UbiBall: a ubiquitous computing game for children

  • Authors:

  • Douglas Easterly;Angela Blachnitzky

  • Affiliations:

  • Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand;Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 13th International MindTrek Conference: Everyday Life in the Ubiquitous Era
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

UbiBall is a ubiquitous computer game developed by researchers from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Our aim was to create a computer game that countered many of the sedentary trends found in traditional computer games. UbiBall features a ubiquitous computing ball outfitted with a microcontroller. The microcontroller emits sound and light in accordance with the various ways it is interacted with. It also data-logs the play activity to a CSV (Certified Server Validation) file, which then acts as a bridge between two modes of game play, one that is physical and active, and another that is a screen-based game. Ultimately, the game provides a unique form of computer game play due to the fact that better performance in the screen game is dependent on better performance in the physical aspect of the game.