Zombie Ants VR is a short (5-10 minute) educational experience that takes the player through the life cycle of Ophiocordyceps, a fungus that drives creatures (in this case ants) to change their behavior in order to propagate the fungus then ultimately kills them. This fungus was a large inspiration for the video game series Last of Us and is often affectionately referred to as the "Zombie Fungus".
The game offers several different control schemes to accommodate all sorts of players from those who have never used VR before (and those susceptible to motion sickness) to those who want a more interactive experience. Educational content reading level recommended for ages 12+.
This project was a student & recent-grad driven endeavor developed through a collaboration between the University of Central Florida (UCF) biology & game development departments as well as the University of Utrecht (UU) biology department. It was supported by NSF Career 1941546, made available to Charissa de Bekker.
