Virtual
Investigation Ground Simulator
Investigators learn cybercrime work by doing it, but the cases are rarely something you can safely practice on. Investigation Ground is a training simulation built in Unreal Engine 5, where trainees move through a scam center, read the evidence in the space and piece the case together. grain designed the interface, the interactions and the environments, so that learning to investigate feels like investigating.
- Client
- SPEC project
- Role
- Concept, Interaction Design, Unreal Engine Development, 3D Design, Spatial Sound Design
- Date
- 2026
- Collaborators
- Yazid Taki, Rhassan Rachdi
A Desk, Not a Menu
The simulation opens on a 3D keyboard. Trainees pick their scenario by pressing its keys, while the camera shifts slightly with the cursor. Pressing a key then starts a CRT boot sequence, with no loading bar, and the next level loads in the background as it plays. We wanted the first minute to feel like sitting at a workstation and not like starting a game.
Evidence in the Room
Inside the levels, nothing floats over the scene like a game HUD. Clues appear as lines of code-style text attached to objects, which you choose with the number keys and confirm by holding. Holding takes a moment, which discourages clicking through and encourages looking. [Add one line on the scenarios: the scam center, the others, what the trainee has to conclude.]
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