Benthic+Love+(David)

I don't intend to write out a full entry like I did for Pandemic II, but I discovered a game today that I think everyone needs to see, because it is both educational and hilarious.

The name of the game is [|Benthic Love], and it is a dating sim type game, wherein the protagonist makes a series of decisions in order to meet a romantic partner and (in most cases) consummate their union. Ordinarily this is not the sort of game one would use as an instructional tool in school, but there is a twist - the protagonist is a male Angler Fish, patrolling the deep, dark Benthic zone of the ocean in search of a female. As any biology teacher will tell you, Angler Fish mating consists of a male essentially becoming a parasitic attachment to the female's body, slowly dissolving into her flesh until all that remains is a pair of gonads that she can make use of at her leisure. Benthic Love plays this scenario as the height of romance, giving the fish characters anthropomorphic thoughts and feelings as they reflect upon the doomed yet beautiful nature of their affair. Aside from the whole talking, sentient fish thing, this game is very scientifically accurate. The player's character patrols the ocean's depths by sense of smell, typically encountering many other creatures and sights (such as a whale skeleton) before stumbling upon a potential romantic partner. The player is presented with the option to swim in one of many directions and investigate each area: when another fish is discovered, the player can choose from several conversation options, and attempt to seduce the other fish.

The game has multiple endings, including a romance and mating with another male Angler Fish. I have no idea if that ever happens in nature, but it does make the game more interesting. There isn't much in the way of animation, just a series of still images. But combined with the text, they make for a beautiful kind of synergy. As for science content, the game does include a number of facts about the Angler Fish's environment, behaviors, and anatomy. The male fish's method of navigation is also based on science, and helps the player get into the identity of a tiny creature searching desperately through a dark, low-visibility region. Most significantly, it normalizes the idea of sex as a biological function, not a taboo that should be hidden from discussion. It's weird parasitic fish sex that students should be discouraged from emulating, of course, but sex nonetheless.

I have no idea how a science teacher might fit this into their curriculum. I just know that if they do, I'd give them such a high five.