Helium Hoop

HELIUM HOOP

1. DESIGN BRIEF/ABSTRACT/SCOPE
For our anti-technology interaction, we plan on creating a game that will challenge players to work as a team, and coordinate their actions to achieve a common goal. This activity will inspire teamwork, and communication skills. For our game, some influences are the game Twister, and the activity known as “the helium stick.” The basis of our game comes from the concept of the helium stick, where players are instructed to lower a light-weight rod to the floor, only making contact with the rod using both of their outstretched index fingers. This task becomes very difficult because the players are all lowering the rod at different speeds and times, and the overall upwards pressure is generally greater than the mass of the rod itself. The game works best with anywhere from 4 players or more. In our interaction we plan on taking the idea of a Twister board, and combining it with the helium stick activity. Our game will take place on a board that has a ring of circles situated around an outline of a hula-hoop. Players will each stand on a pair of circles, and have to lower the hula-hoop to the floor before an egg timer goes off. If the timer goes off they will have to rotate on the board, which will break their flow and make this task even more difficult. Some spots on the board will have certain challenges that the players will have to engage in if they land on that spot. Another possibility in game-play is a spinner that dictates which circles you move to. Our interaction is meant to focus all of the players on a single task, and make them communicate and work together to achieve the goal before the timer goes off.

2. SKETCHES

STRUCTURE
It has been decided the game will begin with 5 players on adjacent pairs of circles (appropriately colored differently from each). Two feet stand on each circle. The hoop is raised to an appropriate level of everyone's chest, with two fingers balancing the hoop with each hand only. The player on the orange circle will begin by setting the timer for 30 seconds and from there the players will have to begin lowering the hoop towards the place marker (circle) in the center. After 30 seconds, all players must rotate ONE circle clockwise. The same player who began the clock will restart it at 30 and repeat the process again. On the 2nd rotation, the next player on the orange circle assumes the job of the timer. This resumes until the hoop is fully lowered and placed in the circle. After a full rotation with all players and feet on their assumed color, the game is over and they have lost.
The problems that are met in this game is the fact that the hoop is hard to balance and players must rotate during this task.

PROCESS & METHOD: We began this piece by looking at camp games involving teamwork. The diagrams show some notes of how we began with games such as Twister, Helium Stick and Connect Four. From there it became obvious that when combining two games such as Twister and Helium Stick we would have to simplify each other to accomodate the extra game strategeme. From there we decided that a hoop allows us to encircle the players onto a board. We found the gameplay structure was strong enough between lowering a hoop and rotating of the players. This creates a process of X and Y movement and rotation that creates a space on the board for the players to interact and control the hoop with. This led to the final game concept being on a timed notion to allow players a span with which they can lower the hoop to create tension in an otherwise simplistic game.

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