My final interactive art piece is a metaphor for procrastination. Truthfully, I procrastinate more than I should on many tasks in life, but I feel that this is a situation that many others can relate to, so I felt that it would be interesting to create a game out of it.

In this game, the player sits in front of a monitor with a webcam, holding a controller that has a small light source in front of it. The player is able to see themselves on-screen and move the controller around to ward off animated “chores,” such as a flying incomplete essay or a walking uncleaned trashcan, that come towards center-screen. The controller can push away the chores temporarily; however, they only come back at increasing speeds. Eventually, they will close in and the player will lose; the goal is to “put them off” for as long as possible.

The controller’s position is determined by its light source (which is actually a book light duct-taped to the bottom), which can be tracked with the Max computer vision package.

Here is a demo of the project.

In case it’s not clear, the four chores are: an unwritten essay, an uncleaned trashcan, an incomplete tax form, and an unattended weightlifting session. I’m sure these things interrupt most of our lives at some point or another.

Some more author’s intent:

I chose the music that plays in-game, “Danse Macabre,” because of its dramatic, mischievous tone, as well as its thematically-appropriate title.

The reason the room I filmed in is so dark is because the computer vision will mistake bright surfaces for the controller’s light, and the position-tracking won’t be accurate.

 

Here’s the Max patcher, too.

Thanks for checking out my projects!