Can conservation really be effective through video games? A case study on Jack Barau and some perspectives

Journal of Geek Studies jgeekstudies.org Almost half of the world’s population plays video games (Buijisman, 2024). Whether the experience is intensive or sporadic, gaming has become commonplace, diverse, and complex. While many games, such as Mario Kart, Fortnite or Rocket League, are primarily designed to entertain players, the advent of independent gaming, combined with virtual and touch interfaces that are increasingly present in our lives, has led to the emergence of so-called ‘serious’ video games. A ‘serious’ game is an experience that uses the codes of video games to convey a message (Annetta, 2010; Verdier, 2024b). They can be used in several cases, such as social learning, or to express serious topics, such as violence against women (Annetta 2010; Verdier, 2024b; Veríssimo, 2024). But this “serious” part of video games can be mixed with a practice whose primary objective is entertainment or discovery (Annetta 2010; Verdier, 2024b; Veríssimo, 2024). For example, many games with an environmental theme subtly teach ecology. The 2024 French video game Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, behind its cuteness, teaches players about the importance of wetland management (Verdier, 2023a; Couture, 2024), while the more ambitious 2023’s Under the Waves teaches the importance of marine ecosystems (Verdier, 2023a; Surfrider Foundation, 2024). In recent years, video games have also been used for conservation purposes (Veríssimo, 2024). The game Kakapo Run aims to raise awareness about the future of the kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), a critically endangered New Zealand parrot, by borrowing from another successful mobile video game, Temple Run, a pioneer of the new generation of “Endless Runner” genre (Chong, 2015) The game, which has been downloaded more than 100,000 times, is just one example of the many efforts being made to interest the general public in these issues. In this study, we will look at another game based on another bird, Barau’s petrel (Pterodroma baraui). Thierry Brochart and Rodolphe Bax, the developers of Pixel Sunset Studio, and Julie Tourmetz, Capacity Manager at the SEOR (Société d'études ornithologiques de La Réunion) Wildlife Conservation Centre, agreed to talk to me about the creation of Jack Barau, a video game that aims to raise public awareness about the future of this bird (SEOR, 2016). Camille Paget, who was Communication Officer of the SEOR at the time and a particularly important person on the ‘Life+ Pétrels’ project, could not be contacted for writing this paper. After that, we will see that creating a video game about conservation remains 109 Can conservation really be effective through video games? A case study on Jack Barau and some perspectives Florian Verdier Independent Researcher, Sens, France. Email: [email protected] Cite this article as: Verdier, F. (2025) Can conservation really be effective through video games? A case study on Jack Barau and some perspectives. Journal of Geek Studies 12(2): 109-125. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17506428 Verdier, F. complicated as it involves rules and constraints, but also that the success of the operation, although real, is difficult to measure given the actions taken before the game was released. In any case, video games remain a powerful tool for raising awareness and, when used effectively, can teach the general public about the importance of conserving species and the environments in which they live. MAKING OF THE GAME Barau’s Petrel Barau’s petrel (Pterodroma baraui) is an endangered seabird measuring approximately 40 cm in length, 1 m in wingspan, and it belongs to the Procellariidae family. Only around 15,000 to 20,000 pairs of this bird remain; it is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN (Carboneras et al., 2020a; Life+ Pétrels, 2025). It spends half its time cruising the waters of the Indian Ocean, while the other half is devoted to breeding, which takes place only on the island of Réunion. This species is known to be philopatric, and the pair incubates, cares for, and feeds a single chick per year. If the clutch fails, for assorted reasons including predation by rats and cats, it is not replaced (Carboneras et al., 2020a; Life+ Pétrels, 2025). The young birds that leave the nest are also subject to serious dangers. In addition to cats and other predators, young petrels are also victims of heavy light pollution, which disorients them during their first flights and causes them to land in the middle of cities, where they have great difficulty taking off again. These birds probably mistake the lights for food or the night sky, as their eyes are not yet fully developed (Carboneras et al., 2020a; BL Évolution, 2022; Guide-Reunion, 2025; Life+ Pétrels, 2025). Every year, the SEOR collects between 1,000 and 1,500 young Barau’s petrels. The rescue success rate averages 85% of birds saved and released. This represents approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of all rescue operations carried out by the