Summary

An embodied interactive experience that follows the journey of Mariam, an African teenage girl, who faces traumatic events that threaten her goal of getting an education.

Project Team

Shadrick Addy, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Design
Maya Jenkins, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Design
Hsi Yuan Chu, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Design
Cali Gulan, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Design

Project Description

Eyes of Mariam VR is an interactive first-person virtual reality experience that puts you in the shoes of an African teenage girl experiencing firsthand the dangers of obtaining basic education during a time of civil unrest in her homeland – a fictionalized African region. The narrative follows real events and the ensuing implications of school attacks in the region. Through this experience, we hope to explore the use of virtual reality as a narrative based experiential media aimed at cultivating empathy for children experiencing traumatic events in their pursuit of education.  

We began developing Eyes of Mariam VR in Spring 2020 as a community-engaged ACCAD course project organized in collaboration with Save The Children and Equality Lab.

Our primary objectives and goals of developing this experience are to: 
1.  Promote advocacy for children's rights to education and amplify their voices.

2.  Raise awareness of the risks and threats that children in war-prone African regions face when denied rights to education.

3.  Encourage substantive policy changes that protect children's rights to education during times of conflict.

Credits:
Save The Children
Equality Lab
ACCAD

Team Swordfish, Spring 2020
•  Maya Jenkins
•  Hengmin Wang
•  Jack Slattery
•  Chris King

Team Dragonslayer, Spring 2020
•  Sara Caudill
•  Alec Bell
•  Kenny Kelley
•  Alex Fan
•  Suvaion Das