Punch Out

26th of November 2009 to 17th of January 2010 Sevilla (Spain)

Project of IC students exhibit in "Over the game" space Iniciarte, curated by Zemos98 and Flavio Escribano.

"Punch Out": New physical interface for old Nintendo game Punch-out from 1987
Authors: Mar Canet, Travis Kirton, Jayme Cochrane

PunchOut is an artistic installation that remediates the classic Nintendo game of the same title. It achieves its classification through the design of a custom interface that forces participants into a fullbodied experience. The major components of this interface are a padded interactive screen, and a robust floor controller. These two interface components map directly to the controls of the game’s original interface: the classic square controller (buttons: up, down, left, right, select, start, a, b). Additionally, the installation “fights back” with a player... When the character on-screen is hit during a boxing match, the installation briefly flashes bright light in attempt to create a sense of disorientation for the player. The physicality of punching the soft screen, hopping back and forth in all directions,
and the consequences of being “hit” amount to a physically embodied experience of a game that was originally playable only with one’s fingertips. The artistic
purpose behind the design of this installation is to explore the possibilities of expanding old games and old technologies to create new experiences using low-level technical approaches to new media interaction.
This project was originally conceived for the Interfaces For Games workshop at the Interface Culture department, University of Art and Design Linz. The enitre project uses publicly available materials, and is constructed using Max/MSP, opensource hardware (Arduino) and DIY sensors designed and constructed by the artists. All of these components come together in a full-body experience of a classic game, that is, they augment rather than recreating the original playability.