Connect
Client: Cisco
Role: Art Direction, Design, Animation
2014
Pong: Interactive Floor Game
Each year, Cisco pushes the innovation engine further. This time, the efforts were focused on making connections between attendees more comfortable. The solution, an attendee-centric interactive projection game.
Using PONG as inspiration, attendees are invited to scan their event badge and enter the arena (a 25 foot in diameter constructed floor with retroreflective surface). Teams are connected base on an algorithm that will match both attendees with similar interests. Once all teams are introduced and in their respective zones, the connect challenge begins. The players must work and move together in order to defend their respective zone.
Setting the Stage
One of the most simple and memorable arcade games, PONG, set the arena for attendees to make connections via game play.
The game would recognize the number of players on the floor and adapts the layout to fit 2, 3, or 4 teams. Each team of two has to work and move together to make the paddle in front of them move in the correct direction. If players get apart the paddle will stop reacting. We also create an angled fence to create a barrier between players in the arena and spectators, this to avoid any interference while in gameplay.
The Possibilities
Multiple sketches were generated prior to commit to a final decision, this also help the team understand all possibilities and level of work to achieve our final results. One of the most difficult challenges was to define the maximum number of players in the arena, to avoid a potential glitch in the middle of the match. The team came up with a simple solution: Once the duos were paired, the system only detected one big mass. The players must stay together at all times otherwise the paddle explode and the team will get disqualified automatically.
