Remote control your parents
In Sesame Street Boxheads, kids with tablets control grownups wearing boxes and headsets in a real live video game. Unable to see where they are going, the grownups listen for audio commands like “turn” “go forward” and “grab the cookie!” The kids use the arrows on the tablets to race Elmo and Cookie Monster to catch the cookie!
The game is the result of a collaboration with our friends at the Sesame Innovation Lab; they too were excited by the idea of making a fun physical game. We decided to base the game around the principle of executive function. We brainstormed a number of approaches, playtested them, and eventually landed on this one. In the game, kids use a Nexus 7 tablet as a joystick to control blindfolded grownups, who receive directions through Bluetooth-enabled headphones. Unable to see where they are going, the grownups listen for audio commands like “turn,” “go forward,” and “grab the cookie!” The kids use the arrows on the tablets to race Elmo and Cookie Monster to catch the cookie. It makes for some empowering fun for kids, while helping teach left, right, and a bit of patience.
Credits
- Mattia Romeo – Game Design
- Matt Parker – Game Design
- Greg Trefry – Game Design & Project Management
- J Milligan, Game Design
- Dave Glauber, Game Design