DungeonMaker: Embedding Tangible Creation and Destruction in Hybrid Board Games through Personal Fabrication Technology

Title of the Paper

DungeonMaker: Embedding Tangible Creation and Destruction in Hybrid Board Games through Personal Fabrication Technology

Paper Information

• Domain: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Hybrid Board Games
• Keywords: Hybrid Board Games, Personal Fabrication, Game Making, Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Creative Gaming, Toyification of Fabrication

Research Background and Problem Statement

• Identified Problems:

  1. Existing hybrid board games, while integrating digital and physical elements, lack continuity, personalization, and representation of physical risk in player interactions with the physical game space.
  2. Physical game components are often difficult to personalize, limiting the expressiveness of the game and the emotional connection between players and their game characters.
  3. Current games lack permanence and realism, as mechanisms like permanent destruction of items are mostly confined to the digital domain.

• Significance of the Research:
  Hybrid board games are an emerging form of entertainment that combines the tactile experience of traditional board games with the convenience of digital technology. By increasing personalization and introducing risky physical interactions, player experience can be enhanced, encouraging deeper engagement with the game.

• Motivation and Related Work:
  The authors draw on prior work combining fabrication and gaming technologies, such as using laser cutters and embroidery machines to enhance gaming experiences. Additionally, the application of hybrid board games in narrative, randomness, and social interaction provides design inspiration for this research.

Proposed Solution

• Method and Solution:
  The authors propose "DungeonMaker," a hybrid board game that strengthens the integration of physical and digital elements using fabrication devices (e.g., laser cutters and 3D printing pens). The core mechanisms of the game include:

  1. Digital Narrative System: Game stories and digital game boards are displayed via projection.
  2. Fabrication and Personalization: Players use 3D printing pens to create equipment and attach it to their characters.
  3. Automated Actions and Physical Destruction: A modified laser cutter head moves characters and performs physical destruction based on game progress.
  4. Camera-Assisted Object Tracking: Used to evaluate player-created equipment and process dice and token inputs.

• Innovative Features:

  1. Introduces mechanisms for players to create and destroy physical objects, emphasizing the impact of fabrication on gameplay.
  2. Combines automation and manual fabrication, supporting deeper interaction between players and physical game elements.
  3. Provides a feedback mechanism for physical destruction, allowing players to intuitively experience the consequences and risks of game actions.

• Implementation Steps and Techniques:

  1. Players create and modify character equipment using 3D printing pens and laser cutters.
  2. A camera system recognizes dice results and token paths input by players.
  3. A modified laser cutter head controls character movement and simulates destruction.
  4. A projector displays dynamic game boards and narrative content within the workspace.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Results:

  1. DungeonMaker increased player interaction in hybrid board games, achieving a closer integration of physical and digital elements.
  2. Players enhanced their emotional connection to characters through custom equipment (as shown by significant improvements in pre- and post-experiment surveys on player-character relationships).
  3. The game sparked participants' curiosity about fabrication techniques (e.g., 3D printing), especially among beginners.

• Advantages Over Existing Solutions:

  1. Achieved bidirectional binding of physical and digital interactions (e.g., digital decisions influencing physical components).
  2. Introduced a "real destruction" mechanism, enhancing the sense of risk and immersion in the game.
  3. Reduced the learning curve for fabrication technologies, allowing players to experience their appeal in informal settings.

• Experimental Evaluation:

  1. In an experiment involving 4 groups with a total of 12 players, all participants reported high levels of engagement.
  2. Players expressed satisfaction with the laser cutter's execution of character movement tasks.
  3. Most players hoped for the game to include more fabrication activities.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  1. The current hardware setup and gameplay are relatively fixed and not yet optimized for more complex or long-term game scenarios.
  2. Game speed is limited by the time required for devices to perform physical operations.
  3. The experiment was constrained by a small sample size and players' technical preferences.

  Future Directions:

  1. Enhance device compatibility and explore the adaptation of different hardware platforms and game types.
  2. Design more complex and long-term game scenarios, incorporating dynamic balancing mechanisms.
  3. Integrate repair or sustainable design concepts into the game to reduce potential resource waste.