2024 Beware the Box
game design physical computing
C++ fabrication 1 month New York
Beware the Box is an interactive game of chance that plays with fear and anticipation. The setup consists of a hollow box for players to reach into. Inside, there are five buttons to press. How long will you last before you fall victim to the box’s surprise?
The player initiates the game by placing their hand in the box. The LEDs will light white color, indicating the game is running. As the player presses each button, the LED will temporarily turn green, indicating that they are safe from the “knife”, and then back to white. When the player presses the trigger button, the LED will turn red and the knife will fall down. After a few seconds, the LED turns off and the servo motor returns to its neutral state.
The game itself will keeps running regardless of whether a hand is in the box and only ends after more than 20 secs of inactivity or after the knife falls down - and players would know that the game is running while the LED is white.
We had laser-cut a wooden box with a false bottom for the buttons. These buttons are attached to an Arduino hidden behind a false wall at the backside of the box. The laser-cut wooden knife is attached to a servo motor on the ceiling of the box, also connected to the Arduino. The LED strip is attached to the ceiling of the box as well.
Game initiation is triggered by a time-of-flight sensor attached to the ceiling, constantly checking whether there is a hand inside the box.
Gameplay