kill the brain - a multimodal bci/tangible tabletop game
the game
kill the brain is a multimodal interactive game, which uses both tangible user interfaces (TUI) and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to engage players in a fun revisitation of a pong-like game.
the game uses reactivision and a reactable setup for the tangible interaction control, while the brain input is sensed via the use of emotiv epoc. The game was programmed using processing, Java, and C++.
The Interaction
The game has two physical controllers (or pucks) that are used to control either the blue or red can of beer. The player who controls the brain wears a BCI and controls the brain’s movement using their brainwaves.
The scope of the game is for the two players controlling the beer cans to bounce the yellow “ball” of beer back to the brain, while the brain tries to escape from a circular maze.
If the brain is hit too many times with beer, the maze will close and the two cans of beer will win the game!
The concept
The game kill the brain was created with the intent of investigating potential uses in gaming applications for Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). One problem with using bci as input interfaces for gaming is its lack of precision. However, such a lack of precision also presents opportunities for fun and engaging players in unconventional gaming interactions.
Here, the bci controls are used to navigate the brain out of the maze, bringing pressure and uncertainty to the player who is wearing the BCI and has a limited time to try escaping the maze. On the other hand, the Tangible controls provide precise controls to the other two players who hit the “beer ball” and deflect it towards the brain.
The strength of this game lies in its simple interactive mechanics, which are akin to a pong game and engage players with multiple levels of interaction, both competitive and collaborative.
THE GAME KILL THE BRAIN WAS CREATED BY THE FOLLOWING TEAM:
Giovanni Maria Troiano, Giovanni Marco Zaccaria, & Jitesh N Joshi.