nano
A critically acclaimed VR strategy game that transforms cell biology into fast-paced, player-driven action.
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problem
Educational games have historically struggled to balance learning and enjoyment. Students often find them tedious, while teachers view them as ineffective for engagement or retention. Existing titles tend to prioritize instruction over interactivity, limiting exploration and failing to hold players' attention. Nano was conceived to challenge that reputation. We set out to create an educaitonal experience that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with commercial VR titles.
solution
Nano is an action-packed VR management game that turns players into the commander of a living immune cell. It merges entertainment and education through satisfying resource loops, character-driven systems, and fast-paced combat with all of it grounded in real cell biology. Players learn by doing: managing proteins, defending aginst pathogens, and keeping their cell alive.
From the start, the goal was to bridge the gap between education and entertainment. I led the creative vision, defining Nano's tone, core loop, and visual identity.
We began with a three-week design sprint to "find the fun," testing prototypes and gathering feedback from students and VR players alike. Early testing revealed that overloading players with scientific terms made the experience feel like homework, so we shifted focus toward action-first gameplay, weaving learning subtly into moment-to-moment mechanics.
I directed the art and UX to make every organelle feel like a character, shaping the cell into a dynamic ecosystem that stretches, pulses, and fights alongside the player. I also designed diegetic interfaces such as gestural menus, tactile crafting, and intuitive objective selection to make interaction seamless in VR.
Through continuous testing with schools and internal play sessions, we refined the language, pacing and combat balance until Nano achieved what we set out to do: deliver real education through genuine play.
Nano was released on Meta Quest in October 2023. The game was awarded Meta App of the Year in the Best of Quest 2023 awards. It earned a 4.9★ average rating on the Meta Store and has been adopted into high school science curricula nationwide
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