BOM created a playable pinball machine game and mobile app for the ODI (Open Data Institute) in London, gamifying open data.
ClientOpen Data InstituteServicesArt Direction Year2019
BOM was commissioned to conceive and build a game with underserved communities that would gamify open data for public audiences. Through outreach with a focus group, we identified the game concept and technical specification, and built a physical pinball machine game and mobile app.
We brought together a focus group of neurodivergent people with hidden disabilities to develop ideas in response to their shared experiences. The group met physically at BOM across multiple workshops to provide insights that led to the defined concept of a fun playable pinball machine game.
The aim of the game is to move the ball around a lush play field which is based on the city map and open data of Coventry City Centre. The player has to avoid the ball hitting noisy and crowded spots, navigating to arrive in calming locations before returning home.
We worked with three creative practitioners including neurodivergent artist Edie Jo Murray, immersive storyteller Harmeet Chagger-Khan and BOM Digital Producer Ben Neal to craft the experience.
Mood Pinball is a highly stylised pinball game has a synthesised dataset buried deep in the heart of the code. It’s a dreamy illustration of how data might inform everyday decisions that affect the well-being of real people and playfully re-imagines how city-wide data could be used by an individual, or explored by playing a game.
Launching the game at ODI’s Annual Summit, and getting a play from Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and Founder of the ODI!
Mood Pinball has been exhibited nationally, including V&A Museum, Somerset House, Festival of Science & Curiosity, Nottingham and BOM.