Pain Terminator is a game in Virtual Reality that explains the mechanism of action of painkillers — specifically nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — inside the human body. The game is set up as a museum installation for children.
In the game, the player takes on the role of the painkiller itself, navigating the human bloodstream and blocking enzyme openings to demonstrate how NSAIDs inhibit the inflammatory response. The experience translates a complex pharmacological process into an intuitive, embodied game mechanic that children can engage with and understand.
Designed as a museum installation, the project bridges science education and interactive play. By putting children in the first-person perspective of the medicine they might take, Pain Terminator makes an abstract biological process tangible and memorable. The game aims to reduce fear around medication and build foundational health literacy through play.
