BioDesign Challenge 2025 New York
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to participate in the BioDesign Challenge through my university. As part of the program, we formed a small team and competed against other student groups with the goal of developing a creative response to current biotechnological questions. Our project, BioMandate 2045, was selected as the winning concept within our university, which earned us a spot to represent our school at the global BioDesign Challenge Summit in New York City.
When we first started working on our concept, we weren’t sure what direction to take. Most teams were designing biotech products, and we hesitated for a long time before asking ourselves a bold question: What if we made a game instead?
Eventually, we committed to creating BioMandate 2045, a decision-making game inspired by Papers Please, where players act as a government agency reviewing biotech proposals. The game explores the ethical dilemmas and societal consequences of emerging technologies. The idea came to me late at night after a lot of thinking and, as usual, in the shower. It quickly replaced our original concept of a digital garden planner. I sketched an early prototype in Figma and began building the technical foundation while our team found its rhythm. I handled programming and project management, Sebastian took care of game design, Markus crafted the art direction, and Dominik and Daniel focused on the trailer and presentation.
It wasn’t always smooth. Building the data systems behind our dossiers turned out to be more complex than expected. We had periods of low motivation due to other university deadlines and personal stress. But when it came time to submit our trailer for the internal competition, I reorganized our priorities and re-energized the team. That push paid off. We won the university-wide contest and were invited to exhibit in New York City.
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Preparing for New York was a whirlwind. We redesigned the UI, improved the prototype, created posters, and got ready to present our game on an international stage. The trip itself was intense and expensive (airport food especially), but absolutely unforgettable. From standing on the 120th floor of a skyscraper to seeing Van Gogh’s Starry Night at the MoMA, the experience was surreal.
The BioDesign Challenge was very well organized, even though the event was spread across several buildings in Manhattan. One of the highlights was the exhibition gallery where we showed BioMandate 2045 and had deep conversations with visitors from many backgrounds. We met designers, researchers, artists, and many others who were genuinely interested in what games can do. To our surprise and pride, we received the Outstanding Social Critique award. It felt like a huge recognition of our belief that games can be a meaningful way to explore complex topics.
This project challenged us on every level. We learned a lot about team collaboration, leadership, and staying motivated through long processes. Most of all, it confirmed for us that games can be powerful tools for reflection and conversation.
We’re incredibly grateful for the support we received, especially from our university and sponsors. Without that help, this experience wouldn’t have been possible. Despite the challenges, BioMandate 2045 has become one of the most meaningful highlights of our studies so far.
