The party table has been a pet project and passion of mine for a few years now. It’s a six player game table that consists of a screen (either LCD or projection) surrounded by trackballs and arcade buttons. The device is more of a game platform than just another arcade unit. So far, it has a few simple games including a 6 player ping-pong, a light cycle game similar to Tron, and a game where players race through a maze. A bunch of other games are in the development pipeline including a race car game, a tank defense game and shuffleboard. An important aspect of the unit is that it accommodates 6 players. Six is an interesting number socially. People will usually go out to bars and restaurants in groups of 2-4 so a game that allows 6 players usually means that the players are meeting someone new around the table. Stimulating social interaction and making new friends is a focal point of the table.

Gradman and I setup a series of interactive installations for the weekend Artwalk event at the brewery 4/18-4/19/09. We exhibited Shadowsmoke, Artfall, the Party Table, the uWink 3D “Marshmallow” game, and the Cloud Mirror. We were busy all day and really enjoyed showcasing all these toys to the excited art goers. Look for us at the next one!