McPherson College Student-Created Ecology Game Wins $10,000 State Grant

McPherson College students have secured a $10,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks' Chickadee Check-Off program to distribute their educational card game, EcoPyramid, to every school district in Kansas. The game, developed by six students in Dr. Dustin Wilgers' spring 2025 Stewardship Seminar, teaches children about ecosystem structure through fast-paced gameplay where players build trophic pyramids while using action cards to disrupt opponents' ecosystems. Drawing inspiration from popular card games, the students created multiple decks representing different environments, starting with Yellowstone, and incorporated real-world environmental impacts into the gameplay mechanics.

The project has grown far beyond its classroom origins, with students logging hundreds of hours testing and refining the game through summer and fall. "I'm still working on EcoPyramid because I was inspired by them to create a game that is fun and educational," said Amanda Goering, who tested the game as a summer camp counselor. "I hope someday the game is in every classroom across the U.S." The grant will fund printing 750 decks for distribution to Kansas schools and the Department of Wildlife and Parks, while the team plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign to support national distribution. The collaborative effort involved students from graphic design and teacher education programs, with successful testing at local elementary schools, campus gaming events, and the Hutchinson Zoo's summer program.

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