SPARCKS Tristam & SZILAGYI Victor

« XBlocks » Tristam Sparcks [Nz] & Victor Szilagyi [Us] / 2005

This project is being exhibited at Fabbrica del Vapore during Salone.

xBlocks is a convergence between video games & sculpture — liberating play from the screen. It is a mixed reality installation inspired by traditional platform games of the late 1980s such as Super Mario Brothers or Pitfall. Using standard game controllers, two opposing players must help their characters navigate in and around a three dimensional maze. The real challenge comes, not from traditional game mechanics but rather from moving with your character as he sprints around corners and jumps between the installation’s two play surfaces.

This project was produced for the Mattel Design Challenge 2005 PLAY EXPERIENCES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION Faculty: R.Ammer, Y.Steiner, JC.Zoels External Faculty: G.Olivero, P.Nur, C.Truc-Modica Client Team: C.Down, J.Eddy, P.Helenek & T.Parsey

‘Play experiences for the Next Generation’ was a four-week workshop sponsored by Mattel. New technologies and media change the play behaviours of children and the way that they grow up. The design of virtual realities and their relation to the ‘real’ physical world has gained importance and is an exciting challenge for interaction designers. Digital technologies increasingly inform play opportunities, from creating imaginary worlds to enabling new social interactions. Physical computing brings a tangible component back into computer-mediated play. Games, as a form of intentional play, are interactive by nature, as every player is a participant and cannot remain a passive observer.