CircleMaze is a multi-player interactive musical game that encourages team building and collaboration on the Jam-O-Drum controller device. By combining novel input devices with real-time computer graphics on an integrated tabletop surface, CircleMaze brings together a group of people to participate in a synergetic musical game. Each player station has a turntable input device that is used to control visual and aural elements of the game.

Our primary goal for CircleMaze was to design a game that encouraged communication and collaboration among its players. The task for the players is to guide all of the game’s pieces to the middle of the maze. Because the maze is divided into concentric rings, the pieces must pass through each ring in turn; thus, all the players must work together to achieve this goal.

Movement of the pieces and rings produces changes in the musical score—as each player turns their ring, they affect the graphics and alter their sonic contribution to the ensemble. CircleMaze
participants are immersed in a goal-oriented game in addition to a collaborative music-making experience.

Thanks to Don Antoinelli, Kevin AuYoung, Christopher Cummings, Philo Chua, Dennis Cosgrove, Rebecca Crivella, Randy Hsiao, Ning Hu, Shawn Lawson, Moshe Mahler, Ian McCullough, Scott Nestel and Wil Paredes. Thanks to NHT and our colleagues at Interval Research and Carnegie Mellon University, particularly, Don Marinelli, Randy Pausch, Steve Audia and Dan Siewiorek, for their continued feedback and support.