The New Arcade

A Parsons MFA Design & Technology studio taught by Henry Lam and Kyle Li.

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Yi Wang Multiplayer Snake

I only found this video recording on my computer, but do not have any controller picture anymore. The controller simply consist two joystick

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Yi Wang Midterm

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fZ538DhI7hyqTmzQK6gLjtqD1le50brX/view?usp=drive_link

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Wormwood

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Crest of Ocean

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By Yue(Krystal) Huang, Yijia Guo & Zhuoran Ma

996 Tech is a two-player racing game that challenges traditional game control by having players race on the toilet seats instead of using the racing gamepad or steering wheels. Inspired by the Chinese internet slang “带薪拉屎” (paid to poop), a norm among young generations in the workplace who tend to slack off and commit as little work as possible in the office, the interaction explores the notion of escapism, lack of motivation, silent rebellion, and, more importantly, the excessive stress in the workplace. Set in the context of a depressing and exploitative workspace, where individuals find their inner peace in the restroom as a means to escape, 996 Tech aims to transform this negativity into a thrilling racing experience. To embody the core of “paid to poop,” players utilize customized toilet seats and plungers as game controllers, immersing themselves in a quirky yet competitive environment. The winner of the game remains on the toilet seat until defeated by the next challenger stepping foot into the world of “slacking off.” 996 Tech seeks to materialize the widespread phenomenon of employees seeking refuge in the restroom, providing an outlet for stressed-out employees to relax and loosen up. Indeed, the name “996 Tech” speaks it all. In a world where 9 to 5 no longer seems to satisfy the companies’ needs, certain tech firms now feature “996” schedules – working 12 hours from 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week. Join us in this absurd yet whimsical journey, where racing to win not only contemplates job promotion but also highlights the ultimate mastery of slacking off.

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Flutu

Unfortunately didn't manage to document this because my game ran into some issues (after it was working fine) and I didn't manage to find a quick fix and had to take apart the controller to use some of the components. I decided to not persevere because I don't think I made something particularly unique or that I want to take further. It was however a good exercise.

Basically I made a game about a character 'Flutu' who has to try pass a version of the game Mastermind in order to sing the right tune to wake up Mr Sloth because you and him were supposed to go on an adventure. If you down guess within 10 tires, you have to go on an adventure with the annoying raccoon instead.

I made flutu out of a 3D printed recorder-style object with 6 buttons and a wind sensor. You could blow the flute to move the character in the game, and use the buttons to play and guess the notes of the tune. Each archway gives visual feedback of the notes guessed and the answer results with colored rings lighting up.

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By Terry & Zhuoran

Say Hi, Robot is a friendly robot companion. With a plushy fried egg cover, Say Hi, Robot drives around the space it is placed in. It uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect when it is near an obstacle. If it senses an obstacle nearby, it stops, reverses slightly, says ‘hello’ and then looks around (servo motor) to choose the best path to continue on and repeats the process. We used a DF Player to play an audio track with a speaker. The biggest challenge with this project was getting everything working together with the right amount of power. We ended up using a motor driver to drive the two gear motors as well as a rechargeable battery pack to power it. The arduino is powered by this as well. We 3D-printed a layered base to house all the components. Getting them all set up is really finicky and was part of the difficulty with a project like this - especially unforgiving because it moves so everything needs to be properly attached! The plushy cover uses styrofoam in the ‘yolk’ to house the ultrasonic and servo, and the base is shaped by a laser cut piece of perspex that slots on top of the robot structure. Ultimately, Say Hi, Robot turned out quite well and has a lot of personality, charming all in its path. 

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This is my ONE_BUTTON project. At first, I only used the PIR Motion to detect the warmth you give to the pet. But later when I had more time, I updated the other two functions("Give water"/"Talk"). 

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I want to make an electronic pet. It requires family care. The electronic pet. doesn't move. It stays quietly like a plant, but it expresses its needs like an animal. It needs people to talk to it, give it warmth, and moisture - these are the things most living things need to stay alive. When I provide it with these things, it feels satisfied.

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This is a small game where real physical equipment and Unity cooperate with each other. This game requires two players, one of whom controls the movement of characters in Unity's game. Another person will monitor the view through the monitor and use his [Hacker's Toolbox] to help his partner Jason navigate through the puzzles.

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My icon is [2.3.3.3]This is a music game inspired by the story of “Pipe of Hameline”. As Hamelin, the player needs to use musical and rhythmic playing to control the child to follow him. Don’t forget that there are dangerous traps on the road. Clapping your hands can make the child jump. To avoid the trap.

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Our very first idea started with hugging, having two players in a small place with hugging as an action to accomplish some cute tasks. Then collaborate to complete the game. We purchased an exercise ball from Amazon as our gaming platform, which can hold up to 660lbs. two-player games were considered. But then, while doing testing, it was a bit difficult for two people to stand. So we are planning to do a single player game (considering the safety.) If we widen the platform, it will be a two-player game! The narrative part is a baby polar bear who has fallen off the ice and is fishing on an ice floe to make sure he survives until the currents bring him back to the island. Also if the player wobbles too much on the ice floe, they will go into danger mode, meaning you need to keep shaking the ice to keep your balance before you can go back to fishing mode. The hardest part of the game was the capsize feature, which had to simulate the feeling of wobbling on the ice while also taking into account how the player moves to balance the ice. We adjusted the movement mode a few times and finally realized this feature, but the downside is that the player's swaying angle is actually related to her/his weight and distance between her/his feet, making it difficult to keep the mechanics consistent. We'll keep an eye on this. Overall feedback on the game has been good, and in the future we'll be adding more varieties of fish that the player can choose to avoid or catch. We will also take into account the levels and set different launch speeds. Made by Siyuan Fu & Piper Wu

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Wiggy Wiggy - Terry, Luca, Julia

Ever wondered how wigs are made? Wiggy-Wiggy is a rhythm game in which a player as an employee at a wig factory is tasked with cutting the wigs at a certain height and coloring them the assigned color. Players must do this with accuracy, as the wigs come past on a conveyor belt in time to the music. 

