Gameplay beyond the Screen

With Unity3D and Arduino, we implemented the gameplay that linked the virtual world with real objects.

With self-publishing on itch.io, we gave feedback and finished the workshop!

Last time, we looked at examples of gameplay that started from concerns such as “how can we view reality anew through rules?” Gameplay no longer only exists in the game world. Alternative games seek to link gameplay outside the game.

We linked gameplay in the game world with physical control in reality using Unity 3D and Arduino. We experimented with how much new gameplay could be created beyond the screen.

Before experimenting with Arduino, we discussed how we could change gameplay by sharing game ideas.

While there were some game ideas that use Arduino only as obstacles and change factors, there were various discussions, including having Arduino as the main mechanism. Interesting ideas included controlling the gameplay by controlling the light with an Arduino, solving a puzzle using only colors using a color-expressing Arduino, and having a player collaborate between one player on the web and the other controlling the Arduino.

Arduino can make physical changes outside of the game world by choosing the mechanics it needs. The installation method also differs depending on the function, but it is simple enough to follow the drawings, making it a good requirement for experimenting with beyond screen gameplay.

Based on the game ideas shared by the participants earlier, we tried to practice beyond screen gameplay through teamwork or individual work.

This team made a game in which the player has to move around a maze by actively utilizing the Arduino’s variable resistor. It is unique that Arduino acts as a core mechanism. The rotation speed and direction of the circular floor can be adjusted with Arduino, and it was designed so that the player can jump and fall. It is a puzzle game in which the player must move along with the movement of the circular plate itself to reach a central destination.

As the name of the game <Spycam Museum> suggests, this team wanted to address the issue of hidden camera crime through gameplay. There were blurred photos displayed in the hidden camera museum, and users are encouraged to press a button when they want high-quality photos. And when the player goes to get high-quality photos printed, the player sees his/her photo taken with the computer’s camera displayed. Through this, it shows the player that the subject who sees the hidden camera can become a victim of the hidden camera crime at any time, and raises the awareness of the problem of the hidden camera.

It was interesting that the above three teams used Arduino in different ways.

The team on the left created a game that raises eggs and hatches them by controlling the amount of light using Arduino. When the light hits, the eggs go to the warm room, and when the light is blocked, they are raised in the cold room. Within the time limit of 1 minute to comprehensively analyze what kind of environment the eggs were affected, the team wanted to express the birth of different living things depending on the environment.

The team in the middle used the Arduino to solve the obstacle, the wall. This team wanted to provide an alternative idea of the player’s identity by showing that I, the player, is not actually the player. The player solves the obstacles blocked by the wall and kills the monsters hidden in between them, just like in any other game. But unlike in other games, nothing happens even if the player kills all the obstacles and monsters. With doubts about the result, the player enters a space to tell the truth, and there is a mirror in that space, showing the reversal that the image of the player reflected in the mirror is actually the same as the appearance of the monster that has been killed throughout the gameplay. It provides an alternative value that the player may not necessarily be the subjective character in the gameplay.

The last team used the tilt control of the Arduino to move objects in the room. As the room is tilted, all the furniture in the room moves. Since the degree of movement is different depending on the size and weight, the player must pull out a small target object without falling through the gaps in the door or between the furniture in this puzzle game. 

In the 8th round, we tried to think about alternative games that differ from the conventions and systems of the game through a game making experiment using various tools and methods. Sharing games every week through itch.io may have been a bit of a difficult task in the beginning, but we were able to play each other’s games, give each other feedback, and come up with better experimental results.

The workshop made us think about the medium of games, and if this workshop was an opportunity to know the charms of games as an alternative medium, and that alone made us see the value of games anew.