MURMUR SPREE: THE GAME

Murmur Spree is a five chapter standalone game developed in the Unity game Engine designed to teach players of all audiences about the blood flow of the heart, the valve anatomy, and specific murmur background and auscultation. The game takes you through two worlds, one a narrative analogy for the other: a farmhouse environment, in which a young woman must deliver juice to farm animals in a specific path; and a dark anatomical heart environment, requiring the user to deliver oxygen throughout the body and follow blood cells through the flow of the heart corresponding with the same path as the farmhouse.

The Learning Goals

Murmur Spree, with its five narrative chapters, six cut scene animations, and 3 exploratory mini-games, addresses specific learning goals:

• The path of blood through the heart

• The names of the heart chambers

• The names of the heart valves

• Definition of a murmur

• Physiology of the heart's contractions

• Systole and Diastole

• Systolic and diastolic murmurs

• Auscultation within five specific murmurs

Intended Purpose

"This 2-3 hour story-driven game gives users an in-depth look at basic anatomy and blood flow of the heart while introducing concepts of adult heart murmurs and cardiac auscultation. Heart murmurs are prevalent in the general population, but the complex etiology leaves a gap in understanding for patients exhibiting symptoms. Murmur Spree revolves around BB, a young woman who has fainted and been sent into two alternate universes: 1.) a farmhouse, where she must pick-up and deliver items throughout the farm, and 2.) her own heart, where a red blood cell friend leads her throughout the anatomical environment. The game’s central activities use the farmhouse as a visual metaphor for the anatomical heart and both worlds echo the same tasks to reinforce the analogy. With over 30 scenes, 6 cut-scene animations, and multiple vocabulary based mini-games, Murmur Spree strives to give users an understanding of the heart and heart murmurs using narrative, analogy, humor, and interaction."

VERSION 01-02, LAST UPDATED 7/3/2018