A digital strategy card game by Team HistOracle
Explore Oracle Bone divination rituals within an interactive gameplay setting
HistOracle is a digital strategy game developed at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center in partnership with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Inspired by the museum’s rare collection of 3,000-year-old Oracle Bones—the earliest known records of written Chinese—the project brings the rituals and history of the Shang Dynasty to life through interactive storytelling.
Players step into the role of a royal diviner, making prophetic decisions that shape the kingdom’s future while navigating the volatile court of King Wu Ding. Every prediction must balance truth, strategy, and survival, as maintaining the king’s trust is just as important as foretelling the future.
Grounded in historical research, HistOracle reimagines these ancient artifacts as an engaging strategy experience, inviting players to explore one of history’s earliest divination practices and discover the cultural significance of the Oracle Bones in a new way.