PROJECT

Cell-fie

Designer & Developer| Spring 2018

PROJECT

How might we make learning more engaging by gamifying it?

Skills

Game Design

Game Development

Software

Unreal Engine

Autodesk Maya

Adobe Photoshop

Team

Me (solo project)

Gameplay Demo

Objective

Cell-fie is a biology-inspired virtual reality role-playing and simulation game. It aims to gamify learning and offers players the opportunity to see what it’s like being a cell.

Goals

In the gameplay, the goal is to evolve into an organism. Players start off as an organelle, then can gain levels by doing quests to evolve a cell, then finally an organism. They will learn about biology through an interactive environment.

Why "Cell-fie"?

Cell-fie is pronounced “selfie.” Players create their own character that resembles themselves. They abilities of different organelles and cells as they level up through quests.

Inspiration

Problem

Why Gamification?

Gamification is motivational for students, which leads to increased enthusiasm and engagement. It also provides instant feedback that’s not judgemental, which can be a form of positive reinforcement. This makes gamification is a good medium for students to develop interest in a subject.

Target Audience

Middle and high school girls.

Design Style

The design of Cell-fie combines games and giving a personality to inanimate objects. Cell-fie started as a series of concept art drawings and game design documents with ideas.

Thylakoid Islands concept art

Game Map Concept Sketch

Core Gameplay Mechanics

After having the design style down, I then decided on the main core game mechanics to implement:

  • Quests
  • Exploration

Quests

The quests I have designed follow a specific process inside the cell, such as photosynthesis. The types of quests range from item gathering, quizzes, and virus (enemy) fighting. They aim to educate the player on the cellular process by becoming part of the process. Quests are guided by non-playable characters.

NPC: Credits to the Unreal Store.

Exploration

The players can interact with the environment. They may partake in activities such as picking glucose apples from the glucose apple tree.

Final Designs

Press Releases

Virtual Biology – Featured on the Santa Clara University Homepage (Dec 2017)

VR Meets Biology Meets Video Games: Introducing Cell-fie – February 2018

Grace Ling Leads Cell-fie Team to Imagine Basic Biology in Game Environment – February 2018

Meet Grace Ling: Cell-fie’s Team Leader – April 2018

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