Klang Games x CERN IdeaSquare: Inside Our Hackathon!

This past December, we embarked on our annual Discovery Week hackathon, this time in collaboration with the brilliant minds at CERN IdeaSquare, with a focus on the theme of survival. At the heart of the event was our hackathon, where Klangers worked to develop fresh in-game features for SEED. The stakes were high, with the winners earning an incredible prize: a trip to CERN in February for a Hackathon on-site!

A Week of Creativity and Exploration

Alongside the hackathon, CERN IdeaSquare hosted a workshop titled “Exploring Futures Scenarios Together.” Klangers formed teams and explored what life might look like on other planets, considering how societies could function in extreme conditions. They discussed what knowledge should be preserved for future generations and designed potential systems for survival. By the end of the workshop, teams had developed really cool scenarios (like planets where mushrooms are sentient beings) and prototyped interactions that could eventually turn into features for SEED. 

Hackathon Highlights: Bringing Survival to SEED

The hackathon saw some truly imaginative and thought-provoking ideas emerge. Teams explored various ways to integrate survival mechanics into SEED, tackling essential aspects of existence. Here are some standout projects:

• Creatures of Avesta - Introducing creatures of various sizes that Seedlings can interact with and even tame and turn into pets.

• Infectious disease – Exploring how outbreaks could spread and be managed.

• Diseases and hospitals – Creating diseases and medical infrastructure to cure them.

• Farming, electricity, water, and fire – Developing systems for farming, electricity, water, and fire.

• Adding winter to the planet of Avesta – Bringing seasonal changes into gameplay.

And the Winners Were…

After a full and exciting week, two teams were selected as co-winners, securing a trip to CERN: Infectious Disease and Diseases and Hospitals! These projects stood out for their creative and thoughtful approach to the survival theme, tackling key challenges in a way that could enhance SEED’s gameplay.

Looking Ahead

Discovery Week 2024 exceeded expectations, offering valuable insights into how survival mechanics can evolve in SEED. Working with CERN IdeaSquare provided a fresh perspective on real-world survival challenges and how they might translate into game design.

We’re excited to see how the winning teams’ experiences at CERN’s hackathon will influence their future work and how the ideas from this event will shape SEED’s development moving forward!