Data Dash

Background

As part of a university project, RTR Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha commissioned our team to develop a serious game. The goal was to create a game that incorporated Romansh elements while providing educational value. It was intended to support RTR’s media education programme and be used in schools across the canton of Graubünden.

In collaboration with RTR, we created Data Dash, an endless runner that playfully raises awareness among children and teenagers about the risks of social media, particularly TikTok. Through interactive gameplay and educational content, the game encourages a more mindful approach to digital platforms and invites players to reflect on their own media consumption.

Process

I took on the role of Unity developer for this project. The game concept, 3D models, user interface and content were created by the other team members, allowing me to focus fully on integrating the assets and programming the game in C#.

My core responsibility was researching the mechanics of endless runners and implementing them in our game. One of the biggest challenges was helping the team understand early on which mechanics were realistically achievable within the available timeframe and which would have exceeded the project scope. Bridging the gap between theory and practice was particularly demanding because I first had to assess whether certain ideas would be straightforward or considerably more complex to implement.

The team collaboration worked very well. We were able to develop the core elements of an endless runner at an early stage, including jumping, collision detection, continuous forward movement and character animations. Once the team had completed the character and the remaining design elements, I was able to integrate them seamlessly into the game.

Although my role was primarily technical and implementation-focused, I was also able to contribute creative ideas, including the Matrix-inspired walls along the track and the meerkat’s animations.

Outcome

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