Murder! In Wonderland
I was part of a 14-person interdisciplinary team that designed and produced Murder! In Wonderland, a fully immersive, Alice in Wonderland themed miniature golf attraction. Debuting at the USC Games Expo in May 2023, the experience integrated traditional mini-golf gameplay with croquet-inspired ball mechanics and interactive murder mystery storytelling.
Over nine months, our team successfully developed the concept, designed the physical environments, built interactive game elements, and produced the full guest experience. My specific contributions included developing scene concepts and gameplay mechanisms, fabricating and constructing physical models and installations, and designing and installing lighting effects. I focused on ensuring both guest immersion and gameplay clarity.
My main duties in this project:
Scenic & Architectural Design: Developed the archway design for the Hole 1 entrance and created 1’=1” scale foam/wooden models for several holes' game mechanisms.
Fabrication & Production: Programmed files for laser cutting and used both a laser cutter and a CNC machine to produce parts. I was a key production specialist, responsible for building the attractions, including painting, patching, and general construction.
Show Lighting: Designed and adjusted the golf course lighting on-site for the nighttime version of the experience.
Some traces of work are shown below:
Light positions and directions illustration I drew for Hole2 on the model built by instructing faculty Joe Garlington.
Light positions and directions illustration I drew for Hole7 on the model built by instructing faculty Joe Garlington.
Light positions and directions illustration I drew for Hole3 on the model built by instructing faculty Joe Garlington.
The rough concept illustration I came up with for Hole4: the Caterpillar and his hookah. Purple arrows are the planned movement of the croquette balls.
The rough concept illustration I came up with for Hole7: Jabberwocky and the giant tree with trapdoors at its bottom.
Layout for the whole experience regarding lighting fixtures and hole positions I draw at an early stage of development.
More about Murder! In Wonderland
Guests stepped into the role of Detective Alice, summoned by the Queen of Hearts to solve a murder mystery. They uncovered clues by sinking croquet-style balls through a series of themed holes. Each successful shot revealed a narrative detail or a visual hint, allowing them to piece together "who committed the crime" in a whimsical yet eerie Wonderland.
The attraction was operational on May 10 and May 12, 2023, for the USC Games Expo. On the evening of May 10, we presented a special nighttime version of the experience, which used environmental lighting effects to add an extra layer of atmosphere and intrigue to the mystery.
Photo of the developers of this miniature golf with faculties
Attraction Photos
First Arch way at the entrance
Overview for Hole1, an intro to the whole experience
Second Arch way for the entrance
Queen of Hearts figure
Hole8 the castle. It is a weenie for our attraction
Tweddle Dee and Tweedle Dum, performed by actors, behind the mutated giant mushrooms
The final hole as a court for guests to cast their votes to the murderer they considered.
The judge and mascot of the attraction: Frank. Frank also revealed who the murderer really was to the guest.
details of the courthouse
Night version view from the balcony
night version
Night version entrance, featuring more mysterious purple lights.
Hole3 as a labyrinth maze, featuring the sea of tears.
Jabberwocky behind the tree at Hole7, where guests must hit the ball to go through the truck of the tree with a swing door.
Nighttime castle of the Queen of Hearts
Dormouse on a surfboard at Hole3: Sea of Tears
The Caterpillar and the hookah at Hole4
