War continues to dominate global headlines, often framed through the lens of human suffering. But one devastating impact remains largely invisible: the deaths and displacement of non-human beings caught in conflict. This oversight reflects the deeply anthropocentric narratives that shape our understanding of war.
“Tune” challenges this gap, inviting players to ask: What does war look like when viewed from beyond the human perspective? What stories have we failed to hear?
Lobby screen - you can rotate the earth and browse different spot locations.
Project Overview
What does war leave behind, when no one’s counting the animals?
“Tune” is an interactive, data-driven journalism game that explores the hidden impacts of war on wildlife. Where traditional coverage centers on human casualties, “Tune” shifts the narrative toward animals — silent, overlooked victims whose stories rarely make it into the public record.
The game uses real data, immersive sound design, and layered visuals to craft an emotional investigative journey. Rather than simulate battle, it invites players to uncover and interpret loss — making the unseen visible, and the unheard audible.
Research Context — Data with Narrative
Researching for “Tune” surfaced a major challenge: there is little existing data on animals in war. Most records focus on charismatic species like elephants or gorillas, while other animals are rarely mentioned — and when they are, it’s often in footnotes.
This scarcity led us to redefine what “research” means in this context.
We collected eyewitness accounts, memoirs, and NGO testimonies — all filtered through human voices, yet often laced with guilt, grief, or compassion. These emotions became clues to a deeper truth: how humans remember animals when systems forget them.
Key Features
Format | WebGL-based game, playable on desktop
Story Mechanics | Players use a radio-like tuner to search for animal stories buried beneath human noise
Core Metaphors | Light = awareness, Sound = attention, Fuel = narrative responsibility
Based on real research | Built from fragmented field data, oral histories, legal records, and personal testimony
Gameplay Snapshot
Intro Animation
Explains the player’s role: an independent researcher returning to the last known site of a lost animal voice.
Lobby Screen
A rotating globe UI lets players browse fragmented locations and unlock site-based animal stories.
Game Mechanic
Fuel | acts as a constraint system: the more you illuminate, the more resources are consumed, reinforcing a sense of responsibility
Through play, fragmented testimonies emerge piece by piece. The game doesn’t deliver a single linear story — instead, it offers narrative discovery, encouraging players to connect, interpret, and reflect.
Exhibition& Reception
“Tune” was supported by the Korean Arts Council and exhibited in Sungsu, Seoul. The installation featured:
- Play Zone | A projection room for players to experience the game
- Archive Room | A research-focused space where visitors browsed field data, testimonies, and visual notes
Many visitors reported feeling emotional tension — often pausing at the moment of decision or interpreting silence in unexpected ways. The exhibition prompted conversation around empathy, narrative responsibility, and non-human agency.
Process record
The full development and research process has been documented in booklet form.
🔗 Request a copy: avies.anne@gmail.com
Next Chapter
Continuing our research for the next chapter (Korea DMZ, Gulf War)
Steam Launch in September
Reviewing CrowdFunding
See related: