I’ve been brainstorming with Mike and Scott about ideas for our Networked objects final, and after consulting with Tom today, we’re definitely honing in on building some kind of game interface.

Here’s my description of our idea, which is totally unvetted by the others and subject to much changing in the next month or so:

The objects we’re going to make are user interface devices and location-specific devices for a multiplayer game. The specific rules of the game are still being worked out, but the basic premise will be something akin to Assassin or Werewolf - something simple to understand but fun to play. The devices will communicate with each other wirelessly (probably using ZigBees), and players will be able to attack/kill each other by coming into close proximity. A few location-specific beacons will restore hurt players, or give them the ability to kill other players more quickly. These will be activated when the player gets close enough to the beacon. Players may also start with certain advantages, and it may be possible to form alliances and work together.

We’re adopting some video-game interface elements, such as a health meter on the individual devices, and a live lederboard at the home base. Our notion is that the game will run for about a week, with the location-specific beacons moving daily. At the end of each game day, there will be a wrapup storyline (or newscast?) that summarizes the day’s events in the narrative style of the game’s story, and possibly provides clues about beacon locations for the following day.