aPOPtosis
New York University Master’s Thesis [2026]
aPOPtosis is an interactive project that reimagines MCAT preparation through the lens of pop culture, visual design, and game-based learning.
Background
My creative background is rooted in a strong interest in pop culture, visual aesthetics, and storytelling, particularly through the lens of music and album eras. I have spent time analyzing how artists build cohesive visual worlds through color, design, and rollout strategy to create identities that extend beyond the music itself. This perspective is shaped by my experience in creative and media environments, where I have worked on visual content, digital media, and audience engagement. Alongside this, my passion for screenwriting and storytelling has pushed me to think critically about narrative structure, character, and tone, especially within comedy and ensemble-driven work. Together, these interests inform my approach to design, where I aim to blend narrative, aesthetics, and interactivity to create experiences that feel engaging and culturally relevant.
aPOPtosis is grounded in research on visual learning, gamification, and memory encoding, which suggests that interactive and visually distinctive environments can significantly improve comprehension and retention of complex information. The use of a stylized claymation world and “album era” visual frameworks draws from media studies research on familiarity and emotional association, positioning recognizable design languages as tools for reinforcing memory.
Research
Prototyping
The prototyping process for aPOPtosis focused on rapidly building and testing an interactive system that could effectively merge educational content with a strong visual identity. Development took place primarily in Unity, where I implemented player movement, camera systems, and a trigger-based interaction framework that allows users to engage with question checkpoints and informational pop-ups throughout the environment. Assets were created and refined in Blender, where I designed the claymation-inspired world and imported models into the game engine for real-time testing and iteration. Visual elements, including UI overlays and stylistic components, were developed using Adobe Creative Suite to ensure consistency in branding and aesthetic direction. This iterative workflow allowed for continuous refinement of both functionality and design, balancing usability with the project’s emphasis on pop culture-driven visual storytelling.
Final Assets/Presentation
The final assets and production of aPOPtosis reflect the scale and completeness of the interactive prototype, combining a high volume of educational content with a cohesive visual and technical system. The game includes over 25 MCAT-style questions embedded throughout the environment and more than 40 informational pop-ups designed to reinforce key concepts and guide the user experience. The project was heavily informed by pop culture and music industry strategies, particularly the structure of album rollouts and remix albums. This approach draws on the idea of remix culture as a way to reinterpret and reinforce information, using repetition, variation, and aesthetic shifts to help users better engage with and retain complex material while maintaining a strong, recognizable visual identity.
