Concept (1)
For my final project, I am creating Doom Drive, an interactive driving game where the player navigates a chaotic road using a physical steering wheel while the environment itself actively sabotages the world. The idea behind Doom Drive is to turn sensory interruption into a playable mechanic. Instead of relying solely on player input, the game listens to real-time changes in the environment, particularly light, and transforms those changes into unpredictable events on the road.
The goal is to explore how external stimuli can impact focus, control, and experience. By letting the IM Fair audience unintentionally (or intentionally) alter the driving conditions, the installation becomes social, performative, and slightly overwhelming in a comedic way. Doom Drive exaggerates the feeling of “everything is happening all at once” and turns overstimulation into an entertaining challenge.
Arduino Inputs (Listening)
The physical interaction relies on two sensors connected to the Arduino:
Potentiometer (Mounted Inside the Steering Wheel)
Controls the player’s steering in real time.
Turning the wheel left or right rotates the potentiometer.
Arduino sends smooth analog values to p5.js to control car movement.
Light Sensor (Photoresistor)
Reads ambient light levels in the environment.
Flashes, shadows, or sudden brightness changes trigger in-game chaos.
Different light thresholds activate different game modes, such as:
Glare Mode (screen washout and reduced visibility)
Night Mode (darkness and narrow road)
Tunnel Mode (sharp directional constraints)
Panic Mode (screen shake and heavy obstacles)
Arduino continuously sends both sensor readings to the computer through serial communication. Together, these inputs give the game a mixture of user control and environmental unpredictability.
p5.js Output (Thinking and Speaking)
The p5.js sketch interprets the incoming sensor data and constructs the game world dynamically.
Steering values from the potentiometer directly move the player’s car left and right.
Light sensor fluctuations trigger visual effects, obstacle frequency, color palette shifts, and difficulty spikes.
p5.js uses thresholds and cooldowns so the game remains challenging but still playable in a busy environment like the IM Fair.
The screen speaks back to the player through animation, color changes, distortion, and motion. For example, covering the light sensor might plunge the game into sudden darkness, while a bright flash could create a blinding glare effect.
What I Want to Explore
I chose this project because it blends physical and digital interaction in a way that feels both intuitive and chaotic. Driving is a familiar, easy action for players to understand, but the environment’s influence transforms it into something playful and unpredictable. By allowing the room, its lighting, its people, and its energy to directly affect the game world, Doom Drive becomes a shared experience rather than an isolated one.
This project also lets me explore sensory overload as a mechanic rather than a narrative. Instead of explaining it, the game shows it: the road changes, the screen shifts, and the player has to adapt to external forces beyond their control.
Concept (2)
For my final project, I am creating an interactive dance game that combines body tracking with physical floor pads. The player follows on-screen prompts and uses both their feet and upper body to complete dance moves. The game uses p5.js with a pose detection library (similar to what we saw in class) to track body gestures through the webcam, while Arduino handles input from floor pads and other physical controls.
The goal of the project is to explore how digital choreography can be shaped by both full-body movement and tactile interaction. Instead of limiting the experience to either camera tracking or button pressing, this project blends both. The player has to move their body in space and also step on specific pads at the right time, which makes the game feel more physical and performance-like. I want the experience to be playful and encouraging, with visual feedback such as “Good,” “Great,” or “Miss” appearing on the screen depending on timing and accuracy.
Arduino Inputs (Listening)
The Arduino focuses on physical interaction through the feet and optional controls:
Floor Pads
I will create two or three simple dance pads on the floor, each acting as a digital input to the Arduino. These can be built using large buttons or DIY pressure pads. Each pad corresponds to a direction or beat:
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Left pad (for left-step moves)
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Right pad (for right-step moves)
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Optional center pad (for jumps or special moves)
When the player steps on a pad, the Arduino registers a press and sends a message to p5.js over serial communication indicating which pad was activated.
Additional Controls (not sure yet)
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Potentiometer: used as a physical knob to select difficulty level or song choice before the game starts.
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Light Sensor: can be used to trigger “disco mode” or visual effects when the environment changes, for example when someone shines a light or covers the sensor.
Arduino continuously sends the state of the pads (and any extra sensors) to the computer. This gives the system a clear sense of when and where the player is stepping.
p5.js Output (Thinking and Speaking)
The p5.js sketch is responsible for three main elements:
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Dance Prompts and Timing
p5 shows prompts on the screen, such as arrows, circles, or icons that represent foot placement and upper body moves. These prompts appear in time with a rhythm or song. For example, a left arrow might indicate “step on left pad,” while an icon near the top of the screen might indicate “raise your hands.” -
Body Tracking
Using a body tracking library with p5 (such as PoseNet), the program detects key points on the player’s body, like hands, arms, and head. It checks whether the player’s pose matches the required gesture at the correct moment. This allows the game to recognize upper body moves, such as raising both hands, leaning to one side, or performing a simple arm gesture. -
Feedback and Scoring
When Arduino sends a pad press and p5 confirms that the player also matched the required pose (or at least the timing), the game displays feedback like “Good,” “Great,” or “Miss.” It also keeps track of score or combo streaks. Visual feedback can include color changes, particle bursts, or short animations to make the experience feel rewarding and energetic.
The screen functions as the “instructor” and “judge,” guiding the player and showing how well they are doing.
What I Want to Explore
I chose this project because it brings together several aspects of interaction that I find interesting: full-body movement, tactile input, and real-time visual feedback. Dance games are usually either camera-based or pad-based, but rarely both at once. By combining floor pads (through Arduino) with body tracking (through p5.js), I want to design a system that feels more embodied and theatrical.
I am also interested in how feedback can encourage people rather than intimidate them. Instead of focusing on strict accuracy, I want the game to celebrate participation and motion, with clear but playful responses like short messages, bursts of color, and simple scores. At the IM Fair, the goal is for people to feel comfortable stepping up, moving around, and laughing at their attempts, while still experiencing a technically structured interactive system that listens, thinks, and responds across both hardware and software.