Molworlds
Details
Role: Project lead, designer, researcher
Additional team members:
Development: Brendan Polley (programming), Derek Ng (level design), Natalie Cormier (artwork), Cassandra Cetlin (artwork)
Research: Jodie Jenkinson, Dani Sayeau, Kara Lukasiewicz
Audience: Undergraduate students (molecular biology)
Description: Two simulation-based interactive modules were created to help undergraduate biology students understand the emergent (random) nature of molecular systems.
MolWorlds (video above) is a simulation-based, platform-genre, adventure game. In the game, players travel through a molecular realm and experience cellular processes, while manipulating properties of the simulated emergent system (e.g. through temperature, macromolecular crowding, and concentration) to reach their destination.
MolSandbox (images below) allows the student to engage with the same cellular processes but lacks game elements (e.g. 3rd-person character, resource management, 3-star feedback) but implements the same graphics, tasks, and sound effects as the game.
Medium: Unity (programming), Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator (artwork)
Awards: Top 20 finalist for best game in development (European conference on Game-Based Learning, 2017)
MolSandbox
Video on MolWorlds' research
This video was created for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)'s Storyteller competition. It placed in the Top 25 out of ~300 applications. Read more about the research associated with MolWorlds and MolSandbox on the ScienceVis Lab website.