Ending the Fall Quarter of 2019 on UCI’s campus, Brandon Nguyen approached Dr. Hughes with an idea for developing a Virtual Reality (VR) game geared towards conveying biological concepts in an entertaining and interactive manner. The idea received support from Dr. Hughes who allowed a team of undergraduate students to form and explore the idea. In a quick fashion, Mr. Nguyen proceeded to put together a cohesive early team that all demonstrated interest in this new idea of the intersection between games and education. Dr. Hughes, impressed with the vision and passion demonstrated, allowed the project to be run with minimal intervention. 

The idea sounds simple but has proven to require expertise, innovation, and creativity that exists solely because of the interdisciplinary nature of the team. Developing a VR game in any sense is complex, but doing so with minimal resources and with the majority of the team juggling full course schedules has given rise to a team of renowned talent. However, having a game developed by current and recent undergraduates, this has given way to interesting perspectives, with the team members understanding which concepts are worth covering for students. This background guides most of the concepts determined to be covered in-game, with emphasis on teaching the core principles in a unique and gamified manner that still makes the experience enjoyable. 

Looking forward, the project has gained a firm footing in workflow, team cohesion and creative development over the course of its initial year. The game has an initial deadline date of Spring 2022, and we hope to have several levels and a comprehensive demo playable by then. The future of the game at this moment would be reassessed and the feasibility of licensing and distribution explored. Along the way, however, playtesting and professor consulting will be conducted with the goal of a releasable project in mind. 

Concept Art