association over the course of a year. The most critical period is between 19 April and the end of the month when every effort is made to prevent Barau’s petrels from stranding. Among its efforts, the island is trying to reduce the population of invasive alien species by poisoning rats and capturing cats (Carboneras et al., 2020a; Life+ Pétrels, 2025). These actions are not always well received by the inhabitants. Since 2009, the island of Réunion, through the CCEE (Conseil de la culture, de l'éducation et de l'environnement), SEOR Journal of Geek Studies 12(2): 109-125 (2025). Figure 1. A Barau’s petrel. Photo by Julie Toumetz, used with permission. Figure 2. In these boxes, numerous Barau’s petrels briefly wait their releasing to the wild. Photo by Julie Toumetz, used with permission. and Réunion National Park, has also implemented a measure to turn off the lights in towns and cities. Initially synchronised with the event that takes place in mainland France and Québec in October (where it is named ‘Le Jour de la Nuit’, i.e., The Day of the Night; https://jourdelanuit.fr/), the SEOR decided to reschedule this date to coincide with the critical flight period for young Barau’s petrels. Sixteen years later, the hour of extinction has turned into a month, corresponding to the flight period for young petrels (Carboneras et al., 2020a; BL Évolution, 2022; Guide-Reunion, 2025). The event called ‘Nuits sans lumières’ (Nights without lights), in Réunion, is not mandatory. “While some parts of the island are playing along, others are leaving their lights on, believing that they are not responsible for the birds stranding themselves, or that it is not a priority for them. The latter must reconcile the welfare of birds with public demands, particularly in terms of safety”, explains Julie Tourmetz during our meeting. This process is also found in mainland France, where many towns and cities are taking a middle ground in order to reassure the population. For example, the intensity of lighting is reduced (Chavance, 2022). In line with the conservation measures for Barau’s petrel mentioned above, SEOR, the University of Réunion and the National Park have put together a dossier to access a Life+ programme, which provides European funding for various themes, such as the environment. In this case, the programme focused on the conservation of Réunion's endemic petrels, the Barau’s petrel and the even rarer Mascarene petrel (Pseudobulweria aterrima) (Life+ Pétrels, 2025). Slightly smaller than the Barau’s petrel, this bird is considered as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN (Carboneras et al., 2020b). Launched in 2014, the programme aimed to promote conservation, communication and awareness-raising activities about the two species of birds (Life+ Pétrels, 2025). Kickstarting the game Among these discussions, a proposal for a Game Jam on the theme of the petrel was put forward. A Game Jam is a competition (video or board games) in which participants must create a game within a limited time frame on a given theme, at a local, national or even international level (e.g., https://globalgamejam.org/). At the end of the allotted time, a jury meets to test the games and select one or more winners based on the quality of the production, its originality, or its fidelity to the given theme. Jack Barau: games and conservation 111 Figure 3. A young Barau’s petrel, rescued from probably trapped under the lights. Photo by Julie Toumetz, used with permission. Figure 4. Two Mascarene petrels on the hands of two members of the SEOR. Photo by Julie Toumetz, used with permission. Verdier, F. Created in 2014 by Thierry Brochart, the ‘Game Jam des Volcans’ (Volcano Game Jam) is supported by the Bouftang collective, a regional video game association in Réunion. It is organised jointly with the national park and explores predominantly “serious” topics such as volcanology and the water cycle. “SEOR, through the director of the Cité du Volcan, Patrice Huet, has expressed its interest in the exercise,” synthetized me Thierry in our conversation. While there may still be some reluctance to use video games in such concrete initiatives, there was no resistance to the novelty of the concept. “We were really interested to see what it could bring us [...] because it was an unusual medium for us. The idea of making a video game, especially through a competition, was intriguing. And that is why we decided to see this adventure through to the end,” Julie Tourmetz summarised. The jury was made up of members of SEOR, as well as game developers such as Éric Chahi, the renowned French creator of internationally acclaimed titles such as 1994’s Another World and 1998’s Heart of Darkness. In 2016, the theme of protecting petrels brought together around fifty developers, including Thierry Brochart and Rodolphe Bax, the creators of Jack Barau. After attending a masterclass by members of SEOR on protecting petrels, the developers had 48 hours to design a game based on protecting the Barau’s petrel. “What the game needed was for people to understand what the threats were and why we are trying to conserve the bird,” summarises