''Get Water!'' is a mobile game about the
water scarcity in India
Water scarcity in India is an ongoing crisis that affects nearly hundreds of million of people each year. In addition to affecting the huge rural and urban population, the water scarcity in India also extensively affects the ecosystem and agricul ...
and South Asia, and the effects it has on girls' education. It is developed by the Montreal-based start-up Decode Global Studio, with the goal to create an educational game which is also entertaining and challenging to play.
[Shapiro, Jordan (2013-03-22). ]
A Touch-Screen Game That Wants to Save the World
', Forbes. Retrieved 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2014-03-31. The game was originally released for
iOS
Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
on 22 March 2013, on
World Water Day
World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of Water resources, freshwater resources. The theme of eac ...
, and was ported to
Android
Android most commonly refers to:
*Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google
* Android TV, a operating system developed ...
a year later for World Water Day 2014.
Launch Party
', Get Water! blog, 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
Get Water! Launches on Android for World Water Day!
', Get Water! blog, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
Story
Maya is a girl who loves going to school and learning new things, but as the village's water pump is broken she keeps getting pulled out of school to get water for her family. The faster Maya can collect water, the faster she can get back to school to learn more. Throughout the story, she gets help from her mother and other people in the village, who want to make it easier for her to collect water and help her get an education.
Gameplay
Get Water is a side-scrolling endless runner with story elements. The player helps Maya collect water and other collectibles, as well as avoiding enemies, by drawing a line she can surf on. In addition to controlling Maya's movements the player can tap on the screen to make Maya throw a boomerang to fend off enemies who will try to break her water pot. By collecting water the player unlocks new chapters in Maya's story, shown as still-image videos, and Maya learns new skills so she can collect water faster and protect it better.
Get Water! by Decode Global- an Endless Runner App Designed to Entertain and Educate
'', The iMums, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
Educational aspect
The story highlights the effect water scarcity has on girls' education in slums and rural areas of India. After each run the player gets additional information about water scarcity, how it is used nowadays, and how to conserve it in everyday life. In addition to the information found in the game, a six-part lesson plan for 4-6 grade teachers is available on the game's website in PDF format to download for free.
Reception
The iOS version of ''Get Water!'' is one of the winners of the Create UNAOC 2012 competition.
Create UNAOC winners 2012
', United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, 2012. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
References
External links
* {{official, http://getwatergame.com/
Official site of the developer
2013 video games
Android (operating system) games
Children's educational video games
IOS games
Video games developed in Canada
Video games set in India
Endless runner games