VR Space Game: “Mineral Mania”

Overview

The Psyche Mission is the launch of a space probe to asteroid 16 Psyche, which lies in the Asteroid Belt. It is a joint mission between NASA and Arizona State University. The purpose of this mission is to observe and study the asteroid, which is valuable due to its rare nature as a potential failed core of an early planetesimal. To share information about the mission, the Psyche team participates in various events and creates projects to increase awareness of Psyche, which include activities such as video games.

Objectives

The objective of this project is the creation of a space-themed Virtual Reality Game inspired by a previously made browser game “Psyche Scanner” for the Meta Quest 2. The game will involve the player scanning mineral deposits on an asteroid using laser scanners to gain points. The game will have multiple modes and difficulties to play on, including a simplified Event Mode for ASU’s events, each designed for short, arcade-style gameplay.

Approach

• Firstly, we met multiple times with our sponsor to gather the project’s needs which we broke down into the project’s requirements.
• After gaining most of the requirements, we brainstormed ideas for a premise of our game, eventually taking inspiration from a previous Psyche game to have a game centered around scanning an asteroid.
• After researching game engines, we decided on Unreal Engine 5 and Blender to create our game and its 3D assets.
• A mixture of automated and manual testing was used throughout development.
• After testing and debugging, we were able to deliver an APK file to our sponsors to be used in events on the Meta Quest 2.

Outcomes

• ASU will have a new VR game for people to play at conventions, garnering engaging interactions with the public.
• They will have another game on their website for people to play, engaging more people online.
• Will garner more interest in NASA space projects.
• Could help NASA get more funding for future projects.