Julie. Developers were given a lot of freedom in how they interpreted the subject. The game design of Jack Barau Eight to nine projects were presented, and the one that won the jury’s favour was Jack Barau, created by Thierry Brochart and Rodolphe Bax. It is a 2D platform game in which a Barau’s petrel named Jack must guide young petrels to the end of each level, all in a cartoon-like atmosphere. Players must dodge the yellow lights to avoid losing individuals until they reach the end of the different level, keeping in mind that the more petrels they have behind them, the Figure 5. Key art of Jack Barau. By Rodolphe Bax, used with permission. Journal of Geek Studies 12(2): 109-125 (2025). more complex it will be to navigate the level. While the game’s inspirations are unconscious, Thierry decided to adopt a design philosophy well known in the video game industry: “design by subtraction.” Popularized by Fumito Ueda, a Japanese game designer famous for games such as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, the concept consists of removing anything that could be superfluous in the process of development (Mecheri, 2017; Costa, 2022). “We didn’t want anything complicated to get our message across. We thought it would work better if we set a simple framework for our rules and stuck to it,” Thierry points out. As so, Thierry and Rodolphe worked hard to simplify the game and its mechanics, such as Jack’s movement, which allows him to fly indefinitely and makes him invulnerable to yellow lights. This is one last point that could undermine the message but is coherent with reality, as only young birds get trapped by the lights, not adults. The other rule that Thierry, Rodolphe, and by extension SEOR set for themselves was to make the game as easy to play as possible, since it was intended for all audiences. The cartoon style introduced by Rodolphe was a first step, since it’s generally synonymous with accessibility. But this also had to be reflected in the game’s playability. “We were really keen to offer a game that was very accessible from the outset, playable by a child using only a joystick. I didn’t want us to include tons of tutorials explaining that if you press this button, you can fly,” adds Rodolphe. The simplicity also comes through in the use of certain codes specific to video games. While the aim was to show the danger of the city’s yellow lights, the developers added another light on Jack’s head – this one blue – to make it logic to players that the young birds they rescue must follow Jack. To complete the idea, audible and visual signal (a small blue halo) were added when Jack comes into contact with a young Barau’s petrel. The distinction between colours and various signals makes it possible to differentiate between danger and safety. Thierry would have liked to bypass Jack Barau: games and conservation 113 Figure 6. The aim of the game is to bring young petrels to the end of the level by avoiding yellow lights and enemies. Screen capture from the game. Verdier, F. the system, which meant finding another one to compensate. All these more playful choices surprised Thierry and Rodolphe to have been selected. After the Game Jam, Thierry and Rodolphe were able to fine tune their basic project before developing Jack Barau for mobile devices with financial help delivered by the Life+ program. SEOR and the developers then worked closely together to complete the project, which was to be presented in schools and colleges, as the game’s target audience had been refined. They then set out to develop two aspects that could not be realised during the Game Jam. The first was the presence of predators threatening the survival of young petrels: cats and rats. It was therefore necessary to show their dangerousness, but also that they had to be eliminated to not hinder the birds’ survival. “It was a whole process that allowed us to better explain this to the public, who might be shocked by these actions. We’re talking about cat and rat control, about living animals, even introduced and exotic species, which may offend some people’s sensibilities,” says Julie. The cartoon style made it easy to introduce and explain these conservation measures, particularly the use of wolf traps that must be triggered at the right moment in the game by the player. However, the violence of the title was toned down in the definitive version to comply with Nintendo Switch standards and audiences, much more family-friendly. The other aspect that SEOR wanted to develop was the relationship between the Barau’s petrel and the Mascarene petrel. The initial goal was therefore to create a first adventure with the Barau’s petrel, then a second one, using the same game mechanics, where you control a Mascarene petrel called Black Bourbon, considered as the antagonist of the game. As a fun fact, the first colony of Mascarene petrel of Réunion was discovered during the creation of the game (Parc national de la Réunion, 2015). But unlike the Barau’s petrel, the message could not be conveyed with such a small population. It was also much easier for the public to identify with the Barau’s petrel, as it is easier to