You may not be able to die of dysentery in a new video game recently developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, but its aquatic setting is no less perilous. 

“In Fish Trails: Marine Adventure,” players navigate as either a young salmon, char or sturgeon through the waterways of a fictional world, encountering predators and hydropower infrastructure. Each obstacle requires the player to make choices that determine their survival.  

At every obstacle, players make choices, whether it’s deciding whether to rest or find food or choosing to cross over or through a hydropower dam.  

These obstacles mimic what real fish might experience as they migrate to and from the ocean, said Brian Bellgraph, a fisheries biologist at PNNL who consulted on the science of the game. The game reflects what PNNL researchers have learned about fish migration. 

“We want people to have fun playing the game, but also to learn something new about the many fish that live in these waterways,” Bellgraph said. 

The game, aimed at sharing DOE’s hydropower work, is the brainchild of PNNL’s hydropower research and communications staff.  

“So many of us grew up playing ‘The Oregon Trail,’ myself included, and the idea just immediately resonated,” PNNL advisor Shannon Bates said in a statement. 

The project was funded by DOE’s Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office. The game is available for free download via the Apple iOS and Android app stores.