MaKey MaKey: The Rise and Shine of DIY Gaming Controls
Tue, 19 Jan 2016 11:50:00 GMT
“Ever played Mario on Play-Doh or Piano on Bananas? Alligator clip the Internet to Your World.”
To kick start the new year, the School of Computing Engineering held its first ‘MaKey MaKey’ Games Jam, where Computer Games Design and Programming students from all year groups used the innovative ‘MaKey MaKey’ kits to create their own computer games, with interactive controls made from a variety of materials.
► Christopher Whittaker and James Linacre demonstrate touch sensitive gloves and pads
‘MaKey MaKey’ is a simple invention kit for computing, art and engineering enthusiasts that turns everyday objects into touchpads to combine them with the internet. It works using a simple alligator clip and circuit board connection kit that connects objects to a computer. The computer then thinks the ‘MaKey MaKey’ is a regular keyboard (or mouse) and it therefore works with all programs and webpages.
Entitled ‘Installation Required’ and based on the three themes of Submarines, Farming and Confusion, the ‘MaKey MaKey’ Games Jam forms part of a series of Computer Games Jams organised by research fellow Alex Johanson. Alex also worked with the University’s Collabhub to encourage music technology students to get involved and to provide sounds for the games.
Games produced by the teams included:
A game based on the song Yellow Submarine, where a submarine can move, fire a torpedo and set-off an explosion using tools made out of cardboard boxes, tin foil and polystyrene. To incorporate the confusion element, the controls were also calibrated to become random and backwards after a certain time period.
Cabbage Commotion, a two player competitive farming game based on the growing and cropping of cabbages. Players grow their crop whilst also sabotaging their opponents plot. Cabbages can be picked in the game by picking up an actual cabbage. An interactive wand was created using a tube and 2p connector to cast spells.
◄ Shivam Devani shows us how the Cabbage Commotion game looks on the screen
Farmer Barry’s Bizarre Adventure, a game based on a ski resort created by a farmer where foot pressure controls are used to control the skier down the mud slope and avoid the animals in the way.
An interactive boxing training game using boxing gloves and pads with pressure pads on them that calculates the impacts when hit to accrue the highest score in a 30 second time period.
Alex Johansson said of the MaKey MaKey Games Jam: “Students are given two days to develop games and create controls from whatever materials they like. The objective of the Games Jams is for students to develop their creativity, knowledgebase and team working skills outside of the confinements of their usual curriculum. The Jams also provide students with tangible proof of creative games production and their understanding of the workflow required”
