A future focused collaboration between students at iAcademy in Makati, Philippines and OCADU in Toronto, Canada.
In the not too distant future, the survival of humanity rests in the hands of one very special robot:
The Genetic Embryonic Monitor
G.E.M. was built to protect at all cost.
Project GEM is a hero-based narrative and single-player point-and-click game presented in the format of a two-minute trailer.
In 300 years, humans are on the brink of extinction brought on by a robot uprising. The uprising has caused irreparable damage to the planet’s already delicate ecosystem. The new robot regime has contaminated all drinking water with synthetic oil, covered fields with salt, and is pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a way to stamp out all remaining human lifeforms.
As a way to regenerate the population, one scientist has established a greenhouse of embryos monitored by an android. The android is known as Genetic Embryonic Monitor, or G.E.M. The GEM was programmed to monitor the development of embryos on a cellular level. It is a connection that the human scientist is unable to understand.
Gem can’t shake the feeling of “feeling”. This self-aware robot cares deeply about one embryo in particular. As the narrative progresses, the android has been charged with ensuring the safety of the embryo. Gem will do anything to save the last hope for humanity.
Michaela Mae Chua created the illustrations for the trailer using Adobe Photoshop. Her ability to weave a powerful visual narrative is evident in the highly detailed scenes that she produced. We have included all the illustrations in order to appreciate the significant amount of time that was poured into the visual aspect of Project GEM.
Video production and motion graphics were created using After Effects, Premier Pro, and Photoshop by Serena Seow. She was responsible for compiling all of the assets, created during the three week collaboration, and bring them to life through video.
Emily Flood was responsible for the game development and took charge of the Unity file used to create the game. She imported all of the assets, programmed the dialogue and interactivity. She was able to attach the animation to the modules overcoming the most obstacle that our group faced.
By using Blender, Emily was able to create a 3D background. She chose this style because it was something that is visually unique and reflective of the collaborative experience of Project GEM.
Using Toon Boom Harmony, Aizen Sulague animated the running action of the main character. She was very detail oriented and the only way to properly showcase the full animation was to bring it together in a short clip. Working together with Emily, Aizen was able to find a solution for getting the animated robot to integrated into the game.
Marquessa Mackenzie took on the role of composer and used VCV Rack to create the score for Project GEM. She learned how to generate and manipulate sound for this project. It was a great experience with varied results.
Background visuals were made by Marquessa using Resolume Avenue and a short clip from the Matrix.
The collaboration was brought to life by Immony Men and Adam Tindale from OCAD in connection with Gerard Paul Elvina and Peter Brown of iAcademy. With a live screening and critique attended by the curators at Trinity Square Video in Toronto, Canada.
Digital Curation by Marquessa.