The interactive installation was created for the 2007 Cinekid Festival, an annual film, television and new media festival for children in Amsterdam. October 2007 Wixel Play premiered in the Medialab digital playground, where it was open to the public for a full week.
In the basic game of ‘collect-them-colours’, players have to run around and point their game controllers at dots on the floor that correspond to flashing Wixels above their heads. With time being a factor in the scoring, kids have to make a real effort in the short sessions of about two minute each.
For the games interface ordinary flashlight-enclosures are outfitted with custom build wireless RFID readers, creating a ‘magical' wand that act as a game controller. Players interact with the game by moving their wand to specific points on the playing field carpet, which contain hidden RFID tags. The corresponding information is sent to a remote computer that runs the game mechanics and controls the Wixels.