✦ WILD ARCADE

FREE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY · AGES 9–14

Plan a careful deep-water landing

Name: _______________________ Date: ______________

PLAY MISSION: DEEP DROP →Back to lesson

Play Mission: Deep Drop, then explain your observations and decisions.

1. Record your attempts

Write three landing depths from the game. Which fell within 79.50–80.50 m? If using auto stop, say so.

2. Read the target window

Which example depths are in the game window: 79.20 m, 80.10 m, 80.80 m? How wide is the window?

3. Calculate the difference

A landing reaches 80.75 m. How far is it from the 80.00 m target, and how far beyond the upper game limit?

4. Choose a site carefully

Why is “we reached 80 m” insufficient for choosing a habitat site? Name two other things the team should investigate.

5. Check what happens next

Suggest one baseline observation and one follow-up measurement. Explain why a good landing does not prove ecological recovery.

TEACHER NOTES

Run the lesson

Allow 30–40 minutes: 5 minutes discussion, 10–15 paired gameplay, 10 worksheet and 5–10 reflection. Use a browser device, paper and pencil. Offline option: discuss the example numbers and scenarios on the student sheet.

Suggested responses

  1. Accept recorded values with correct comparison against the inclusive 79.50–80.50 m window. Auto stop is a practice aid; do not grade speed or score.
  2. Only 80.10 m is inside. Width: 80.50 − 79.50 = 1.00 m.
  3. 80.75 − 80.00 = 0.75 m from target; 80.75 − 80.50 = 0.25 m beyond the upper game limit.
  4. Depth alone does not identify existing habitat or suitability. Investigate the seabed, existing wildlife, currents, stability and project constraints. Bare-looking sediment is not automatically expendable.
  5. Examples: map or film existing habitat before deployment; repeat observations of position, condition, colonisation or wildlife afterwards. Placement is an action; recovery requires ecological evidence over time.

Check understanding

Look for justified decisions, correct maths and a clear distinction between a game action and evidence of ecosystem recovery. Assess explanations rather than game scores.

Extension

Use the Deakin research link to compare cameras and underwater drones with the game’s depth display. Discuss which questions each tool could answer.

Game sponsored by Offshore Biotechnologies. Original activity by Streamline Media Australia. Introductory learning; not operational or field training.

Sources and further learning

Sources checked 3 November 2026. Game rules are drawn from the current Wild Arcade game. Classroom activities are original teaching examples, not field instructions. Cited research organisations have not endorsed these resources.