CodeDNA

Full creative ownership.
Commissioned by and developed for:

Center of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Studies - Department of Biology - University of Rome "Tor Vergata"

Fighting the sleep of reason, one lucid dream at a time.

“We are convinced that titles like Code#DNA, and the edutainment sector in general, have a very interesting future in the field of education. Undoubtedly, the methods of learning, accessing, and storing information by the new generations are changing. Code#DNA has been a first step in this direction, and undoubtedly, it will have further variations and future developments.”

Official endorsement from Tor Vergata’s faculty

Designing for Education

In this puzzle-based adventure with suggestive settings inspired by real research places all over the world, the main character Dr. Emma, thanks to her ability to have lucid dreams, will try and find the truth hidden in the DNA of historical characters of the past.

This project was an amazing testing ground for me, as I needed to balance the need to come up with an interesting set of gameplay and aesthetic choices while adhering to the principles at the core of Tor Vergata’s scientific mission.

The game’s hub offers a faithful recreation of the Molecular Anthropology Lab at Tor Vergata. Real-life scientists sent to the dev team the planimetry of the lab, along with interesting tidbits of their daily tasks.

At the client’s request, I directed the game with accessibility in mind. The story-driven segments of the game blend with puzzles and trivia questions, testing the Player’s knowledge of the subject matter.

Two elements constitute the game loop: a surreal exploration phase set in the four major locations, and the investigation retrospective inside Tor Vergata’s Lab. A DNA sequence minigame awaits the Player, translating the complex dynamics of DNA extraction into an easily digestible playful simulation.

Contributions and daily tasks

  • Concepted the core loop of the game and integration of educational concepts

  • Responsible for overall vision and aesthetics

  • Designed, whiteboxed and built the four game environments: Venice’s Lazzaretto Novo, Guattari’s Cave, Siberian Dreamscape, Seville Cathedral, San Fermo’s Cathedral)

  • Adapted real-life case studies from Tor Vergata’s research into appealing game narrative elements

  • Concepted game characters and backstory according to Tor Vergata's guidelines

  • Concepted and prototyped Emma’s companion tablet

  • Concepted game menus and in-game scientific archive

  • Research into molecular anthropology’s core concepts and ancient DNA extraction processes and pipelines..