observe and is regularly cared for. The idea for this second quest was therefore abandoned. Nevertheless, Black Bourbon remains in the final game as a character in its own right, recounting its parallel adventure through a system of collectible bottles in the game. Each time a bottle is picked up, a slightly remixed cry from the Mascarene petrel can be heard. SEOR tested the game regularly to provide feedback and make corrections where necessary. “SEOR really trusted us 100%, even though we didn’t take many risks, as the message was crystal clear,” says Rodolphe. The developers then iterated on each level, testing it repeatedly to achieve the best balance, ensuring it was neither too hard nor too easy. They were able to do this by calling on various people for playtesting sessions, with volunteers testing the game and then giving their feedback, positive and negative. Even though the game was primarily intended for young people, it was very important to have it played by as diverse an audience as possible. It was thanks to these playtests that Thierry and Rodolphe realised that even though they had developed the project on mobile, which remains the most accessible platform, the game could pose problems for some people, however young they were, who did not necessarily have the equipment to play for example. Outside of schools, Jack Barau was also presented at various public and private events. CHARACTER DESIGN Young petrels Rodolphe and Thierry placed enormous importance on the game’s character design, i.e., the representation and drawing of the characters in the game. For the petrels to be rescued, the two developers wanted to emphasise the simplicity of their design. Rodolphe therefore designed small white balls of feathers, very different from their real-life counterparts, to reinforce the emJournal of Geek Studies 12(2): 109-125 (2025). pathy we might feel for them (and to make the game easier to understand). Jack Barau The character of Jack Barau was designed to be likeable, clearly inspired by the pirate played by Johnny Depp in the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean. The idea for the pun came right at the start of the Jam, as the episode Dead Man Tells no Tales was set to come out in 2017; from there, Rodolphe created a preliminary design. Once again, Rodolphe set about giving Jack more personality than realism. “If the aim was to make Jack a bird that really resembled the Barau’s petrel, it’s a bit of a failure. Petrels are much slimmer, and in the end, Jack looks more like a Dodo,” explains Thierry to me. With his chubby appearance, thick belt, hat, bandana, little tuft of hair and even his lucky coin, Jack is more like Johnny Depp’s character than a petrel. His traits reinforce his identity as a confident and proud character (even when he is wrong). “What we’re taught when designing characters is that the design must relate to the character’s personality,” continues Thierry. But one barely noticeable detail makes all the difference, and that is the small ring Jack wears on one leg. It is a subtle way of reminding the player that the bird has passed through the hands of other people. “It’s a bit like a cross between the spirit of the player who wants to save the petrels and a slightly crazy captain who has the same intentions,” sums up Rodolphe, in a clever way to break the fourth wall. The enemies With Jack’s character in mind, the world of parody piracy seemed inevitable to the two partners. The first to be impacted were the cats and rats, enemies of the petrels, who are depicted as British soldiers. The need for rigid characters quickly allowed them to categorise their designs, even if these go further than the Disney’s film series. Initially intended to be pirates themselves, Rodolphe and Thierry found it more interesting to refer these enemies to the past of Réunion, whose domination was shared between the French and the English. The final reference for the design of these characters was... rugby, and in particular a highly anticipated match between France and England, known as the Crunch. It’s also a reference to Rodolphe’s practice of this sport. Considered as the antagonist during a long part of the game, Black Bourbon has an opposite design to Jack, with a darker colour palette, but conserving the same aspect of the hero, as Black Bourbon is also a petrel. Jack’s crew The final version of the game, released on Steam and Nintendo Switch in 2025, also features a whole new crew that follows Jack on his adventure. Rodolphe decided to give free roam to his imagination, while staying true to the theme of endemic species from Réunion and the surrounding area. Jack’s right-hand man, the “Mister Smee” of the Jack Barau: games and conservation 115 Figure 7. Art of one of the young petrels you must rescue through the game. Notice how its design is pretty simplified. By Rodolphe Bax, used with permission. Figure 8. Concept art of the game’s enemies. Some of them didn’t make it to the final game. By Rodolphe Bax, used with permission. Verdier, F. crew (a reference to Disney’s Peter Pan’s Captain hook’s first mate), was therefore chosen to be a Manapany