Our game is made up of 3 main parts: the Unity game which provides instruction and feedback to the player, the custom wig-factory-themed song made in Ableton, and our custom wig controller which consists of 3D printed parts and LED’s mounted on a base. 

The length and color are indicated in the game by colored arrows positioned at the correct height on the head. Players use the scissors that are mounted on a rod to snip the hair at different lengths. They use the brush to hit one of the 4 dye pots to color the hair the correct color. Hitting the correct inputs at the correct time (when the head lines up to the middle of the screen) will increase health shown at the bottom of the screen, and missing heads will deduct from this bar. If the bar depletes during the game players will have to restart. 

We’d still like to add a few things to round off the prototype. This would be adding a title screen and having the game reset to it after win or lose, sorting out the slight delay between controller and game, and adding juice to make the game more appealing looking, and the visual feedback more clear. 

Ultimately, this was a fun experiment, finding new ways to explore the rhythm game genre.

Short Video: https://vimeo.com/892763863?share=copy

Long Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18w5AatI6w0QffODMpBfayZFfFNfs1VH9/view?usp=sharing

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By Zhuoran Ma

The icons that I have chosen are: ‘follow/trace,’ 'do not feed,’ 'trap,’ and 'cradle.’ In 'Cradle Run,’ you’re a baby out on a spring outing with your parents. But things take a turn when, at the top of a hill, your parents accidentally let go of your cradle. Now, you’re on a wild downhill adventure, dodging your chasing parents, grabbing candies (which you’re not usually allowed to have), and avoiding obstacles that slow you down and let your parents catch up.

To control the game, players wear an accelerometer in a diaper on their head. Tilting their head helps them move left or right. When the cradle hits a 'diving platform,’ players get a set of movements to perform detected by tilt sensors in their feet and butt. How well they do determines their score, making the game fun and interactive.

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By Yi Wang & Zhuoran Ma

“Sushi Paw” is an immersive 3D multiplayer competitive game that places players in the role of skilled sushi chefs, tasked with satisfying the hungry customers in a cozy sushi bar. The controller of this game consists of 2 custom wearable gloves equipped with flex sensors, and an operation table with a sushi roller as the base and an ultrasonic sensor at the side. The flex sensors enable players to interact with the game through hands, making different sushi or sides in accord with their hand gestures. Together with players’ hands moving over the sushi roller, these settings enhance the immersive experience and aligns with the game’s sushi-making theme, where in real-life scenarios, precision and delicacy of movement are key in sushi preparation. The addition of ultrasonic sensors determines the placement of sushi in the game, adding an element of spatial awareness and strategic thinking. Last but not least, the concept of introducing shuffle board game also fit into the idea of sushi serving, as players will send their dishes to the consumer on the other side of the table with their hands as well. This dual-sensor approach is essential for “Sushi Paw,” as it allows players to experience both the fun and intricacies of sushi preparation as well as serving, and the strategic placement of dishes in a digital format.

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A game of distance & chance & guts.

This is a two-player competitive turn-based limited time game. The game was actually designed for people to play with body movement in the initial stages, but later we thought it would be easier to place the Arduino components while playing with fingers on the table. And using tape on the table can help people walk in a straight line, which is detected by the ultrasonic ranging sensor. The rules of the game are as follows.

When the game starts, the program will randomly generate a range of 20-80cm, which is not announced. The two players need to use their hands to choose a far and near position on the table along the black tape to stand, and each holds a vibrating motor. At this point the game starts counting down for two minutes. The two players take turns moving in a straight line, with no limit to the distance they can move, and can only move once per round. When a player is 80cm away from the game, the two players will feel a slight vibration reminder from the motor. When a player is 20cm away from the game, the motor will vibrate violently. The first player to step into the range loses. If no one steps into this range after two minutes, the player closest to this range wins.

This game tests the player’s ranging ability, opportunity and courage. The inspiration comes from keeping the distance between people, and refers to the game Henry took us to play at the beginning of the semester.

Game Video

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Luca & Piper - Finger Twister!

For our project, we decided to create a variation of Twister! Although we learned that this has been made many-a-time before, the idea was new and exciting to us at first! And still is.

This project was a great opportunity to learn about many things. I’ll list them here: 3D printing, mass-button-management, LCD display programming, game logic programing within the Arduino IDE and C++, and piezo buzzer music composition.

By combining all of these practices, and learning more about them, we managed to put together a piece that felt complete. Well, almost. Everything except for the encasing. We did not expect our buttons to be so hard to press, so the case we created was not stable enough to stay up by itself. Because of this, I had to hold our controller up during the demo.

We also had some issues with miscalculations of size. We failed to predict how much volume the wires in our project would take up, so not much else apart from them fit inside of our intended structure. To make up for this, we had to append a box to the bottom of our controller.

Here you can see the controller in action:

https://youtu.be/Y-pqJLLKmcg 

Apart from the things that did not go so well, we are also eager to highlight our successes! We managed to print out a fairly detailed 3D model that maintained its structure despite how much drilling and pressing we did to/on it. We also spent a lot of time learning the nuances of C++ to properly organize our code, and in the end, the gameplay was very consistent!

It was a great learning experience, and it got some laughs out of the class, which is enough to make us happy :)

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Krystal, Lea, Yijia