A L H A B I TAT S Though poaching drives species extinction quite rapidly, the ongoing threat towards our wildlife has always been the loss of their natural habitats and rangers travel several miles everyday, transversing through the landscapes, looking into every nook and cranny and every hidden corner to make sure that the species living in the protected areas are well and not living with any threat. Yet it is in these natural hibitats where poachers are found, harming and hunting at the species’ doorstep. Many of these habitats are home to a diversity of wildlife, fauna and flora, and afffecting one will cause the whole eccosystem to fall.
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Wildlife rangers try to prevent that system from falling by making their rounds every day and to some, they say the biggest reward about being a ranger is to hear the sounds of the wild, undisturbed as they trek through. the day and sometimes through the months before finally coming home. AT M O S P H E R I C G A M E P L AY Having an immersive experience for the player is usually all about the atmosphere, and for Keepers of the Wild, the atmosphere is there to have people marvel at the wild scenery that they can rarely experience in person, but at least they get to do it through the screens.
ABUNDANCE OF GREENERY A distinct feature of a tropical rainforest is its dense habitat, with many species of plants, think undergrowth and heavy canopys. To portray and differentiate the rainforests from the other areas, the intial concept exploration for the had to be designed heavier than other environments, meaning more foliage.
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ENTERING THE GAME Reflecting the early mornings in the lush tropical rainforest, the game starts from appearing infront of the massive area barrier, that separates the human population area from the natural, untouched wild environment. Much like how nature reserves in which wildlife rangers work in, are sometimes protected by fenced up wire meshes that serve as a sign and
warning to trespassers and only authorised personnel can enter, otherwise it will be considered illegal and breaking the law, and those that enter illegally are part of the Wildlife Crime.
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G A M E P L AY : PC VS PHONE APP As the game is planned to be available on both PC and on the Phone. The gameplay plan differs slightly from on another, with different ways of controlling and maneuvering through the game. Both the PC and pohone will have a small mini map graphic to help with direction in the game. PC The PC will of course make use of its keyboard and mouse. Therefore, the alphabetical keys represent different kinds of reaction. Like most games, ‘W,A,S,D’ is used to move forward, backward, left and right, while the most controls the camera view, turning up, down and all around. Other keyboard buttons include ‘M’ for menu, ‘T’ for target-mode, PHONE However, with the phone, you do not get the keyboard, but on screen interaction and buttons. moving forward, backward and left and right will be through the 3/4 circle at the bottom tight. For the menu, players would have to tap the top right icon to get into the menu.
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R A I N FO R E S T S Y M B O L Inspired purely by the word rain, which is usually depicted as multiple diagonal lines, the symbol of the rainforest has 4 diagonal lines that depict the word ‘rain’ in rainforest and because the rainforests generally have 4 layers of emergent, canopy, understorey and forest floor, and thus the 4 diagonals. E n v i ro n m e n t D e s i g n • ra i n fo re st
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A D I F F E R E N T AT M O S P H E R E Compared to the bright colours featured in the rainforests, the primeval forest is all about the cool , old and mysterious atmosphere. It is to give the sense of unknown to the player who has gone through one round of forest, but this time going through something that feels entirely different and cold. Losing to deforestation rapidly, there’s this sad plight going on with old-growth forest disappearing. Blue hues come in, to represent this loss of the environment.
For the brighter parts, this is to bring in the feeling of a new set of adventure where players get to start seeing animals and also undergo missions to free the wildlife. Freeing animals gives some sense of danger and pressure to be coming face to face with animals and so the purple hues are brought in to let the player feel some sense of uncertainty and some sense of danger and trouble.
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P R I M E VA L F O R E S T SY M B O L With how old-growth/primeval forests are, there are different ages of trees, some aging to the hundreds and thousands while some are new sprouts. With this difference in age in plant species, you can have a tall big tree at the backgoung while smaller trees at the foreground and this image inspired the creation of the symbol.
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RESTING IN THE WILD As the game is about experiencing the scenario of what a wildlife ranger would probably experience in real-life, a possible scenario in the game would be when the character has a low energy status, players can set up a tent by pressing the tent option in the menu and this will help the character regain energy.
The menu box should also include the health status, thirst bar, equipment life as well, and players would have to take note of these factors just like how a ranger in real-life has to make sure he or she is drinking enough water, is eating enough sustenance, is getting enough rest and is wearing proper gear for the trek in the wild.
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TRANQUILLISE AND S AV E M I S S I O N Starting from the primeval forest onwards, the players would have to complete mission that involve traquillising an animal that is trapped in a poaching snare and removing the snares for the animal. In the figures above, once encountering a trapped animal, players would have to press “T’ or in the case for the phone app, to go into the menu and select the traquillier gun to enter “Target Mode”.
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When aiming at an animal with a traquilliser, a red spot indicates where the player should aim and a succesful aim would then cause the aniaml be unconscious. With that, the player can approach closer to the animal and start removing the snare.
D E C I D U O U S F O R E S T SY M B O L Inspired by the tall pine trees with outward facing leaves, that are thin and sparse, the symbol was created to represent that similar image of a tall pin tree.
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G R A S S L A N D S A N D S AVA N N A H For the dry broad-leaf forest, it is represent with a symbol that looks like sparse grass as it is exactly like how a dry broad-leaf forest grassland, with sparse dry grass and thus the symbol was creater. The most common and iconic pictures you see of savannas are the image of a rising or setting sun, painting the sky a nice gradient of orange starting from the horizon, and with that the symbol represents a sun at the horizon, which also depicts a new and adventurous day.
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T H E H OT S P O T The savanna is planned to be last stage as it is the area that african rangers struggle with. Not that all rangers do not struggle but at the african plains in reality, there is a brutal war going on there, and therefore in the game, it is has to be set as the final and most challenging stage for the players, where they combat poachers hands on. 55
AT T H E E N D Ultimately the objective of the game is to take down the kingpin by going through the different missions in the game and obtaining numerical bearings and clues to the final location, which ends up as a happy ending where you save the day. However, one has to realise, in real life, this conclusion isn’t as easy to reach and there are real struggles going on. If one struggles in a game like this as a ranger in a fantasy world, how is it like for a ranger in the real-world?
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SUPPORT THE FRONTLINES As global citizens and people sharing this one planet, we all have a part to play in this increasingly alarming issue called the illegal wildlife trade, and whatever support we can offer towards conservation efforts is the least that we can do. Being responsible consumers to stop the demand is definitely the most effective solution, but an alternative is also to start supporting the rangers because “….Any conservation action should start with supporting those that put their lives on the line to protect it every day.” and by supporting the rangers, they can effectively stop the poaching at the frontline, which stops the smuggling before it reaches the stores to fuel the demand. Thus through the game, it is primarily about understanding the difficult roles of a ranger, but at the same time, observing, from the rangers point of view, the wildlife and habitat that they are putting their lives on
the line to protect and seeing them die in front of their eyes due to how they cannot protect them well enough due to their circumstances of being underequipped, underskilled and even the rules of engagement in africa binds them. In a way, as how games have succesfully engaged different groups of people, this game aims to create an awareness towards our wildlife rangers and stiring a certain empathy and appreciation for their efforts so as to spur the audience to pledge their support for our rangers, either to petition for more government support(change in rules of engagement in South Africa) or to donate a little for new equipments to help rangers defend themselves, or even, to write a card of thanks and encouragement, in one’s own time .
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