Crack the Jak
At medical congresses and tradeshows, attention is the rarest currency. Amid a sea of static booths, looping videos, and crowded demo stations, brands face a singular challenge: how do you turn complex science into an experience people actively choose to engage with?
For our work on Crack the JAK™, KAL reimagined the scientific education of a major pharmaceutical company in the dermatalogic space as a playable experience, designing an interactive, noir-inspired arcade game that translates the JAK-STAT pathway and itch cycle into a cinematic, story driven experience for HCPs.
The goal was to create a meaningful and memorable way to help clinicians intuitively understand disease biology across vitiligo and atopic dermatitis, while creating an immersive and recognizeable experience that drew sustained traffic on a crowded show floor.
Our concept reframed the pathway as a detective story. Players step into the role of Detective Jaki Stat, navigating a stylized noir world to uncover the biological drivers behind depigmentation and chronic itch.
Rather than presenting the JAK-STAT pathway and cytokine signaling as abstract diagrams, we embedded them into narrative logic. Each location, academic centers, corporate offices, clinical settings, represented a different facet of disease biology and clue within each case. To progress, players had to investigate clues, interact with characters, and complete mini-games designed to reinforce key scientific principles.
KAL led the end-to-end creative and experience design, shaping every visual and interaction layer of the game. Character development established a cast that felt cinematic yet approachable, stylized enough to be distinct yet relatable on the tradeshow floor, yet grounded enough to feel purposeful in a clinical narrative. Detective Jaki Stat anchored the experience, while supporting characters embodied distinct biological or clinical perspectives, creating a humanized entry point into complex science.
Environment design and 3D animation brought the noir-inspired world to life. Neon lit cityscapes, moody interiors, and cinematic lighting created a sense of depth and atmosphere rarely seen in traditional medical exhibits. These environments weren’t decorative backdrops, they were functional learning spaces, each designed to house interactions tied directly to the underlying pathway logic.
The gameplay itself was designed with a balanced accessibility. Mini-games were crafted to be intuitive enough for first-time players in a high-traffic booth environment, yet meaningful enough to reinforce mechanism-of-action learning. Each interaction was built with educational purpose, awarding clues only when players successfully completed a challenge, mirroring the investigative journey of uncovering therapeutic pathways in real-world clinical practice.
The experience extended beyond gameplay into a cohesive physical and visual brand system. KAL developed the identity for Crack the JAK™, defining typography, color language, iconography, and narrative tone that could live consistently across the game interface, environmental graphics, and physical arcade cabinet.
The arcade wrap transformed the unit itself into a beacon on the show floor. Dramatic environments, scientific molecules, dimensional typography, and cinematic character illustrations turned the cabinet into a sculptural centerpiece, drawing attendees in from across the aisle.
Crack the JAK™ demonstrates what’s possible when experiential design, storytelling, and scientific rigor converge. By translating the JAK-STAT pathway and itch cycle into an interactive detective narrative, the experience created emotional resonance around complex biology, turning passive education into active participation. It’s a model for how immersive experiences can humanize science, deepen understanding, and elevate how brands connect with HCPs.
