Educational Game & Museum Installation
Stories from the Cores
An educational game where players analyze evidence from beneath the ocean floor to unlock dramatic stories. Join science bot Rovee on expeditions with the International Ocean Discovery Program: drill core samples, compare layers, investigate hypotheses, and piece together the stories hidden in the Earth's geological record.
Published on Steam for Windows, Mac, and Android. Also deployed as a museum kiosk interactive installation. The project features hand-sculpted 3D characters including a Columbian mammoth and mosasaur, custom UI design, and scientifically accurate geological data visualization.
The game was designed to make real ocean science accessible to a general audience, translating complex geological concepts into engaging interactive narratives.
Gallery
Attract Screen
Gameplay - Core Analysis
Gameplay - Expedition
Columbian Mammoth
Mosasaur
Rovee Character
Museum Kiosk
Case Study
The Problem
Ocean drilling research is important but difficult to communicate. Core samples, sediment layers, and geological inference are abstract for most audiences, especially in a museum or classroom context.
Design Challenge
The game needed to turn real scientific reasoning into an approachable interactive experience without flattening the science into trivia. Players had to feel like they were investigating evidence, not just clicking through facts.
Key Design Decisions
The design centers on a guided expedition structure with a science-bot companion, evidence comparison, and story unlocks. Visual characters and prehistoric scenes give emotional context while the core mechanics keep attention on observation, comparison, and hypothesis-building.
Outcome
The project shipped on Steam and was also deployed as a museum kiosk installation, giving the same science communication experience both a public-game and public-exhibit format.
Technical Highlights
Educational Game Design
Transforms scientific evidence, drilling data, and geological reasoning into interactive tasks a general audience can understand.
Museum-Ready Deployment
Published as a desktop/mobile game and adapted for a museum kiosk environment with accessible interaction and replayable content.
Character and World Art
Includes custom 3D characters, prehistoric creatures, UI, environments, and visualizations designed around real ocean-science concepts.