Mystery Box

A nostalgic puzzle based arcade game to push the limits of play

Arnab C, Lillian, R, and I wanted to see how people would interact with and explore an independent environment when given minimal instructions—encouraging them to discover its features and form their understanding. Our goal was to create an experience that contrasts with modern mobile apps, which often rely heavily on tutorials and limit user exploration. That’s how the Mystery Box was born—a project by three arcade-loving classmates for our final physical computing class. We set out to recreate the joy and curiosity of those old-school games while experimenting with how tactile and digital interfaces can come together in new and unexpected ways.

See us presenting our work at the ITP Winter Show or read the case study with the design process.