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Project Descriptions

Age of Alchemy: The Goldsmith's Daughter

January 1 - December 31, 2018 | Media and Technology

Development of a prototype of an immersive game set in 17th-century London that explores the relationship between science, culture, and history.

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) is developing Age of Alchemy, a game exploring alchemy’s “Golden Age” in Europe during the 1600s. In this era, alchemy was not a fool’s quest for riches and eternal life: it provided economic opportunity, invited curiosity, and examined relationships between humankind and the natural world. Alchemy formed our current ideas about experimental scientific practices and paved the way for modern chemistry. It also impacted period literature, visual art, and music and continues to excite public imagination. Age of Alchemy draws on CHF’s collections of alchemical art and rare books to produce a visually rich and historically accurate experience, awakening empathy for past individuals who used experimental work to navigate society. During this prototyping phase, we will work with playtesters and our advisory team of experts to shape key game mechanics and assess levels of audience engagement and the successful communication of our humanities themes.

Funders

NEH
Funding Program: Digital Projects for the Public: Prototyping Grants
Award Number: MT-258876-18
Funding Amount: $100,000

TEAM MEMBERS

  • REVISE logo
    Principal Investigator
    Science History Institute
  • Discipline: Art, music, and theater | Chemistry | History/policy/law
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Games, Simulations, and Interactives

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