From Jungle Novice to Ocean King: My Quest to Design a Game That Feels Like Dancing with Dolphins

I never set out to design a game about animals.

I set out to design one that felt like breathing underwater.

Growing up in multicultural London—where French poetry met Japanese wabi-sabi—I learned early that games aren’t won by luck, but by the silence between bets. I called it ‘Animal Land’: not a casino, but a ritual. A place where sea turtles pause at dusk not because they’re slow—but because they’re wise.

My first session? Three minutes. Ten pounds. No jackpot.

Yet I kept playing—not for wins, but for the way the waves whispered when I missed. The ‘Dolphin Effect’ isn’t mechanics—it’s empathy coded into UI.

I designed the Coral Animal Festival as an anti-gambling altar: no flashy ads, no pressure loops. Just seashell摊位 under soft moonlight, with seabirds singing in ⁴⁄₄ time.

The ‘Deep Animal Party’? A color palette of cerulean blues and coral pinks rendered in Unity—not as pixels, but as emotional resonance.

One night, after 17 losses and three cups of Earl Grey tea—I won £800 by choosing stillness over greed.

This is not strategy. It’s somatics.

You don’t need higher win rates—you need quieter hearts.

Join the Ocean Animal Envoy Community: share your screenshot if you’ve ever sat alone on an奥克兰 beach wondering if this was more than a game… or less than life.