01
Make a connection
Drag an element card onto the bench. It becomes a 3D atom that can connect to the structure you are building.
Futuregames · Applied games · September 2026
ProjectChemistry.
A little curiosity. A whole lot of chemistry.
An idea becomes an atom. A few connections become a discovery. I built a hands-on molecular workshop to explore how the act of playing can become the act of learning.
Concept, game design & development · AI-assisted Unity prototype
On the workbenchH₂O
Water
Two hydrogen atoms. One oxygen. A familiar first discovery.
Illustrations of structures in the game
Ten elements. Room to experiment.
1H6C7N8O9F14Si15P16S17Cl35Br
The starting question
What if understanding started with your hands?
For the game psychology mini-project at Futuregames, I explored an applied game: an experience with a purpose beyond entertainment. Chemistry offered something tangible to work with. Instead of asking players to recall a formula, I wanted them to build a structure, see what it becomes, and feel encouraged to try again.
The learning intention: make atoms, connections, and molecular structures easier to explore through direct interaction.
- My role
- Creator, game designer & developer
- Context
- Futuregames · Game psychology
- Development
- Approximately 24 hours
- Release
- 18 September 2026 · itch.io
My decisions, from concept to release
I shaped the concept and laboratory direction, defined the drag-and-drop interaction, chose the catalog boundaries, and steered the feedback and collection systems. I used Codex with Unity tooling for implementation and iteration, reviewing the results and requesting changes to the interface, atom connections, molecule names, and sound. I then brought the prototype to the browser under Evion Studios.
The experience
Build. Check. Discover. Repeat.
The workbench keeps the experiment in focus. Elements on the left, your construction in the middle, and the explanation on the right.
02
Follow your curiosity
The element cards and possible-match count respond to your construction. They offer direction while leaving you free to experiment.
03
Meet the molecule
Check the structure to reveal a matching molecule, its formula, bonds, and facts. A new discovery gets its own visual and audio celebration.
A reason to come back
A collection you discover for yourself.
The Discovery Book turns individual experiments into lasting progress. Identified molecules reveal their names and structures; undiscovered ones remain silhouettes. Those shapes offer a nudge without giving away the answer.
Progress is saved locally between sessions. The catalog becomes a record of what you have found, with 220 structures to explore.
The process
From an open-ended idea to a bounded experiment.
The interesting challenge was deciding how much chemistry the game should promise, and how much guidance exploration actually needs.
- 1
Scene & interaction
Give the idea a place
I started with the laboratory: dark petrol panels, warm wood, glassware, and a central molecular platform. After the visual prototype, I removed surrounding text to make room for the workbench, then added data-driven elements and actual drag-and-drop construction.
- 2
30 → 120 → 220 structures
Build a catalog, define the boundary
Rather than attempt every possible chemical combination, I used a local catalog imported from PubChem and checked with RDKit. Expanding to eight explicit atoms made room for chains and branches while keeping the same ten elements and a readable workspace.
- 3
Feedback & progression
Guide without giving away the discovery
Partial structure matching tells players which catalog entries are still reachable. I added persistent discoveries and a book of silhouettes instead of a prescribed sequence of missions. During iteration, I also flagged cases where highlighted targets would not accept an atom, and asked for readable molecule names instead of identifiers.
- 4
Polish & browser release
Make the small moments feel alive
Soft placement sounds, distinct discovery cues, background music, and visual rewards support the construction loop. The workshop was reviewed at multiple desktop resolutions before the WebGL release made it accessible through a single itch.io link.
Built withUnity 6C#URPPubChemRDKitWebGLCodex
The result
A small experiment that found an audience.
Within its first two days, Project Chemistry became my most-viewed project, with over 200 page views and over 100 browser plays. A roughly 24-hour school project had become something people could open, explore, and play for themselves.
- page views
- 200+
- browser plays
- 100+
- early launch window
- 2 days
Creator-reported itch.io figures from the first two days. An early reach snapshot; learning outcomes have not been measured.
What I take forward
A smaller model can make a stronger game.
Ten elements and clear catalog limits gave the experiment enough variety without promising a complete simulator.
Feedback is part of the teaching.
A possible continuation, a visible bond, or a newly revealed structure can make the next action more understandable.
Interest is a starting point for validation.
The next useful test is whether players can explain a structure after building it, alongside observing where their curiosity or understanding breaks down.
Your next discovery is on the workbench.
Free to play on itch.io · No installation needed
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