“Since the birth of humanity, our ancestors who survived and thrived were the discoverers, the adventurous; they had problems to solve and plans to lay out and, as a result, stories to tell. The more effective they were at tackling nature’s challenges, the bigger their stories became. Specialist tools have been made to harness the power of their stories, ideas, and reasoning. They could not afford to lose them with time. They kept them safe. But too often valuable information becomes accessible to a selected few.” – This is how the Quantum Odyssey game teaser’s narrative begins. And it seems like a really fantastic story-driven gameplay opening. Although the plot may not be highly original, the motive of Templars ruling mankind has been extensively explored in Assassin’s Creed iconic example that immediately comes to mind. And there are undoubtedly many more titles that natural-born players may name.
Surprisingly, in the case of Quantum Odyssey, the narrative only explains the purpose behind the game’s concept and does not turn into immersive story-driven gameplay. Thus, don’t be disappointed because this game offers much more than just narration.
The game idea was pitched by Quark Interactive, a Romanian startup created by Laurentiu Nita, a Theoretical Physics scientist specializing in Hybrid Quantum Computing. And what the game’s inventors intend to convey is their firm conviction that so-called quantum reasoning is a superpower that should be taught to people to solve real-world problems.
The Quark Interactive team believes that our existing approach to accessing and processing information prevents us from dealing with challenges. Nowadays, what we know about the material world, the universe, or even advanced technology, is all built on fundamental reasoning that is the foundation. It is called quantum computing.
The game they make has already been funded by EEA and Norway Funds to complete development and launch Quantum Odyssey by May 2024, as Laurentiu Nita informed on his social media.
Moreover, contrary to what the teaser suggests, the gameplay will neither be a narration-driven adventure like Whitcher nor a Civilization PRG-type game. It is more of an educational expedition, with the secret reward for being uncovered being portions of knowledge that will lead the player to become a more great thinker. In the virtual world of this game, a player may not become a superhero character but rather gain something far more valuable: a real understanding of quantum reasoning. It may be even more rewarding to learn new abilities that may be used when confronted with real-world, not virtual only, challenges.
Quark Interactive aims to make understanding quantum computing as simple and natural as possible and teach everyone quantum literacy. The Quantum Odyssey game aims to make quantum computation enjoyable and accessible to individuals of all ages. What makes it even easier is that no math skills are necessary to solve visual puzzles in the game, which illustrates each particular concept in a very natural and compelling way.
Is this the utopian idea of a group of professionals sincerely passionate about their scientific field? Not for me. With well-crafted gameplay, storyline, outstanding aesthetics, and compelling puzzles to solve, the game may be an excellent idea for making video entertainment a truly effective medium for transmitting scientific knowledge.
According to the founders, leaders and cultures that have thrived have advanced their knowledge. The significance of information literacy due to transferring this knowledge was critical to their survival. Ignorance, fear, and hostility were always the foundation of the collapse of civilizations. It may appear to be a genuine confession of commitment, with Quark Interactive taking on the position of the Templars in control of a secret to better human reasoning.
Game industry innovators are a niche in the context of European startups. Given the growing number of new game development companies in the region competing for a slice of the global entertainment business, Quark Interactive’s concept stands out. The promise of providing the most accessible, immersive, and exciting environment for humans to study universal quantum computing appears to be more than another didactic video game. It may also presumably stimulate other scientists to explore new story-based interactive formats to bring light to humankind.
