The challenge

Elastic needed a way to stand out in a crowded space. Traditional content formats such as whitepapers, webinars, and sales decks, weren’t enough to convey the depth of their platform or the nuance of their audience’s decisions.

The opportunity

So our team thought, what if we didn’t just tell them about the risks, what if they lived them?

The concept

Decision Dilemma was conceived. A retro-styled, 8-bit inspired, interactive game where users step into the shoes of key cybersecurity personas, each with unique goals and skill sets:

• Angie Near, The Application Architect
• Fred Hunter, The Security Sleuth
• Trace Rootcaws, The Operational Overseer
• Executive leadership

Players navigate real-world-inspired scenarios that test their ability to increase productivity, manage budgets, and make tough calls under pressure. Every choice has consequences, sometimes budget-draining, other times career-defining.

UX & interaction design

Designed as a progressive decision tree, each scene layers new complexity as users move through months in the life of a tech lead. Core interaction elements included:

• Email-like prompts to simulate real communications
• Budget and productivity meters to show trade-offs in real time
• Decision branches that unlock different endings based on performance
• A leaderboard and replay functionality for competitive engagement

The visual identity; bright, pixel-style environments, expressive character illustrations, and humorous side notes, added lightness to weighty topics like security breaches and infrastructure investment.

Visual & character design

I designed all pixel characters, environments, and interface elements by hand. Characters each had:

• Unique backgrounds and motivations
• Skill ratings (visualized with pixel bars)
• Narrative arcs that revealed their personalities over time
• Diverse identities to ensure inclusivity

Sound design

To heighten engagement and reinforce feedback loops, I curated all UX and UI audio across gameplay and promotional content.

• Selected retro-inspired sounds to match the pixel aesthetic
• Paired key actions with distinct audio cues for clarity and immersion
• Maintained consistency across menus, prompts, alerts, and scene transitions
• Used subtle sound cues to guide decisions and underscore narrative tone

The results

• Decision Dilemma became a cornerstone asset in Elastic’s integrated marketing campaigns.
• It was showcased at events and webinars, integrated into sales demos, and used as a tool to educate prospects through experience, not explanation.
• Average playthrough times exceeded expectations, and user feedback praised its originality, usability, and storytelling.
• Visit the site and play a round

This wasn’t just a game, it was an educational simulation disguised as fun. We transformed Elastic’s technical selling points into an emotionally resonant experience where users felt the stakes, saw the consequences, and remembered the lessons.