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CASE STUDY

2and2

Mass Mutations

Keeping kids engaged with STEM during the school holidays.

An app preview for Mass Mutations, an educational STEM game developed by Sydney based Game Development Studio Chaos Theory Games
Mass Mutations is the keystone game in ‘STEM Explorer’, an elearning app that uses gamification to minimize holiday learning loss.

Defend the town from mutant plants by charging the tesla array using the power of science! Answer STEM-related questions to beat the menace and restore order.
Side by side screenshots of Mass Mutations, an educational STEM game developed by Sydney based Game Development Studio Chaos Theory Games

We were presented with

The Challenge

To create an engaging educational app that would be the keystone game on the Cogniss platform, showcasing the power and adaptability of the system by serving and analysing questions from English, maths, and science.

That became

The Solution

A Learning Lesson

Teaching the Australian curriculum was the primary focus of the game so we worked closely with the client to integrate their primary school education expertise.

The question types and format were outlined by the client, while we advised on gamification, pacing, and risk/reward systems to make the game engaging.
An image of the cogniss dashboard
A series of screenshots from Mass Mutations, an educational STEM game developed by Sydney based Game Development Studio Chaos Theory Games

Designing for Kids

There were a number of considerations made to make the game suitable and appealing to kids, such as the aesthetic, UX design, and game design.

The gamification techniques were carefully selected to avoid any manipulative or coercive mechanics as we wanted to develop a wholesome game that focused on the education that is the core of the experience.

The result is a game where kids keep coming back to learn more, not to maximize their points.

App Size and Project Delivery

The build size needed to be as small as possible to fit inside the Cognis engine and not bloat the app. With a large number of custom 3d assets, we had to plan optimization from the start.

Other than typical Unity 3D optimization techniques, we focused our efforts on using low poly models, tileable textures, upscaled lighting data, and custom shaders to achieve the final aesthetic in a micro-sized package.
An image of one of the math questions presented to players in Mass Mutations, an educational STEM game developed by Sydney based Game Development Studio Chaos Theory Games

Which led to

The Results

ATOM Awards Winner

For the “Best Educational App or Ebook”.
An image of the ATOM Award, where Mass Mutations won an award for best educational app or ebook
An image of Mass Mutations on the Google Play Store

5,000+ Downloads

Generated by the pilot app, STEM Explorer, with minimal promotion.

USA Version

A USA curriculum version of the app was released due to popular demand.
An image of the Mass Mutations key art
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