Prototype #3

"It's a-me, Mario!" The iconic plumber that epitomized video games for an entire generation is back in an all-new adventure through the Mushroom Kingdom. Only this time, things are a little different, a little more real. Download the .zip file by right-clicking, or ctrl-clicking for Mac users, and selecting "Save Link As...." Then run main.swf in a web browser, and enjoy this satire that reminds us all that video games can have consequences.

Prototype #2

Are your typing skills getting rusty from all the "texting" you kids have been doing? Have you forgotten which keys are in the home row, or how to spell complete words? Well, put on your headphones, turn up the volume and take a spin on the Touch Typist to get reacquainted with your estranged keyboard, and you'll be back to pounding out whole sentences in no time! Be sure to visit our blog and post your high wpm average!

Note: Actually, kids probably shouldn't play this. Nor should you, if you work in a place that shuns extracurricular typing.

Prototype #1

It's the near future. You have been tasked with retrieving memories from a damaged android, in order to find out how its charge, a young girl of about ten, died.

There is, of course, a catch.

By solving the sound puzzles that hide the memories, you place the droid in an extreme amount of pain. The situation becomes exasperated once you realize that by the girl's story, you force the companion droid to relive the death of its master, again and again. Do you continue blindly on your assignmment, or do you take pity on the droid and wipe its memory, freeing it from the misery of the past?

Click here to find out. Then, stop by our blog to see what everyone else did.

Prototype #0

This Flash prototype is being developed as an attempt to create an emotional feedback loop in a relatable situation.

Early one morning (at about 10:30 am), your friend David calls you and asks you to cover for him if his girlfriend Cathy drops by, looking for him. You reluctantly agree, even though you haven't been given all the information someone in your position would need. Of course, Cathy soon stops in for a visit and a couple of questions...

By changing the player character's emotional state based on Cathy's questions, the player attempts to convince her that, even though David disappeared earlier in the morning, everything is OK, and she should go home and relax. Act too timid, and Cathy may suspect that something is up. But, if you act too much like a know-it-all jerk, you'll offend her and earn David's ire. As in life, you must walk a fine line in your interaction, working toward a comfortable conclusion that leaves everyone feeling fine.

Click here to play the prototype. Hit the spacebar after the introduction to start, and once Cathy stops talking to wait for a response, use the up and down arrows to change your character's level of emotional intensity, respectively greater or lower. Alternatively, use the space bar to continue along with the same emotional state. Leave your feedback on our blog, and see what everyone else has to say.