Student Computer Game with Makey Makey Controller

Makey Makey at Tokyo Sandbox: Bananas as Game Controllers

These students designed a computer game to be shown at Tokyo Indie Fest and the Tokyo Sandbox event in Akihabara.

The feature that really helped their game stand out was the use of bananas to play the game! Forward, jump, left and right were triggered by touching the appropriate banana. It also helped that the game was highly addictive—“just one more go… honest… just one more!”—as you can see from the visitors playing in the video.

Attendees to the Indie Fest were given free game tokens on entry, with the option to buy more. Our entry collected the most tokens. Well done boys and girls.

Why Makey Makey Works So Well

The Makey Makey kits are fantastic for physical computing and creative coding. Students quickly understand the “cause and effect” of inputs, and it’s a brilliant bridge between Scratch game design and real-world controllers.

I have found I get a little nervous giving them to students under about age 11 unless they’re under close supervision. The small parts are a little fiddly, and they’re not as tough as the LEGO kits students are used to.

Tokyo Sandbox

Tokyo Sandbox is a showcase for indie developer games in Tokyo, held in Akihabara. It’s a great event for students—seeing real audiences play their work is incredibly motivating.

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