Black Death Interactive
A Story of Human Resilience (14th Century Venice)
Released: iPad (2024), Web App (2025)
Platforms: iPad, Web Browser, Mac (Apple Silicon)
Recognition: 2024 Horizon Interactive Award (Best of Category)
Overview
Immerse into the haunting world of 14th-century Venice during the deadliest pandemic in human history with Black Death Interactive. This immersive learning experience, part of the award-winning Global Pandemics series, uses interactive storytelling and historically grounded scenarios to explore the profound human toll of the plague. Players confront the harrowing choices faced by individuals caught in an unimaginable crisis, fostering a deeper understanding of resilience, sacrifice, and societal breakdown.
This project exemplifies my core mission: to harness interactive media for powerful, empathy-driven learning. Black Death Interactive specifically investigates how choice-based narratives within historically authentic settings can connect learners emotionally and intellectually to the past. By centering the experience on relatable human dilemmas, the project moves beyond dates and facts to explore the enduring themes of love, loss, and survival that resonate across centuries, showcasing the unique potential of digital media to make history tangible and relevant.
Download the app for iPad or access the experience directly through your web browser.
Experience Black Death Interactive
Key Features
Immersive Narrative: Experience the "Forty Days" storyline through the eyes of Giana, a young girl facing impossible choices in plague-ridden Venice.
Choice-Driven Gameplay: Make consequential decisions that reflect the profound ethical and personal dilemmas of the era.
Historical Authenticity: Explore meticulously researched depictions of 14th-century Venice, its culture, and the realities of the Black Death.
Focus on Empathy: Designed to cultivate understanding and emotional connection with historical figures and their struggles.
AI-Enhanced Cinematics: Features an award-winning title sequence created with cutting-edge AI animation tools, setting a powerful atmospheric tone.
Cross-Platform Accessibility: Available as a native iPad app and a responsive Web App for broader reach.
Unity 3D Engine: Built using robust game development technology for a polished interactive experience.
Watch the Cinematic Title Sequence
Venture into plague-ridden Venice with this haunting 2-minute title sequence. Created using a frontier AI tool pipeline (Midjourney, Runway Gen-3, Kling AI, Luma Dream Machine, Topaz Labs AI) for the Curious Refuge AI Horror Film Competition, it leverages cutting-edge AI animation to set the stage for an immersive historical horror experience, blending education with a spine-tingling atmosphere. Witness the Danse Macabre drifting through Venice's canals and follow Giana's heart-wrenching choices as the plague closes in. (Music Credit: Dark Space by Ave Air, Epidemic Sound).
The "Forty Days" Story | A Test of Human Resilience
At the heart of Black Death Interactive is the narrative "Forty Days." Players embody Giana, a 14-year-old navigating the desolate streets of Venice as the plague rages. Her central conflict revolves around her ailing father, Piero: does she honor her familial duty and care for him, likely contracting the disease herself, or does she heed the pragmatic call of survival and flee the doomed city?. This agonizing choice forces players to confront themes of loyalty, fear, the role of faith (represented by figures like Sister Agata), and the stark realities faced by historical individuals. The story aims not only to depict historical events but to immerse the player in the profound emotional and ethical weight of living through such a catastrophic time.
Visual Development | Explore Gallery of In-Game Screens & Concept Art
Concept art, in-game screens, and production visuals exploring the characters, environments, and moods of 14th-century Venice during the Black Death, illustrating the journey from historical research to interactive realization.
Technical Implementation
Black Death Interactive was developed using the Unity game engine, enabling the creation of detailed environments, character animations, and interactive narrative systems. The project was strategically designed for cross-platform deployment, resulting in a native iPad app available on the App Store and a responsive Web App built with Webflow, achieving accessibility across devices and learning contexts. The development process integrated historical research, narrative design, visual artistry, and technical expertise.
Educational Impact & Recognition
Black Death Interactive won Best of Education Category at the 2024 Horizon Interactive Awards and was nominated for Best Immersive Design at the 2024 Reimagine Education Awards. As a key installment in the Global Pandemics series, this project uses interactive technology to make history compelling and emotionally resonant. Development was supported by the Northwestern University INVO N.XT Ed Tech Seed Funding Competition, The Alumnae of Northwestern University Grant, and the Artificial Intelligence and Media Lab (AIM-LAB) at Northwestern University in Qatar. Black Death Interactive delivers key educational impact by:
Cultivating Historical Empathy: Connects learners emotionally to past experiences and perspectives during crises.
Promoting Critical Thinking: Encourages reflection on decision-making under pressure and complex historical factors.
Deepening Pandemic Understanding: Provides insight into the social, psychological, and ethical dimensions of historical health crises, linking to contemporary issues.
Exploring Human Resilience: Highlights themes of survival, sacrifice, and hope in extreme adversity.
Enhancing Engagement: Uses interactive storytelling and AI-driven cinematics for memorable and compelling history learning.