During the year 2015, users of League of Legends collaborated with the game’s developer, Riot Games, to build an artificial reef in the shape of the champion Nautilus, which was then placed in Moreton Bay in Australia. Now, seven years later, a local diver has provided an update on the condition of that reef and shared their observations.
A user by the name of AussieEquiv posted a series of photographs on Reddit that traced the transformation of Nautilus from an inert chunk of artificial reef to a functional and significant component of the natural environment.
Riot provided the following statement as an explanation of the objective of the League of Legends project: “The Nautilus reef will provide a location for marine species to shelter and grow.” The following are some of the ways in which artificial reefs might encourage the growth of marine life:
- Creating a feeding ground for juvenile fish by seizing plankton that floats along with ocean currents and bringing it ashore.
- Providing protection for species that are unable to live in the open for very long, such as eels
- Bringing in fish that feed on the reef’s inhabitants
- Creating an environment that is conducive to the reproduction of all of the aforementioned species;
- Providing a stable base upon which organisms such as algae, coral, and sponges can build their communities throughout time.
