Midterm Proposal — Ball Chair Controller
Theory and Practice of Tangible User Interfaces, Kimiko Ryokai, Fall 2023
Team: Chula Chhay, Kimberley Soriano, Hannah Ellis, Vaishnavi Sarda
INTRO
Modern gameplay relies on a controller which limits who gets to play. In addition, when users are playing a game, they also rely heavily on some sort of visual screen to see how they’re experiencing a game.
We want to challenge this by making gaming more accessible with a tangible design solution. We’re proposing gameplay by altering two aspects: 1) without a visual element and 2) focus on utilizing a more interactive environment instead of a singular source that requires specific controlled movements (ie. buttons on a controller, or a pressing on a keyboard).
EARLY EXPLORATION
In our first exploration, we looked into playing a storytelling game with the use of a floor-pad. Motion would be tracked by where the user is stepping on the floor-pad (either with an external sensor tracker, sensors on the body, or sensors in the floor-pad itself); stepping off the floor-pad would mean the user is out of boundaries. Some limitations we ran into was how to define players getting back into the game once they crossed the boundary or risking players getting hurt outside the playing area (if they can’t see). Players would have to worry about getting back into a playable zone which can disrupt their gaming experience.
We know without visual elements, we’ll have to focus on tactile and auditory elements in gameplay. In our next idea, we asked: How can we grant players greater gratification and immersion beyond hand movements (ie. pressing a button)?
PROPOSAL
Instead of standing or using cameras to monitor where the player is (ie. AR, virtual reality gaming), we repurposed Eero Aarnio’s Ball Chair to take in the player’s sitting position. Our decision was based on taking advantage of how people naturally sit or orient themselves. The core idea of this exploration is that the player themselves become a gaming element and as a result, feel more immersed into the game.
Movement in a game (direction and speed) will be tracked on the player’s sitting position through pressure sensors in the seat where the player is balanced and at various points of the chair (measuring tilt and gravity). If the player leans forward, their arms/hands will probably be on their knees as they try to move faster in one direction in the game. If the user is trying to slow down, they’ll try to increase their body surface area by holding out (widen sitting stance, pulling knees apart, arms and hands outreached). To turn left or right, the player will simply lean in a certain direction. The ball of the chair will move up, down, left, or right along with the player. While playing a game, the chair itself can provide haptic feedback to the player. For example, it can slide a certain way, resist the player turning, or imitate jolting for uneven ground — this would indicate to the player they need to move a certain way. We imagine the feedback from the chair to the player would be similar to movie theater 4D chairs (providing movement, vibrations, scents, and sound).
Combining the ergonomic form of the chair with the usability, players can play the game intuitively and get feedback that is instantaneous. For now, games would have to be made for the chair. In particular, a game of tag could be played. Multiple ball chair players could test their spatial awareness by running from the player assigned “it”. The thrill of not having your visual sensory would heighten the gaming experience.
In the future, we are working to expand gaming controls of the chair beyond direction and to play more games.
UPDATE MONDAY, SEP. 16th, 2023 7PM:
We added new members (Vaishnavi and Hannah) — we will be doing another round of brainstorming to further develop our proposal + revise after receiving feedback.