Failtopia
Team: Lucy Yao, Nicolette Damianou, Emil Rofors, Kabeer Andrabi and Sara Rutz
As our team got to know each other we realized we each had non-linear paths that led us to the hackathon—our twists and turns had brought us closer to our passions. “Failing” gets a bad reputation, but it had taught us so much. At its core, failure is simply unmet expectations. Fearing it is stifling; we wanted to shift the culture of failure through reflection, co-creation, and collaboration so students can see that failure is essential in finding their way through the trees.
Failtopia is an immersive multiplayer VR experience where university students listen, share, and grow from their failures. Players wander a forest of failures, find mushrooms with tin can telephones to listen to failure stories or record their own, then plant them to grow new mushrooms. A bonfire at the center is where players gather to celebrate failures together. The experience is designed for mental health and counseling programs to build community among students.
This project was created during the MIT Reality Hack in January 2023 and won the grand prize.