Thinking with the box: Maestro’s Theatre delivers a new experience for arcade gameplay

A marionette character controlled by ragdoll gameplay. A rotating game screen embracing the look and feel of vintage theater. Limited computer graphics and limited time. All of these came together via a student team with limitless creativity and a desire to problem-solve to create Maestro’s Theatre, an arcade game developed by MADTech students and displayed at Super Magfest. 

Justin Johnson is an assistant professor in the Media Arts, Design and Technology (MADTech) department at the College of Design. He also recently completed his doctorate in the college, focused on designing games with nature aesthetics for improved mood and reduced stress.

Last year, he tasked his sophomore studio with thinking about the box – as well as what’s inside it. “We have such a strong making component in this college – I wanted to harness it,” he says. He came up with the idea of making an arcade game where students could create both physical and digital designs for gameplay, using the project as an opportunity to learn their strengths and forge ahead with specific career paths. 

Half the class moved forward with traditional arcade-style games. But the other half – composed of students Lydia Spears, Hope Eisenstein, Vyomini Singh, Maleah Seaman and Chris Glover – wanted a more immersive, playable experience where the game and its housing were tied together.

“Fail and Fail Quickly”

Hope pitched several ideas to the team, but the idea of puppeteering catalyzed the team’s creativity. “You’re trying to save Maestro’s dying theatre with your marionette’s performance by catching spotlights, and the audience will cheer for you,” she says.

Working within the constraints of the project ended up being a challenge. Using small, cheap computers meant the team was limited in the gameplay they could produce. And with the team’s vision of having a stage that rotated, they had to “fail and fail quickly” to get to a final product that worked as they intended. 

Each of the students brought their own skill set to the game, which helped them work collectively to build the final product. Hope, initially interested in art direction, switched to coding and game design. Lydia stepped into the role of art direction and project manager, skills she’s using this year as one of the leaders of Art2Wear. Vyomini influenced the exterior design of the arcade, while Chris, with some assistance from his dad, directed the physical build.  

“I’ve grown a lot as someone who’s interested in art direction through this project,” Lydia says. Creating the deadlines and schedules her team needed, while trusting that they would meet the deadlines and get things done, helped all the designers get a taste of what it might be like to work in the industry. “It was a great learning experience for me,” Lydia adds. 

Design challenges presented themselves to Chris as he navigated creating a rotating structure that could also be transported. He chose to use simple, interlocking joinery in the design, a small detail which ended up greatly impacting the game’s portability later on. Limited choices for monitors and being able to achieve a solid build in a short timeframe added constraints, but the group agreed that a quality, artistic finished product was important. 

Debuting to a Wider Audience

As the students created their project, Justin had his eye out for the right audience to showcase it to. Partnering with several local colleges, the students first displayed their game to a small selection of fellow students, academics and locals in Brooks Hall. But some attendees from Triangle Interact suggested that Justin check out Super Magfest, which has an indie arcade exhibition. 

Magfest has thousands of people attend each year, so getting their arcade game accepted meant that lots of eyes would be on the student’s work. Out of hundreds of applicants, Maestro’s Theatre stood out enough to earn a spot on the arcade floor as one of 75 games in the indie arcade showcase.  

So the department worked to make sure that the students and their game could travel to Maryland to be a part of the 24-hour showcase. Transportation proved stressful, with the base breaking the night before the show. But the team persevered, gluing it back together and modding the game for the arcade floor experience. “Chris had the great idea to create an unsupervised mode, so we would be free to explore the event and check out other people’s games,” Hope says.

They were still tempted to watch attendees react to their game, however. “I tried to stay back and just let them play,” Lydia says. “But some of them might be passionate about game design, so if they seemed interested, I was like ‘here’s a notebook, share your feedback!’” she adds. 

“Game design is definitely about designing for the player and for the people. Having someone who is excited and enthusiastic, and wants to see it done well, will always be the best motivator,” Hope adds. 

The Future of Maestro’s Theatre

The group feels motivated to keep tinkering with the project as time allows. Oftentimes, at the end of a studio, students wave goodbye to their work. But Maestro’s Theatre has staying power, both in the minds of the students and the department. This unique, interactive piece of art created by the students has the potential to continue its life on in the college. 

“Funding from the department really helped take this project to the next level,” Justin says. The students felt equally grateful for the investment, knowing that they wouldn’t have the means to purchase all the supplies needed – from wood and paint to computers and graphics – on their own.

“This was a really wonderful experience, and it felt like we were supported,” Hope adds. “I don’t think I could say that a lot of other places would offer this type of project to their students.”

“A lot of times, at the end of a studio, you wave goodbye to your work. After everyone had time to sleep and recharge, there was this feeling that Maestro’s was something special, and we didn’t want the project to end there,” Hope says. 

The end of the project is bittersweet, as the four students – Lydia, Hope, Chris and Vyomini – will be graduating this year. Justin will be among them, not just as a supportive faculty member but as a graduate of the DDes program. “All he has to do is stand up at convocation, and everyone will start clapping,” Lydia shares.

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