Ataraxia

Submission for TSA Video Game Design 2026

GitHub

Description

In Ataraxia, players will be dispatched in a star system overrun by various invasive species from Earth, and are tasked with capturing these creatures. They’ll be assigned missions to fulfill, with objectives such as capturing specific animals and clearing invasive species from planets. Once completed, players will return to a central spaceport to collect mission rewards, purchase upgrades, conduct research involving the creatures, and learn about the ways that the invasive species affect the environments they’re introduced to. Players should expect to face challenges ranging from managing the energy of their terrain vehicles to safely navigating encounters with more aggressive invasive species. Ultimately, our game serves to demonstrate the real-world issue of ecosystem damage from invasive populations introduced by humans.

Controls

• Move—WASD (left stick for controllers)
• Shoot (disembark)—Arrow keys or left click (right stick for controllers)
• UI Navigation
  • Next/Previous—Tab/Shift+Tab (Bumpers for controllers)
  • UI outside of disembark—Arrow keys (right stick for controllers)
  • Select/click buttons—Enter (Bottom button for controllers—A on XBox)