Interactive Table Design

Avatar: The Exhibition—Multiplayer Bioluminescence Game

Client:

Museum of Pop Culture

Venue/Location:

Traveling Exhibition

Browse:

Highlights

Client:

Museum of Pop Culture

Browse:

Highlights

In collaboration with EMP Museum and Twentieth Century Fox, Belle & Wissell designed and developed a touch-screen game, to provide a deeper understanding of bioluminescence—a natural occurring characteristic  we find on earth that is used widely in this science fiction epic. The 60-inch, multi-touch (multi-player) touchable is designed to travel with “Avatar: The Exhibition” as it tours various institutions in the U.S. and Canada.

The table can accommodate up to 6 players at a time, with a unique color to represent each console. Each station is assigned a specific character based on real deep sea creatures, and users can learn more about the real life sea creatures by touching their illustrated icon.

Each player must swim around and collect as much prey fish as possible by using their glow to attract the fish, and then avoid the large predator fish. Players have a limited amount of bioluminescent glow at any given time, so they must use it wisely. If a predator fish appears on the board and a players’ glow is on, they will attract the attention of the fish and get eaten. Once a player is eaten, their fish score count resets back to zero. The winner of the game is the player who catches the most prey fish.

Project Accolades:

The New York Times “Field Station Pandora,” 2013
Wired “Avatar the Exhibition at the Liberty Science Center,” 2013
The Seattle Times 
“‘Avatar’ and its blue moon land at Seattle’s EMP | SFM,” 2012

Belle & Wissell Team Credits

Design Director: Gabe Kean
Art Director: Thomas Ryun
Designer: Edrea Lita
Project Manager: Sarah Trueblood
Technology Lead: Marcel Ray
Programmer: Zach Archer
Illustrator: Steven Henry

Additional Project Credits

Associate Curator: Brooks Peck
Exhibition Designer: Robert Mark Morgan
Interactive Producer: Aleen Adams
Exhibit Manager: Addy Froehlich
Museum Technology: Brian Phraner

Belle & Wissell Team Credits

Design Director: Gabe Kean
Art Director: Thomas Ryun
Designer: Edrea Lita
Project Manager: Sarah Trueblood
Technology Lead: Marcel Ray
Programmer: Zach Archer
Illustrator: Steven Henry

Additional Project Credits

Associate Curator: Brooks Peck
Exhibition Designer: Robert Mark Morgan
Interactive Producer: Aleen Adams
Exhibit Manager: Addy Froehlich
Museum Technology: Brian Phraner

In collaboration with EMP Museum and Twentieth Century Fox, Belle & Wissell designed and developed a touch-screen game, to provide a deeper understanding of bioluminescence—a natural occurring characteristic  we find on earth that is used widely in this science fiction epic. The 60-inch, multi-touch (multi-player) touchable is designed to travel with “Avatar: The Exhibition” as it tours various institutions in the U.S. and Canada.

The table can accommodate up to 6 players at a time, with a unique color to represent each console. Each station is assigned a specific character based on real deep sea creatures, and users can learn more about the real life sea creatures by touching their illustrated icon.

Each player must swim around and collect as much prey fish as possible by using their glow to attract the fish, and then avoid the large predator fish. Players have a limited amount of bioluminescent glow at any given time, so they must use it wisely. If a predator fish appears on the board and a players’ glow is on, they will attract the attention of the fish and get eaten. Once a player is eaten, their fish score count resets back to zero. The winner of the game is the player who catches the most prey fish.

Project Accolades:

The New York Times “Field Station Pandora,” 2013
Wired “Avatar the Exhibition at the Liberty Science Center,” 2013
The Seattle Times 
“‘Avatar’ and its blue moon land at Seattle’s EMP | SFM,” 2012