Survive the Sound

Survive the Sound is a free online game from Long Live the Kings (LLTK). Players pick a cartoon fish based on a real tagged steelhead, form teams and watch whether it makes it through Puget Sound, and the game draws 30,000+ registrations a year. LLTK asked Montana Banana to give players a reason to come back every day of the migration, not just on day one.

Challenges

Survive the Sound registration asks players their age and explains usernames for children under 13.

One moment of choice
The original game had one moment of choice: pick a fish, then wait. Survival was decided by real tracking data, which kept the science honest but left players five days of passive watching.
A reason to return
LLTK wanted players to return daily, learn something each visit, recruit friends and give sponsors a reason to fund prizes.
A game for all ages
Any reward system had to work for kindergartners and adults alike, and stay COPPA-compliant for players under 13.

Approaches

A completed salmon quiz beside the Survive the Sound points panel and migration map.

We updated the site and built a points system on October CMS behind the game’s Angular front end.

Play Survive the Sound

Points for playing, not just for luck
Players earn points by answering salmon quizzes, building their team and engaging with the game, so a fish that dies no longer ends a player’s week.
Custom invite links
Every player gets a team panel with share links for Facebook, Twitter and email, each carrying a custom invite link.
A reason to recruit
Bigger teams mean better odds, so players have a built-in reason to recruit.

Play Survive the Sound

Results

A reason to come back

From day one of the migration, daily emails bring players back to the progress map to follow their fish and filter tracking updates by day.

A sponsorship product

During the spring migration, points tie into sponsor-donated prizes. Local businesses can contribute gift cards, tickets or merchandise, turning the leaderboard into a sponsorship product.

Reaching more students

Educators now use Survive the Sound to reach more than 100,000 students, connecting classrooms with real fish tracking and salmon quizzes during the migration.

Salmon-friendly habits

After playing Survive the Sound, 85% of participants say they’re more likely to adopt salmon-friendly habits. The game pairs real tracking data with salmon quizzes.

Want people to come back every day?

Let’s design the loop.

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