Drunken ed : a balance game for public large screen displays

Abstract

Drunken Ed is a 2D balance game specifically designed for public displays in which the player has to balance a swaying drunkard with her body pose. We show that this casual game is well suited for public context and that camera based body tracking offers convenient interaction techniques for large screen displays. The game setting with its drunken protagonist Ed was well received by the players. This single player game uses the angle of the player's torso in relation to the ground to help Ed keep balance in a wobbling world. Ed's body pose reflects the player's pose, creating a very direct form of control. Results of our evaluation show that this form of control mapping is very easy to learn and the short play sessions meet the requirements of a casual game in public environment. Furthermore, we have designed our level selection menu to fulfill the double purpose of a gameplay tutorial, which was found to be well suited for games on public displays.