Broken Breakout is an interactive installation that transforms the videogame Breakout into a new, open-ended interactive experience. Breakout is a prime example of reflex-based challenge and mastery that forms the basis of much of digital gaming. In this re-imagining of the classic, computer vision puts the player into the game. While the interface for the original game consisted of a small knob, here one plays through the movement of the whole body. Cascading balls pour out of the bricks, as they are broken, filling up the screen and quickly overwhelming the original rules and purpose of the game. New interactions emerge as the player wades through the piles of rainbow-hued debris, scooping and pushing masses around. Each action, collision, and movement generates sound, turning this most basic of games into a rich interactive audio-visual experience for a single player or a whole group.

Produced in collaboration with Ben Chang. Sound produced by Rodger Ruzanka.