Mixed-reality game Gbanga Zooh

“It’s fun to mix a scavenger hunt and collecting of virtual items”

— FlohEinstein, player

Gbanga Zooh, the mixed-reality location-based game was designed for the Zurich Zoo to raise awareness about endangered animals. Gbanga released (virtual) wild animals all across the city that needed to be saved by the players. The quest was combined with cross media promotion (flyer, posters, website, and newspaper) to reach a maximum attention.

Realisation

The goal of Zoo Zurich was to increase walk-in customer traffic for the target group of 20-35 year-olds (after childhood, before becoming parents) while also communicating the topic of endangered animal species.

Gbanga developed and designed a fun game experience that would take engage participating players via virtual interactions with endangered animals and make them experience the zoo beyond the zoological garden’s physical boundaries.

Gbanga Millform developed the game as a native mobile app for feature phones such as Symbian and Nokia.

Quick Facts

  • Edutainment for a zoo
  • Mashup of skill game and outdoor exploration
  • Interactive conversation with virtual animals
  • Promote knowledge around habitats
  • Location-based outdoor gameplay

Technology used

  • Eclipse/J2ME
  • GPS and GSM localization algorithms
  • LAMP (game world server, leaderboard server)

Video