Project type
Creative coding Physical computing
Timeline
1 month (2024)
Team
Me (designer, developer & engineer) Julia Kan (designer, developer & engineer)
Skills
Game design p5.js & C++ Arduino & circuitry Fabrication Playtesting
Gameplay
Can you trust your friends? Will you cooperate, or betray the group? Will a shared common resource always be used up when everyone has access? In this game, each player has their own button. Pressing it captures a fish, earning the player 1 point. However, if all the fish are taken, everyone loses, requiring players to balance individual goals with collective success.
Instructions screen
We coded and tested three versions of the game and found this rule set produced the most engaging outcomes. The cooperative point system encourages a balanced approach, introducing elements of game theory.
Game interface
I coded this interface in p5.js. Every round, the remaining fish on the screen double. Players must last for eight rounds without depleting all the fish to complete the game.
Playtesting sessions
To test the game, we built scrappy prototypes. For the first session, I soldered buttons attached to long wires, and for the second, I laser-cut a cardboard prototype. These quick builds allowed us to iterate and gather valuable feedback as we refined the gameplay.
The final build
We constructed the final game with an acrylic laser-cut tabletop, foam core panels, and a translucent surface to enable projection from below. An Arduino circuit and serial communication enabled us to conn Reel It In was featured in the 2024 ITP Winter Show, where dozens of visitors were able to play. You can play a version made for keyboards at the Github link.