Swatter
Swatter
watter is an interactive 1 person video game installation. The images and installation are from an installation at CultureFix as part of the show "Opening Reception". Swatter appeared again in "Playstation" at Postmasters gallery.
Roaches are approaching from all sides and you are equipped with only your wits, a fly swatter, and the unnerving understanding of your inevitable demise. Much like “horde mode” in recent games, you cannot exactly “win” Swatter, just push off your death for as long as possible. Take down as many roaches as you can!
Actually, you are also equipped with an emergency button that turns on a real light and (temporarily) scatters the roaches. Unfortunately, this button is only activated after you kill 20 or more roaches so you need to use it sparingly. Another “real” element is the music - a hollow clopping that gets louder and faster as the roaches approach – which is generated by a musician’s block and a spinning stepper motor.
These real elements pull the game between the virtual and real in a way that consumer games, in spite of all their seductive allure, cannot.
Swatter is built with Processing and uses the Arduino microcontroller.
