Serious games in chemistry

The Client

This project was realized in collaboration with the Cégep de Sainte-Foy. It is an initiative of Mr. Frédéric Parrot, professor of general chemistry.

The Problem

The general chemistry course presents significant learning challenges for students. It has been observed year after year that one concept in particular is difficult to assimilate and teach: the representation of matter in 3D space. The way atoms fit together and interact in three dimensions is difficult to imagine with simple 2D representations as found in chemistry textbooks. The Cégep de Sainte-Foy's chemistry department therefore wishes to develop a tool using virtual reality to assist students in the course.

The Solution

A serious game was designed and developed by CIMMI in close collaboration with the college team. The application for Oculus Quest takes the form of a quiz where students are asked to think about chemistry concepts to solve different missions. In a fun, futuristic environment, students must, alone or in teams, return a crashed ship to orbit, and are confronted with different types of questions: answer choices, substance classification and molecule design. The game also allows them to immerse themselves in substances at the microscopic level in order to observe the bonding and behavior of molecules. Through the game, students can consolidate concepts seen in class and put them into context.The application is currently on all Oculus Quest headsets in the Cégep de Sainte-Foy library and is available for all students who wish to try it.