HistOracle

HistOracle is a Carnegie Mellon University ETC project stemming from an ongoing partnership between multiple CMU departments and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, centered around their rare collection of Oracle Bones. These 3000-year-old artifacts are chronicles of ceremonies performed to predict the future and remain the earliest records of written language in East Asian history. The team is exploring these bones as primary sources with the intent of bringing the history of China’s Shang Dynasty and its fascinating divination practices to the present day.

The project team will be creating a game where players are teleported back to the Shang Dynasty as diviners (spiritual priests who can glimpse into the future) under the rule of the formidable king. Although they are destined to make predictions, they must ensure that choices also appease the king's temper, which has the power to shift the fate of the country. Highlighting the historical predicaments and roles in this time period, we aim to spread awareness of this prolific ritual during this pivotal era in Ancient China. The team aims to highlight these ancient artifacts in a novel way, hoping to attract and inform history, spiritual, and strategy game lovers to this unique historical practice.