Lifebox. A Virtual Ecosystem.
Virtually Maker Faire 2020
LifeBox is a project about a virtual species ecosystem.
Inside the LifeBox you can find two different kind of species. Each of the species have a set of parameters that defines how they evolve inside the virtual ecosystem, and you can change all the parameters of species in real-time.
The species need to gather energy to grow, replicate itself and survive. The goal of the project is to offer the possibility to learn the basic concepts of biology through the experimentation, viewing the consequences of your actions and trying to find the way to balance the ecosystem through changing the LifeBox parameters.
What are the problems you aim to help solve with this project?:
From the beginning the lifebox project has been thought to be an interactive project for educational purposes. The objective is to mix programming with elements of recreational biology, so that attendees can understand basic concepts of biology while having fun modifying the behavior of different species in the simulator and trying to find the balance between them.
Although this project was created before the covid-19 pandemic, I adapted the narrative to explain some "virus related" general characteristics, like the expansion rate, the isolation of the groups or the "herd immunity" effect.
