What are we trying to do?
 

Watch this short video to get a taste of what Hyperlife will be about.

We believe that education is the key to our children’s future. We also know that children learn best through play. Our Foundation is a startup that creates high-quality animation and world-class gaming formats that teach our children with engaging, exciting, and yes, educational games. We are striving to create a great game for children of all ages that will help them learn about the natural world, and we need your help to get it made. Please take a look at our goals and what we are able to offer you for your support – thank you!

Hyperlife will be a narrative-driven game that takes players on a journey through our natural world. Children will explore a series of authentic and beautiful environments inspired by real-world locations right here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through a compelling story, players will learn essential survival skills and discover how to transform bare, barren fields and wetlands into flourishing native bushland, learning about our stunning native trees, birds and animals at every stage. The more a player learns, the better the forest systems they create will become! Players will witness the results of catastrophic climate events and have opportunities to explore different conservation methods to protect their forests.

We’re drawing straight from the “Nature of Science” area in the NZ schools curriculum, including the four key areas: the Living World, Planet Earth and beyond, the Physical World and the Material World. We have teachers on our team who will ensure that all learning in the game is fully aligned with the curriculum and appropriate for different learning levels. Inside the game will be several NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) for players to interact with who will serve as experts for different elements of the natural world – and this could be you, as part of our highest reward. 

Hyperlife will take the form of a classic third-person adventure game. This way the child playing can see and feel their character interacting with the environment. We intend to provide a number of customisation options so children can create a truly unique avatar tailored to them. While many games (including some of our own previous games) do include this sort of customisation, we really want to take this to the next level in Hyperlife. 

If we achieve our second stretch goal, we will be able to add a level of avatar inclusion rarely seen before in gaming – a true celebration of our diversity, up-levelling avatars with prosthetics, hearing aids, skin conditions, alopecia, scars, heterochromia, visual impairments, dyslexia, Downs Syndrome, Asperger’s Syndrome, and more. We know that these differences are often overlooked in gaming, and that the time is now for all children to be represented, no matter what form their superpower takes. 

Hyperlife is going to be easily playable for all children. With your help, we can achieve our stretch goal of including a wide range of language options – with “mix and match” spoken audio and subtitles. Do you want to hear te reo Māori and see English subtitles? Maybe you want Russian voice and Samoan subtitles? No problem!

We hope to include a wider range of language options for all children who play Hyperlife. We would dearly love to include sign language for deaf children and a special colour mode for visually impaired children. No matter what language they speak or difficulty a child faces, we want them to have access to the fun learning that this game will provide. We need your help to create tailored options for every child who wants to play Hyperlife.

Hyperlife will offer a range of broad topics. Players will be able to advance their own reforestation module as they complete challenges and learning activities at each stage.

Learning areas featured in Hyperlife may include the following topics:

• Native and ancient Flora and Fauna
• Forest ecological systems
• Trees and plants, including species identification in the forests
• Wild food gathering (edibles versus non-edibles)
• The importance of water
• Soil composition
• Rongoā (traditional medicines)
• Introduced species and predators
• Photography and bird identification
• Modern trapping, traditional trapping
• Survival in the wild
• Navigation through a forest
• Real-world conservation methods
• Survival skills in the forest
• Catastrophic events (fires, floods, and ice)
• Cultural alignment and differing world views about the environment
   

As a real plus for parents and teachers, the game includes a full dashboard for tracking and reviewing a child’s progress. We would like teachers and parents to be able to guide children through the game by setting the appropriate individual learning levels and unlocking subject areas as per classroom lesson schedules. We have a dashboard already developed for some of our earlier games running on the AFED platform, and if we achieve our stretch goals we will be able to build this extra functionality to allow customisation and portions of the game to be managed by the adults.

Teachers will also be able to see exactly where the content in the game aligns within the NZ curriculum and access custom created blocks of lessons, with achievement objectives and success criteria. The dashboard will also have a reporting tool that allows parents and teachers to export customised data reports to track children’s learning, and a range of notification options to track players’ progress and achievements.

As with all our games, there will be full security and data privacy protocols in place. We’ve implemented a full range of cybersecurity tools – in other words, we guarantee that all your data will be safe and secure.

As you can see we have huge ambitions for Hyperlife, with plans for a lot of fantastic content for our young players. We have been fortunate to have received private funding from some amazing sponsors to allow us to create our previous games, and the Jean Swainson Foundation has already released four games into the market through the AFED platform. We have over 6000 active users at the time of publication!

We have the experience to bring these ideas to life, and you’ll hear more about this when you meet our team below!

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the images so far, please check out even more pictures from some of our other games, including some still in development. This is a small taste of what we may be able to create for Hyperlife with your help!

These are just a few of the gorgeous native trees that we have created for one of our previous projects. We’d like to create many more new species of native trees for Hyperlife to really showcase the whole range of natural beauty and the incredible variety seen here across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Who are we? 

