Communicating Science Through Play
summary
A science-puzzle game called Microscopia turns real cell mechanisms into playable systems: players act as a player-as-catalyst moving molecules to power motor proteins and ATP synthase, and solve electron transport chain puzzles. Built in Unity with a custom Unity with tiled streaming asset pipeline and mobile ports (iOS/Android/Web/itch), development is grant-funded (IF/THEN, COMPASS). Playtests force major simplification: added hints, a trophy menu and avatar customization; released version draws kids at Comic‑Con Museum over other exhibits.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Start
- 5:54What Games Are You Playing Right Now
- 14:08The Electron Transport Chain
- 16:53Macro versus Micro
- 18:08Mitochondria
- 23:04Visual Quality
- 28:02Character Customization
- 29:15Balancing the Accessibility and the Difficulty
- 34:32Iterative Design
- 36:30Was It Difficult To Convey Your Initial Vision and Your Ideas for the Game to each Other
- 38:07Game References
- 49:27Final Words
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