Rising: A multi-player game focused on personal decisions that act on sea level rising
Rising was a research project funded by Tisch Initiative for Creative Research in Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.
Overview
Rising is a collaborative interactive experience addressing real-world environmental crises, focusing on the impact of carbon dioxide emissions on sea level rise. The project integrates scientific modeling, interactive installations, and a multiplayer card game to engage participants in understanding and mitigating climate change effects.
Role: Interaction Deisgn & Development
Time: 2022.4|8 months Team: 6 Members
Platform: Installation Tools: Unity, MCU, Sensors
My Responsibilities
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Visual Effects Design and Programming: Developed and implemented dynamic visual effects to represent environmental changes within the interactive installation.
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Physical Computing Integration: Connected Arduino components—such as RFID cards, LED strips, and buttons—to the Unity engine, creating a responsive and immersive environment.
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Hardware Design and Fabrication: Designed and assembled hardware elements to facilitate seamless interaction between participants and the installation.
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User Testing and Iteration: Conducted iterative user testing sessions to refine interaction mechanics and ensure an engaging participant experience.
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Project Accounting: Managed budgeting and financial tracking to ensure resource allocation aligned with project goals.
Interactive Installation Details
Participants engaged with the installation through a structured process:
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Narrative Introduction: Listeners received contextual information about the environmental scenario via headphones.
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Role Selection: Participants chose cards representing societal roles—such as working-class individuals, middle-class citizens, upper-class elites, companies, or policymakers—each influencing carbon dioxide emissions differently.
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Interactive Responses: The installation responded to participants' choices with:
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Visual Feedback: LED strips illuminated to depict activities contributing to emissions; projections displayed melting icebergs and rising sea levels.
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Auditory Alerts: Alarm sounds triggered at critical sea level thresholds to signify environmental tipping points.
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Virtual Environment Adaptation: An animated avatar within a virtual Arctic environment mirrored the consequences of participants' decisions, emphasizing the direct impact on the region's inhabitants.
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Throughout their participation, the audience made choices while observing a projected timeline, spanning from 2022 to 2035, highlighting the project's focus on future sea level changes and global warming concerns.
Research Foundation
The installation's design was grounded in research focusing on the Arctic and New York City regions. Simplified data models illustrated the correlation between carbon dioxide emissions and sea level rise, informing the interactive parameters of the project.
Exhibition
The project culminated in an exhibition at the Bobst Library in New York City, where participants experienced the interactive installation and reflected on the collective necessity of environmental collaboration.