day gecko (Phelsuma inexpectata), endemic to Réunion. They are accompanied by a pair of Réunion cuckooshrikes (Lalage newtoni), which caused Rodolphe quite a few design problems. “At first, I was inspired by Google Images for their design, but that was a very bad idea. SEOR told me that it wasn’t right and guided me in the right direction, which allowed me to refine the design. It’s always better to have experts who know the field (laughs).” The last member of the crew, the group’s muscle, is a Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger). This is a nod from Rodolphe to his parents’ origins, his father being Mauritian and his mother from Réunion, as this bat is Figure 9. Concept art of Black Bourbon. Notice how close its design is to Jack’s. By Rodolphe Bax, used with permission. Figure 10. Concept art of Jack and his crew. By Rodolphe Bax, used with permission. Journal of Geek Studies 12(2): 109-125 (2025). found on both islands (Carceres, 2010). All the animals, the vast majority of which are endangered, have also undergone a pirate makeover to fit in with the game’s universe. The scenery To model it, Rodolphe opted for clarity, even at the risk of disrupting the game. “On Réunion Island, we have some truly incredible views and colours depending on the locations we wanted to include in the game. Except that we realised that changing the scenery changed the lighting atmosphere, and therefore the clarity,” explains Rodolphe. As graphics are also a very costly resource in game development, Rodolphe and Thierry settled for simplistic scenery consisting of generally wooden constructions, beaches and streets seen in cross section. “There was no point in enhancing the scenery. My only regret is that at the end of the game, I would have liked to have had a little sunrise to end the adventure,” concludes Rodolphe. DISCUSSION Aftermath of Jack Barau As we have seen, creating a game based on the conservation of an animal species requires a huge investment and a great deal of thought. Developers must synergise realism and playfulness, with the ultimate goal of striking a balance between learning and fun. This tension between the two realities is a key foundation in many video games that want to teach things, whether they focus on the environment or history, or decided to make that learning subsidiary (Verdier, 2023c). Developers must also consider the simplicity of their game in order to convey their message clearly. Finished in 2017, the primary version of Jack Barau has been enjoyed by all middle school students in Réunion. Thierry Brochart explained to me that the game was download more than 3,000 times. But the impact is probably greater than that, as Camille Payet (the previous communication officer at the SEOR) used the game on tablets for pedagogic meetings with the 83 high schools of the island, and that without counting the numerous discussions between parents and children about the game. If the game resounding success seems to be agreed upon by the three protagonists involved in the game, with students and the general public getting caught up in the game of conserving the Barau’s petrel, it’s pretty complicated to quantify clearly how many people have been really impacted by the game. The actions of SEOR since its creation in 1997 have undoubtedly influenced the general public’s behaviour towards the bird. While the main target audience, namely young children, may indeed be more impressionable, it’s possible that some of the 3,000+ people who downloaded Jack Barau were already aware of the importance of conservation efforts through other events like the annual ‘Nuits sans lumières’. The use of the Jack Barau video game may in fact be just one of many tools for animal conservation, and this is how Thierry, Rodolphe, and Julie see it at the moment. Controversy and benefits of conservation games As mentioned earlier, serious games are used by many people to address serious topics that form the basis of the game (Annetta 2010; Verdier, 2024b). It is therefore inevitably interesting to know the impact that serious games could have on players. 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(2024) Using digital mobile games to increase the support for nature conservation. Conservation Science and Practice 6: e13236. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to sincerely thank Thierry Brochart, Rodolphe Bax and Julie Tourmetz for their time and kindness. It was a pleasure to discover the behind-the-scenes story of Jack Barau’s creation, which you can discover about in the sources if you wish. Thanks to Julie and Rodolphe to provide me photos and concept arts for illustrating this study. As numerous entries are in French, don’t hesitate to contact me if you want to know more about them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Florian Verdier is a science communicator and lecturer in the field of ornithology. He is also an analyst in the field of video games. This dual expertise has led him to discuss issues relating to animal biology (mainly birds) and its representation in video games for several media outlets. Jack Barau: games and conservation 125