Welcome to the Launch

Hello!

This event has passed, but you’re in luck! The free DIY Go Extinct! Game Design platform is live!

Check it out here!

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Hooray!

You’re invited to design games, learn about evolution, and explore Australia’s biodiversity

ALL AT THE SAME TIME

…on Sunday, 29 April 2018 any time between 9am – noon at The Edge, South Bank’s coolest library.

Rock up at 9am and we’ll have some savvy people from government and research say a word or two about creativity in science education.

But it’s also totally fine to just stop by anytime between 9am – noon. Could we suggest a family outing? If you’re super keen, be sure to save your spot on a computer by registering below.

The Important Details:

WHEN: Sunday, 29 April, 9am – noon, stop by anytime

WHERE: The Edge (State Library), South Bank

COST: Free!

WHY: DIY Go Extinct! is a new game design platform created to inspire a greater diversity of kids to pursue STEM. Our team, backed by the Advance Queensland Engaging Science initiative and the U.S. Embassy, aims to emphasise creativity in science education. Join us for the launch!

HERE’S WHAT YOU GET TO DO:

You will be one of the first to try an all new game design platform. You, yes, you get to design your own board game featuring Australian flora, fauna, and fossils! This platform is completely free and is designed to engage kids, families, and teachers with evolution science.

The game platform is based on STEAM Galaxy’s flagship, award-winning game, Go Extinct! which can be found worldwide in museum stores like Questacon and the American Museum of Natural History. The top international scientific publications, Science and Nature, both featured the game and it has won awards for outstanding scientific outreach as well as for pure fun!

Go Extinct! classic

Go Extinct! organically teaches players how to read evolutionary trees because it builds intriguing strategy around this fundamental scientific skill. Go Extinct! proves that a game can be both laugh out-loud funny and science standards aligned. In fact, evolutionary trees are one of the most profound scientific diagrams because they show us how life can be at once mind-blowingly diverse yet also unified by common ancestors.

With the all new game design platform, you get to create all-new versions of Go Extinct! around 6 possible evolutionary trees featuring:

Animals of the Great Barrier Reef
Classic Aussie marsupial mammals
Venomous snakes of Oz
Australia’s gorgeous flowering plants
Megafauna (the biggest animals Australia has or had to offer since the last Ice Age)
Dinosaurs of Gondwana (the massive southern supercontinent Australia was a part of over 300 million years ago)

Once you choose your favourite tree, you get to make design decisions from colour scheme, board design, and most importantly, which animals, plants, or fossils should go on the cards.

Then when you’re all set, you will get the files to print out your board and cards for continued fun, friendly family game nights, and of course, science awesomeness.

The game features art by Anita Tung and UQ paleontologist Dr. Anthony Romilio so your game will always have that professional polish.

WHO MADE THIS?

Ariel Marcy, PhD candidate in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Queensland and Founder of STEAM Galaxy Studios. She researches mammalian evolution by day and designs educational games by night. You can read a recent interview with her about International Women’s Day here.

Tim Smith, Director of Evidently So. He is passionate about promoting science in a visually stunning way. His company helps researchers communicate their findings to the public with innovative websites, presentations, publications, and more.

Grants from the Advance Queensland Engaging Science initiative and The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section made this free DIY Go Extinct! launch event and game design platform possible.

HOW CAN I SAVE MY SPOT?

Yay! We can’t wait to see you at The Edge library in South Bank.