GI member John Harris won third place, with a $5,000 grant, at the for his pitch to develop his enterprise, . Harris is a PhD student in Computer Science studying asymmetric games as a means of promoting inclusiveness and getting more kinds of people playing together.
The Playful Pixel's purpose is to design innovative large-scale social play experiences and will support play for 30-300 players. Harris' vision for The Playful Pixel is to integrate digital and analog components in the form of networked digital devices and sensor-embedded smart props to make the experience more accessible and enjoyable for all:
We want to provide our players with a fun and accessible way to socialize with their neighbours and communities. We're building large-scale social play experiences that combine the best of board games, video games, and good old fashioned face-to-face play. Get ready for an experience like you've never seen before!
- from The Playful Pixel website
Harris will be defending his dissertation later this month and will be developing The Playful Pixel shortly thereafter. Subscribe to to receive updates.