炏-Immersive installation interactive game

This interactive installation-game is inspired by the ancient Chinese concept of Liqi（戾气）. An atmosphere of hostility, aggression, and resentment that manifests through coldness, irritability, confrontation, and ill will. Rooted in frustration and dissatisfaction, Liqi intensifies conflict and permeates human interaction. Our project translates this abstract cultural concept into an embodied, immersive experience that challenges players to recognize, confront, and ultimately control it.

The installation reflects the spirit of Liqi through form and environment. Its sharp, irregular exterior evokes hostility, while entering, the interior forces players into uncomfortable, cave-like passageways that prime them for tension. The game chamber, inspired by the claustrophobic intimacy of telephone boxes, uses red light, noise, and inflatable airbags to respond dynamically to in-game Liqi levels, exerting both psychological and physical pressure.

The game controller, drawing from fighter jet control sticks yet rendered minimalistic. Embedded with a heart-rate sensor, it tracks the emotional fluctuations of players. Its ergonomics demand forearm movement rather than wrist motions, amplifying discomfort during fast-paced play and linking bodily strain to the accumulating emotional tension of Liqi.

The game itself is a two-player cooperative experience that integrates motion tracking and emotional feedback across three sub-games. The game contains three sub-sections: a cooperative bullet-hell shooter with asymmetrical controls, a rhythm-based challenge demanding synchronized reactions, and a 3D coordination test where players align diagonals of the character. Rising Liqi intensifies red light, noise, and airbag pressure, while the character’s gradual cubic transformation symbolizes the mastering of hostility.

This closed loop between player behavior, physiological response, game mechanics, and environmental feedback forms the core of the project. The installation deliberately provokes Liqi, yet requires players to develop strategies of regulation and control. In doing so, it demonstrates that while Liqi may be ever-present, it can be observed, confronted, and mastered.

More than an entertainment device or a cooperative puzzle, this project fuses game design and spatial design into a singular, immersive system. It seeks to create an interactive experience where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: an immersive exploration of tension, cooperation, and transformation.