A simple, elegant game illustrating the link between the player and the history of the Universe.

 

This game was made in Hillary Kapan's interactive art class at CalArts.  Though I didn't earn any credit that went towards my degree, I spent a lot of time learning some javascript and, with the help of Hillary, Marc Nimoy, and the TA, Elijah Kliman, I was able to pull off my first attempt at programming.

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As the player shouts into the computer's microphone, the history of the Universe unfolds, while light 80s and early 90s music plays in the background.  No shouting means no movement, so cosmological progress is dependent on the player.  This game is actually the prototype for something much more elaborate. Ideally, the speed at which the player moves should be determined by the volume of their voice and the straight tunnel should have rises, falls, twists, and turns so that the amount of ennui experienced is controlled by how much energy the player puts into the game.  Finally, I'd like to hook the game up to one of those mechanical chairs that simulates the movement of the game or, if possible, one of those old roller coaster simulators that looks like a Winnebago.  And, if there's money for it, a whole roller coaster where, after coming to the top of a giant hill and dropping, the car slows down and you have to sit in complete darkness without moving for a half an hour.