Inspiration
Data Garden started as an experiment to see how far a story about data, scrolling, and digital identity could go using only images and a single button. The team wanted to capture the feeling of being an always-online content consumer whose day is shaped by timelines, feeds, and invisible algorithms, without relying on dialogue or text. That led to a textless comic-game hybrid where every tap advances a visual story about how our data grows, mutates, and feeds the platforms we live on.
What it does
Data Garden is a text-less comic-game hybrid about data, interaction and digital identity, playable with just one button. In this click & click adventure, each press moves you through comic panels that show a virtual routine of a content consumer, reacting to notifications, feeds and recommendations. The game uses composition, color and motion to express emotions and consequences instead of traditional UI or dialogue, making it immediately readable without any written language.
You can play it here: https://rockisdead.itch.io/data-garden.
How we built it
Data Garden was built using a custom panel-based system in a game engine, treating each scene like a living comic page that responds to a single input. The core logic is a state machine that maps button presses to narrative states, transitions and subtle branches so the same control can feel context-aware and expressive. The art pipeline focused on modular comic panels, layered animations and timing tweaks to make every press feel like turning a page and triggering a small, satisfying reaction.
Use of AI tools
Throughout development, AI tools played a supporting role in exploration, iteration and polish while keeping the final experience hand-crafted. Gemini was used as a creative partner for brainstorming narrative beats, exploring metaphors for data ecosystems, and rapidly iterating on logline-style descriptions and micro-copy outside the game. Freepik contributed references and graphic elements during visual exploration, helping test different UI framings, iconography directions and poster-like compositions before committing to custom art.
For visual experimentation, Dreamina AI was used to generate quick concept variations of data “gardens”, content feeds as plants, and identity fragments, which acted as moodboards and lighting references for the final illustrations. On the video side, CapCut streamlined trailer and social media edits, letting the team quickly sync panel transitions to music, layer captions and export multiple formats for sharing the game. Together, these tools helped prototype fast, validate ideas visually, and polish the presentation while keeping the aesthetic and narrative strictly authored by the team.
Challenges we ran into
One of the biggest challenges was communicating relatively abstract ideas—like data trails, platform algorithms and digital identity—purely through imagery and timing. Without text or dialogue, every panel composition, transition and color shift had to carry narrative weight and emotional clarity. Another challenge was making a one-button input feel like enough: it required a lot of iteration on pacing, feedback and branching rules to keep the interaction engaging from start to finish.
Accomplishments that we’re proud of
The team is proud of delivering a complete narrative that works across languages and accessibility barriers thanks to the textless design. Turning a “passive scrolling” routine into an interactive comic, while still being playable with a single button, created an experience that feels familiar but also strangely reflective. We’re also happy that the game fits naturally on platforms like Steam and itch.io, reaching an audience that enjoys experimental, art-driven experiences.
What we learned
Data Garden showed that tight constraints—no text and one input—can drive more focused, inventive design decisions instead of limiting them. The project reinforced how much narrative information can be encoded in framing, motion and rhythm when those elements are treated as first-class storytelling tools. Working with AI tools like Gemini, Freepik, Dreamina AI and CapCut taught us how to use them as accelerators for exploration and production, not as replacements for direction or style.
What’s next for Data Garden
Next, the goal is to expand Data Garden with new sequences that explore different “days” in the life of a data-driven routine, such as algorithmic rabbit holes or notification overload. These could appear as additional chapters or alternate paths that still follow the one-button, textless design but push the visual language further. There is also interest in experimenting with platform-specific versions and accessibility-oriented options, making this kind of visual storytelling available to more players across devices.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.