Project Blog
Project Goal
The goal of this project is to develop an interactive experience for the Schrader Center to enrich guests’ visits and promote interest in the local wildlife. Visitors will be able to engage and learn from meaningful content in a fun way, with the focus especially on kids and their families. The experience will also promote awareness and involvement in nature, encouraging kids to continue their outdoor adventures beyond Oglebay’s Schrader Center.
Our Client
Oglebay Institute, founded through the visions of the Oglebay family in 1930, is a nationally unique charitable organization offering quality programming for lifelong learning with a multi-disciplinary approach. Four departments offer programs in environmental education; performing arts; regional history interpretation and preservation; and visual and creative arts.
The objective of Oglebay Institute is to be a leader in its disciplines by improving quality of life through education, recreation, culture and creative outlets for personal and professional growth and enrichment. Grounded in the successful traditions of its past, Oglebay Institute acts singly or collaborates with other organizations; serves a diverse audience; and challenges itself through its expansive vision to continually respond to the needs of its many publics.
The objective of Oglebay Institute is to be a leader in its disciplines by improving quality of life through education, recreation, culture and creative outlets for personal and professional growth and enrichment. Grounded in the successful traditions of its past, Oglebay Institute acts singly or collaborates with other organizations; serves a diverse audience; and challenges itself through its expansive vision to continually respond to the needs of its many publics.
Original Ideas
1) Natural Immerse Experience
2) Interactive Trail Guide
3) Bird Collector App
4) Nature Photo Book Adventure
1) Natural Immerse Experience
2) Interactive Trail Guide
3) Bird Collector App
4) Nature Photo Book Adventure
Prototyping
Interactive Experience
To that end we have created a Kinect based experience featuring two local animals found in Oglebay and West Virginia area. They are the slimy salamander and the green darner dragonfly. A person visiting the Schrader center would ideally go on a hike along the trail, where he will find rfid cards hidden in the trail. When he brings back the rfid cards, he can activate them at the kiosk and depending on the contents of the rfid card he gets to play either the zone one or the zone two of the salamander experience or the dragonfly experience. The salamander experience includes gameplay mechanics like eating food since winter is coming, fighting snakes, scaring small salamanders and defending your territory. The dragonfly zone features the terrain from the zone one and zone two but from a different vantage point. It is an aerial experience where you get to enjoy the beauty of the nature and collect knowledge about the area.
Playtesting
Demo