Meltdown Mission
A Social Impact Game
Raising awareness of climate change through an immersive experience
Project Type
Course Project
My Role
Led the engineering effort. Developed the game with Unity and built the physical controller
Conducted research and evaluation sessions to inform design
Co-designed the game mechanism and interaction flow
Overview
Meltdown Mission was 9-week course project during my graduate studies at the University of Washington, aimed at designing a walk-up-and-play game with social impact. Our goal was to create an engaging experience that raises awareness of climate change through interactive storytelling.
I participated in the entire design process, from the initial ideation to the final development and evaluation. I developed the game in Unity, designed a custom physical controller to enhance player interaction, and conducted research throughout the project to inform and refine the game design.
At the end, we worked with Point Defiance Zoo to tell the story of Astra and Laerke, two polar bears living in the state of Washington. The game design won 1st place at the 2024 HCI International Student Design Competition.
The introduction video of Meltdown Mission
Players control two polar bears to hunt for food and avoid pollution in the process.
The custom-built controller lets players experience what it's like to "swim" as a polar bear.