CodePlay

The focus of the project is the importance of games in the context of digital media. The interface is a combination of a sculptural, kinetic object and a working device (barcode scanner).
The user controls the game by this construction and must try to classify the various control options in order to operate successfully with his avatar. The objects within the game are represented by sprites which appear to be very abstract due to the binary representation of the texture. The intention of this work is to visualize the non-transparent basal structures of computer games.
The code or rather the tool constructing the contents and interaction itself becomes subject of the project. This way the recipient is to be stimulated with a critical reflection. A look below the surface and the associated Imagination opens the possibility to analyze the complex structures. The graphics are abstracted this far that only partial or fragmentary associations are possible. Since there are no narrative elements and apparently no coherence between the different tasks, the game seems disillusioning. The individual wants to have a clear task and make decisions, this is thwarted by messy-looking design and arbitrary changing control options. Regulations respectively a concept can be forced upon the user by the visual stimulation very easily.

Technical description:

The software development was done with a basic dialect called glbasic. The user uses a barcode scanner as an interface to control the game. Every single code number represents a control function e. g. moving left or right inside of the game structure. The control options change randomly and the player has to find the right code to move his avatar. The game sounds are generated by the codes.
If the player rotates the sculpture a pressure sensor receives / sends inputs to the microcontroller which generates sounds, too.

Hardware:
-Arduino microcontroller
-pressure seonsor
-mini speaker
-barcode scanner
-PC

Software:
-Arduino/Processing IDE and arduino programming language.
-GlBasic programming language.