We have a diverse and passionate team working on this project, with decades of combined experience in both game development and education from all around the world, and now all based right here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Let’s meet the team!

Cam Swainson-Whaanga has worked in the TV and media industries since 2003. He started at a youth TV show for New Zealand’s biggest TV network, TVNZ (Television New Zealand). He quickly saw the need for new ways to make the (Māori and Pacific) TV, video and content more accessible and the potential for new media and digital platforms to help with that.

In 2017, he started exploring the digital platform of gaming to reach communities in Aotearoa/New Zealand. He created a new gamified learning platform using leading-edge technology such as Augmented reality, AI speech recognition, virtual reality, and 3d questions and is browser and cloud-based.

Cam started a foundation in his late mothers’ name (The Jean Swainson Foundation). He started volunteering to teach kids after school about coding and digital technologies. This has now grown into developing online and gamified versions of learning resources for the NZ government and NGOs. These learning areas cover Financial Literacy, Wellbeing, Te Reo Māori and Respiratory Health.

Cam is passionate and convinced of the power of video and digital media and platforms to positively influence and help communities across the globe.

Within the realms of Kaitiakitanga, or Guardianship for the natural world, brings a degree of adventure. It is here Owen thrives using his knowledge of the natural world and bushcraft, which allows him to thrive with the simplest tools in the wild country. From a very young age, Owen has been passionate about nature, learning the habitats of the animals with a sense to always want to stay connected. We are delighted to work with him to help reforestation efforts across Aotearoa.

Kia ora koutou.  Ko Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa te iwi.  Ko Alma Hume tōku ingoa, no Te Wairoa āhau.  Greetings, my name is Alma Hume, and I live in Wairoa.

Alma is of Māori descent, the indigenous culture of Aotearoa New Zealand. Her role is in Operations and Administration – basically, she keeps things humming. Alma believes that people and the environment should be at the core of everything we do. No reira – tēnā koutou katoa.  Ngā mihi.

Kia ora koutou.  Ko Andrew Hume tōku ingoa, no Te Wairoa āhau.  Hello everyone, my name is Andrew Hume, an NZ Pākehā of Scottish and Welsh descent.

Andrew lives in Wairoa, New Zealand with his wife and four children.  His role in Jean Swainson Foundation is CTO.  Andrew has a significant background in IT infrastructure, software development and IT consultancy.  He believes that caring for the people, community and environment are where the future lies.

Bryan Swainson has had 50 years as a business owner and marketing and strategy specialist. Bryan provides guidance and strategy to help the Jean Swainson Foundation games and resources reach learners across Aotearoa New Zealand and the world.

Richard is of Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Porou, English and Scottish descent. He has worked extensively as a public servant, in private business and as a volunteer in the community. His main hobbies are reading, fishing and environmental work in habitat restoration around lakes and waterways.

Liz Donnelly is a Pākehā New Zealander of Irish descent, a Teacher with a background in writing and media production. Liz has been involved with the Jean Swainson Foundation since the start and loves that each project gives so much back to the community.

Ian has worked across both the digital and education sectors since 1997. He began working at a digital agency creating 3d animations, music videos and promotional materials. He has over 10 years of experience teaching and lecturing digital content including animation, sculpting, visual effects and game design. He has developed courses and materials nationally recognised by bodies such as NZQA and CITRENZ.

Since 2014 he has worked exclusively in the gaming industry and has contributed to dozens of shipped titles made here both in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the globe. He is passionate about working on projects that combine education and game design with helping children achieve their learning goals. He has worked as an Art Director and producer on many previous projects and is excited to help lead the creative team for Hyperlife.

Alejandra is originally from Peru. She is a designer and developer, and her background includes winning a national award in Peru for creating a game that improves adherence to tuberculosis treatment in children. Alejandra also received a Character Creation award that led to her decision to live and study in Aotearoa New Zealand. In Auckland, she has worked in a startup organisation that aims to translate English to Sign Language, and is now working with Jean Swainson Foundation as an artist and programmer on several different educational projects.

Her goal is to make a difference using Video Games & Apps with an aim and purpose, and she loves learning about new cultures and practising the ukulele.

Deep was born in Punjab, India and moved to Aotearoa New Zealand six years ago to become a digital artist. For the last four years, he has been working full time as a 3D artist and film director in Auckland. Recently he and his business partner have started their own film studio based in Auckland, called Eleven FX. where they provide stunning visual effects, 3D visualisation and film production.

Deep is not just passionate for digital art, but also for mother nature. He has been doing small things for the environment over the last few years, such as avoiding eating meat and using soap, rather than plastic bottle lotions. Deep is particularly excited to work on this game as he will have the chance to create native New Zealand trees in a 3D environment. He feels that it is an excellent opportunity for him to discover more about New Zealand history and to help others to learn more about New Zealand through playing the game.

