Slow Motion Showdown

Background & Gameplay

I came up with the idea for this game when I was teaching basic Arduino skills to some high school students. I had already made a simple reaction-timer game that they enjoyed and I wanted to add another simple component. I had messed with PIR sensors before, and notice that if you go slow enough, they don't detect you. The idea of going slow to win a game caught my interest.

This game is simple, two players each have a large button in front of them that they are trying to press before the other. Facing towards each player's button is a motion sensor. If you hit your button, you win the round (and lots of points), but if you set off your motion detector, you end the round (and give your opponent points).

What I love about this game is the pull of opposing incentives: go fast enough to beat your opponent, but slow enough that the motion sensor doesn't trigger. Players must be both relaxed and intense.

The game doubles as a smart room controller and can switch modes with the flip of a switch.

How it works

All of the components are wired into a Particle Photon 2. The OLED displays provide basic information to each player: which player they are, what the current score is, and who won the round, among other info. It is housed in a custom 3D printed enclosure that uses a lens to slightly magnify the small screen (and give it some personality!). The 3D printed housing also contains the motion sensor which is pointed away from each player and toward the center of the board.

A comically large arcade button sits in front of the motion sensor. When each round starts, the button lights up, indicating each player's goal. On each player's left and right are 2 white standard issue arcade buttons. Before each round starts, the buttons light up, indicating that players need to put both hands on the buttons. This is important as it prevents a player from getting halfway to their button before the round starts.

A sheet of acrylic divides the game board in half, blocking the motion sensors from detecting the opponent's motion. Acrylic on the sides block motion from any spectators.

Manual Mode

The board has a simple manual mode for smart room control. A toggle switch on the side switches it from game mode (auto) into manual mode. An encoder on the side lets the user adjust the color and brightness of the Hue lights in the room. Pressing the encoder button switches between color and brightness adjustment.