Virus Blaster

Vaccine Education Game

A promo image for S.W.A.P, a first-person shooter developed by Sydney based Game Development Studio Chaos Theory Games

Virus Blaster is a thought-provoking game about vaccines. The game is designed to teach young people foundational knowledge of vaccines and their positive impact on society.

Virus Blaster kindles an interest in learning about immunology and prompts important questions about vaccines.

The game is being showcased around schools as part of the Gateway to Science travelling exhibit and as a permanent part of their North Dakota Headquarters

A group of young children playing the farming simulation game, Virtual Farm on an interactive tabletop at the Gateway to Science Centre.

We were presented with

The Challenge

Recent misinformation about vaccines has led to a drop in vaccination rates around the world. Gateway To Science wanted to create an interactive exhibit that explores the process behind creating these life-saving tools.

The client tasked us with creating a game that would be installed at the Gateway to Science headquarters and also used in a travelling exhibit that will visit schools across the state.

That became

The Solution

Failure is an Outcome

For this game, we needed to convey the realities of the vaccination process. This included the stages of clinical trials and how sometimes a vaccine doesn’t work immediately and needs to be iterated on.

‍Our game design expertise was used to create a puzzle system that was clear, but had some simple pitfalls that players could fall into. We needed to ensure that players were encouraged to learn from their mistakes, and engaged enough to persevere.

Screenshot from the game Virtual Farm, faming simulation game made by Gateway to Science and Chaos Theory Games

Photograph of a young child playing on a museum touchscreen interactive table

Experiential Learning

Puzzle-matching gameplay mechanics promote experimentation and encourage the player to learn from their mistakes.

This creates an environment where players are driven to self-learning, which is a strength in games.

Real-World Relevance

When starting the game, players will see mock-news articles talking about how the virus is spreading and what impact this is having on the community. This is an effective way of linking the learning within the game to our real-world lives.

The game also takes the player through an abstract simulation of a real vaccine production process. We have a demonstration of how the vaccine works at a cellular level.

‍All this in a fun, novel and engaging gameplay wrapper for young people!