“GAMEBOOTH”

The Gamebooth is a semi-analog game computer that introduces two people to one another by a series of yes or no questions.

Each player has the possibility to receive and answer 20 questions. These questions will be based on sex, interests, style etc. Every correct question grants the player 10% vision of the other person. Every wrong question takes away 10% of the vision. With more vision, more concrete questions about the other person can be inquired and would help players to reach their final goal; 100% vision.

Full vision of the other person is the reward of communicating and getting to know each other.

The in- and outside of one side of the booth. Two of these are required to play a successfully and equal game.

Outside and crosscut.

Top view of one booth. One room houses the beamer and technical hardware. The other side is open voor players.

The answering mechanisme works a following:

– When a player asks a question, the other player will react by pressing green for yes or red for no. When the red button gets pressed, the motor will turn 10% counter-clockwise shielding the lens of the projector. When the green buttons gets pressed, the motor will turn 10% clockwise un-shielding the lens of the projector.

The communication system is very straight forward. Audio is run from a microphone through a mini mixer to a speaker and vice versa. One mixer can be used. The video will run from a camera straight into the beamer in the other room and vice versa.

Meeting people: then vs. now.

Meeting new people, becoming friends and possible more has drastically changed over the years past. Before the rise of technology, wireless connections and the internet meeting new people was a social occasion. You would have to actually leave the safety of your home and go to a public place to have a conversation with another human being. A process that would take time and effort, but a process that would be rewarded by genuine friendships and social connections.

Were you go to the extend of starting to build a romantic relationship with another person this process could even be stretched into a period of months to get to know another person.

It seems that with these 21st centuries technology this process of meeting new people has become less of a social occasion and more of a digital experience. Social media is the most premiere form of communication these days, especially with age groups between 12 – 30 year olds. Meeting new people is also performed digital, for example in the form of Tinder. This app makes it possible for men to find women and vice versa. The App takes a persons Facebook picture and puts it on a big pile. People are then able to swipe their way to the bottom of the pile, liking or disliking people (normally of the other sex) in the process. When two people would like each others photo they are matched up and able to speak to one another.

Although this seems a great way to meet new people it also brings up some critical questions. Is this what meeting people is about? Creating a superficial connection because you both like each others (best) Facebook photo? Who says the person you’re talking to actually is who they say they are? Film and tv show “Catfish” (although probably scripted to some extend) has pretty much proven that you can’t always believe what people put online.

We live in a visual time where information is giving to us on screens and it seems that this has been clouding our judgement on situations and people. Columnist Alli Reed has made it very clear that some people don’t pay attention to information (or maybe just don’t care) if their visuals stimulation is good enough. By creating a fake online dating profile with a “provocative attractive” picture and horrible information she tried to proof that no man would even give here chance, however, she got nothing but positive reactions of men that would like to meet her. Seemingly not to care about here horrible information.

These new ways of communication via social media or apps like Tinder seem to be the new standerd, but what are the consequences or drastic changes to social behaviour? Conventional relationships are changed. People start building a social connections based on visual attraction instead of a relationship based in common interests. A friend setting up another friend with a blind date would become purposeless as the person being set up will without a doubt go online, find the person, have a visual reference and create a certain mindset before even having met the person in real life.

INFRARED LIGHT TEST

These tests are created with a cut off Pringles can an acrylic with engraved patterns (text and photo). The depth difference of the engraving allows some of the light to pass through and create a picture.

GOAL

The thing I would like to point with this device or installation is the way we communicate and meet people in this day and age. Dating websites and applications have been around for a long time, but there seemed to be some form of taboo around the subject. When the app Tinder got its popularity this taboo seemed to have lifted. I think this mainly comes from the “innocence” behind the app. It is relatively private but still gives the sensation and excitement of regular dating websites.

I think Tinder is very superficial platform that doesn’t really do any more than facilitate in a mindless endeavour of looking for good looking people.

I would like my concept to encourage people to start interacting again on an analog level, face to face. It should create a game or quest that makes people want to find each other and make friends (or more) in the process.

FESTIVALMATCH

From the concept of the “Tinderbooth” I came up with a simplefied and easier setup to essentially achieve the same goal. I left the infrared light on the background as a means that brought me to my concept.

The “Festivalmatch” takes more after a regular dating site. Some people make a profile, leave it to rest and wait for other people to find them. Other people might be more outgoing, going to profiles and trying that perfect someone.

The “Festivalmatch” could be placed at the entrance or another central place at a festival. The devices consists of two sides, one side for “Find me” and another side for “Go find”.

The “Find me” side has a camera and touchscreen to select multiple options. A man or woman can go up to the “Find me” side. Have a picture taken en choose from multiple options:

– His or her sex
– Sexual prefrence
– Favorite foods (chosen from availability on the festival)
– Campsite section
– A top 3 selection of favorite artists (from the festivals line up)

After finishing the form the information gets stored in a database and now another person on the “Go find” side can give in the same informational options and get a “match” based on common interest. The “Go find” side has a little printer that prints a picture of the match along with the information. This person can now go find his or her match.

As an extra incent there could be a reward for finding your match. This could be a romantic meal for two or a free round of drinks, but obviously only when the two are together.

TINDERBOOTH

The concept of the “Tinderbooth” is basically a darkened photobooth with two doors. Ideally placed at a festival or party this little rooms divides men and women in to lines. A man and a woman come and wont be able to see each other. A picture is taken with the help of infrared light. The two are able to speak with each other for a minute or two and then go their seperate ways. They both get an instant copy of the picture which will allow them to go find each other. This would be made harder by a small divider so that if one of the participants decided to not follow through they can dissapear in the crowd. However if the other person is percistant he or she can choose to look for the other person.

TINDER

Possibly one of the most new, popular and weird ways of communicating in 2013 has been the dating app tinder. This app makes is possible for men and women to meet each based on pictures.

Men will “like” or “dislike” pictures of women and vice versa. When the two people like each others picture they will be matched and able to talk to each other.

Other than conventional dating apps or websites Tinder mainly works on the first impressions based on pictures instead of information such as likes, dislikes, age and interests. This regurlarly means that more attractive looking people get more matches and the less attractive people get left behind.

The biggest downside to an app like tinder is that it can be a very onsided situation. A match only happens when both people decide they would like to speak with each other. Since this decision is only made on the bases of a picture this process will get very superficial, very quick.

If either side will decide to dislike another person the process is over even though these two people might get along in real live based on common interest instead of looks. I’d like to create a device that will make it possible for people meet in the same way as tinder, but give them more incent to pursue a meeting.

This can be done my eliminating the visual aspect and actually bringing people together like a “dating in the dark” situtation or by giving people the option to go find a person or be found by a person with similar interest.

All these concepts are based on a specific arena, like a festival or a party. This way the “playing area” gets smaller and the rate of succes becomes higher. It would also create a different way of approaching and meeting new people at public events, as opposed to going through pictures of hundrends of men or women who may or may not even be real.