Isotopolis Racers
The Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab in partnership with the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University developed a racing game about particle collisions to inform middle schoolers about research at the FRIB. I joined the team a year into development after many of the original developers graduated and brought the prototype up to a shippable quality.
Contributions
Redesigned the user interface and implemented a basic tutorial to onboard new players
Improved visual feedback with visual effects, sound, and UI, so players can better understand both the science and gameplay.
Created a procedural 3D isotope generator to create accurate visuals for the isotopes
Created a procedural ionization ring placement system for increased replay value
Collaborated with educators and students to ensure a good user experience for the target audience
Tutorial and example of new visual style
Improving Visual Feedback
When I began working on this project, it had already gone through many other hands and was in a playable prototype but had poor visual feedback for the user.
Since the gameplay was in a good state, I began by revamping all UI to make it consistent across the whole game and establish its own unique visual identity.
The primary focus was to make onboarding intuitive and the HUD look like a racing game, while including information to contextualize in-game actions with what really happens during particle collision research.
Geometry node for atom nucleus
Tools For Efficient Development
Being the last developer on the project was a challenge, since I was unfamiliar with the pipeline and development previous developers used, so multiplying my own efficiency was key to completing the project.
The models used for the isotopes weren't accurate to the real number of protons and neutrons inside the nucleus of the elements, so I created a geometry node system to create accurate isotopes for the game.
Once the game was played a single time, repeat playthroughs weren't interesting since it was the same track, so I created a procedural system to place ionization rings (speed boosts) around the track instead of placing them by hand.
Unlock screen of Isotope Mercury-181 with some scientific details
Incorporating Educational Goals
Our FRIB clients’ educational goals were important in determining which aspects of the game received attention, which did not always align with traditional design intuition.
The end of the race went through many iterations, as it was important that the player understood they were trying to get their particle up to speed for a collision, not just passing a finish line like in a normal racing game.
Ultimately, this was conveyed through a cutscene transition after getting to the end of the race and a clear visual of the racer hitting the target and an isotope that appears on the other side.
© 2025 Langston Key
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contact at keylangs@msu.edu