Flavio hails from Chile in South America. He has over 12 years of experience working in 3D animation and visual effects. He was one of the founding members of Believe.tv, which has become one of the leading animation studios in South America, working with diverse international brands including Marvel, Transformers, Nestle, and Miley Cyrus.

Flavio is working with Jean Swainson Foundation to create a wide range of new and authentic 3D content for our games. He loves to travel, explore natural environments and has found a deep connection here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Born and raised in the Heart of South Auckland, Joshua Robinson is an aspiring Māori 3D animator finishing his university degree. He has had a range of success with his award-winning animated short film “Home”, an insightful and moving film tackling domestic violence and mental health. “Home” was hand-picked to screen at the prestigious imagineNATIVE film festival in Toronto, Canada in 2019. Joshua is now working as an animator for Jean Swainson Foundation, while also working on creating his next short film.

Our Partners

We are thrilled to partner with Trees That Count for Hyperlife. With their support, we will help see the planting of real trees all across Aotearoa New Zealand.

“In November 2016, Trees That Count was launched. We’re building a movement to help New Zealanders to plant millions more native trees. It’s about planting the trees that count – for restoring and enhancing our environment, for biodiversity, for climate change.

Let’s face it, with all the complexity of technology around us today, native trees provide us with perhaps the most powerful, yet simple, technology of all to take positive action for our environment.

Our native trees not only sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but they provide habitat for our native birds, better water quality in our streams, and more beautiful places for future generations to explore.”

Why do we care?
 

Our team is full of people passionate about contributing positively to our community and the environment. We are all experts in our chosen areas of media production, education, research and advocacy – and many of us are also parents, highly aware of how popular video games are with children. We know that education is key to children forging their own bright futures, and also we know that if Hyperlife is engaging and fun, children will enjoy the learning journey they go on while playing the game.

Our Goal

NZ $60,000

We’ll make the game! Reaching this goal will allow us to create the core functionality of the game, including the functionality to create one reforestation area, and explore a beautiful environment inspired by a real-world location in Aotearoa New Zealand. This version will utilise the existing AFED Education Dashboard system.

Stretch Goals

NZ $120,000

We can begin to implement the avatar customisation system with inclusive options. This will require the creation of many 3d assets like new models, texture (colour) options, and a whole lot of coding to make it all work correctly. We can also create a solid range of quests and learning goals we’d like to include, although we won’t be able to include everything. This version will also utilise the existing AFED Education Dashboard system.

NZ $240,000

At this goal, we can further the development of our avatar customisation system by creating a whole range of inclusive options. This will require a significant amount of brand-new custom 3d model, textures and even more coding, in order to cater to a wide range of inclusive options to fully represent our players. At this point, we will be able to create an advanced and unique dashboard to add to the game more depth and features for parents and teachers alike.

NZ $500,000

Amazing, once we reach this goal we can create a full range of localisation content, implementing support for different languages in both audio and written forms, as well as creating visually impaired modes and bringing in sign language support. We’ll also be able to include the full range of quests and bring in some additional modes, like learning about survival skills.

NZ $800,000

Let’s go cross-platform! At this point, we should be able to create a version of the game across multiple platforms and devices, including a Playstation 5 version and taking things to an even more immersive level with an Occulus Quest Virtual Reality version. We’ll also be able to add some advanced networking features and co-operative gameplay features where kids can safely share their reforestation work with their peers.

What’s our plan?
 

Game development is a lengthy and involved process, but we’d like to share our current planned timeline (subject to change)

We will begin development in September 2020 after the completion of this campaign and will start by building the initial prototype. There is a lot of key functionality to create and test particularly around the ability to build the initial world, and we expect this will take several months and will likely not be completed before the end of the year.

In early 2021, we plan to focus on creating the visual content, as most of the functionality should be in place by this time. We expect to spend several months developing the high-quality graphics that we all want to see in the game while continuing to test and improve the functionality.

By the end of May 2021, we expect to release our early access beta version to our backers for further testing and feedback. Work on the graphics will continue – during this phase, we will be focusing on optimising our artwork and content to perform smoothly across as many devices as possible, to ensure the best experience for our users.

Finally, in September 2021, we plan to launch Hyperlife to the world!

Rewards
 

We have a wide range of rewards for our backers! Here are some early mockup images of some of our Kickstarter exclusive rewards:

*All exclusive items will be made to order and will not be made available for purchase after the end of the Kickstarter campaign.

**Images are digital mockups only and do not represent final items

Connect with us!

You can connect with Hyperlife on Social Media and join our discord community!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

We are incredibly excited by this project and the potential to create something amazing to support our children’s learning and help make a positive impact on our environment. We hope you are as excited as we are, and we really appreciate any support you might be able to offer us. With your help, we can make this dream a reality!