Motivation
At the core of our motivation lies the belief that education should be engaging and immersive. Traditional methods of scientific communication, while valuable, can sometimes struggle to captivate the audience. With our game, we saw an opportunity to bridge this gap by harnessing the power of gaming. We wanted to provide a unique platform where players from a wide array of audiences can become familiar with the intricate world of synthetic biology while having fun, making learning a thrilling experience.
Working environment and tools.
GameMaker Studio 2 is our chosen game development tool for crafting our educational video game. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, robust scripting capabilities in GameMaker Language (GML), and seamless cross-platform deployment, GameMaker Studio 2 aligns perfectly with our objectives for this project..
We selected GameMaker Studio 2 for its accessibility, enabling our diverse team of bioengineers to work alongside game developers efficiently. Its visual scripting capabilities make it easy for our biologists to contribute to experienced developers, ensuring scientific accuracy and educational value. Simultaneously, the power of GML empowers our game designers to implement engaging mechanics and interactivity.
Additionally, GameMaker Studio 2's cross-platform support allows us to potentially reach a broader audience, extending the impact of our educational efforts. By choosing this versatile game engine, we're confident that we can create an immersive and educational gaming experience that effectively communicates our bioengineering project's goals and significance to both students and enthusiasts in an accessible and engaging manner.
The characters’ sprites for our computer-game have used Midjourney that relies on artificial intelligence.
About the game
The game space represents a Petri dish where the user will recreate a bacteria. The principal objective of the game is to keep the bacteria alive by escaping from predators. On top of this basic story-line we have added four different plasmids that will enable the bacteria to acquire new features that aim to ease the bacteria’s survival. The effect of the plasmid will be active as long as the player collects another plasmid, therefore, just a single plasmid can be taken each time. A description of each characteristic is included:
- Speed modification. Increases the speed of the bacteria. Hence makes it easier to escape from the predators but the user’s control of small direction changes is more sensitive.
- Plastic particles intake Upon normal conditions, the bacteria will not be able to ingest the plastic particles. However, if this plasmid is obtained, the bacteria will be able to profit from the plastic particles and completely heal (i.e. life bar recovery).
Apart from the plasmids we have also distributed sugar blocks to feed the bacteria and recover life, if needed. Try it out here!
Further implementations
In the same direction, as we use the plastic particles intake plasmid, we want another plasmid to match our research project. A bioluminescence plasmid would give the bacteria a bright cover tol enable the user see upon lack of light. This functionality is crucial for the survival of the bacteria in the incubator, a second level of our game that will be further implemented. Another possible plasmid will enrich the bacteria with a higher virulence. Upon its effect, the bacteria will be able to secrete enzymes that can kill the predator. To control the span of the game we want to add a time. Below are some images of the user interface.
Pseudocode
By clicking start:
If the user clicks the arrow buttons,
The bacteria will move accordingly.
Upon collision of the bacteria towards a predator,
The bacteria lose live
The predator will die.
There is a limit of predators in the playing room.
If user gets the “skeleton” of the death predator,
Gain of experience.
Upon collision of the bacteria towards a plasmid,
If it is a speed modification plasmid,
The velocity of the bacteria will be increased,
Effect active until a collision with bacteria occurs
If it is a plastic particles intake plasmid,
The bacteria will be able to ingest plastic particles upon collision,
The bacteria will win live.
If it is a higher virulence plasmid, (TO BE IMPLEMENTED)
The bacteria will secrete enzymes that can be shut against pathogens,
If enzyme collides with a predator,
The predator will die.
There is a limit of predators in the playing room.
If it is a bioluminescence plasmid, (TO BE IMPLEMENTED)
The bacteria sprite its modified,
If player gets to the second level (incubator room),
The user will be able to see under dark conditions.
Upon collision of the bacteria towards a plastic particle,
If the plastic particle intake plasmid is activated,
The bacteria will be able to ingest plastic particles,
The bacteria will win live.
If the plastic particle intake is inactivated,
No changes will be made.
Upon collision of the bacteria towards a sugar block,
The bacteria will win live.
Timer starts running,
If bacteria dies,
Game ends.
If bacteria still alive and the counter runs out,
Bacteria moved to the incubation room (second level),
If the bioluminescence plasmid is activated,
Player will be able to see in the dark.
If bioluminescence plasmid is inactivated,
Player will not be able to see,
The bacteria will end up dying.