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LED

An LED Game Changer

The Largest Video Game in the World

With the release of next-generation video consoles, video games seem to advance at the speed of LED light. So, where do we go now? Well, outside of our houses and on the sides of buildings! Recently, “Pong” set a Guinness world record for largest architectural video game display thanks to a Drexel University professor, a University City skyscraper, and of course—LED lighting.

Frank Lee, director of the Game Design program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed a playable “Pong” on the façade of the Cira Centre using the building’s LED lights. According to NBC News, the idea came to Lee five years ago when he was driving down the street and saw the sparkly lights on the building, which immediately reminded him of falling Tetris shapes.

At 59,800 square feet, the gigantic “Pong” game is the largest architectural video game display in the world. Hundreds of people participated in the event by controlling virtual paddles from the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Check out the video below.

 

Puzzle Facade

A Spanish artist and designer had a similar vision. Javier Lloret converted Austria’s Ars Electronica Center into a gigantic and functional Rubik’s Cube called Puzzle Façade. It works by sending signals to a ready-built LED wall using a 3D-printed interface-cube.

The museum, which is often referred to as the “Museum of the Future,” already features an LED-lit media façade, according to io9.com. The 3D printed cube contains electronic components to keep track of orientation and rotation. Data is sent via Bluetooth to a computer that runs the software, which changes the LED lights on the building’s wall. Since only two sides of the building are lit, players can flip the cube to display different sides of the puzzle on the wall.

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I believe that I, Dr. Bulb, need to figure out how I can turn my house into a giant game or puzzle using my LED wall packs. It would be the perfect party game!

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