Customizing Videogame Objects via Physical Substantiation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Videogames lack a physical component for players to interact with virtual objects, limiting the connection between the virtual and real worlds, and existing toys cannot be easily customized to reflect in-game changes.
Innovation Solution
A method to create a physical representation of videogame objects by receiving attribute selections from a game device, substantiating the object, and providing gameplay control, including customization and communication with physical toys through unique identifiers and storage components, allowing for 2D or 3D printing of customized objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pre-packaged toys are used to represent videogame objects, then a real-world element is added to videogame play, but players cannot easily modify such toys to reflect in-game customizations
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the customization process into separate components: the base physical toy, a digital interface for customization, and a data transfer mechanism. This allows the toy itself to remain simple while the customization capability is added through external digital systems, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A digital intermediary system serves as the mediator between the physical toy and the customization process. The system uses digital representations of toys that can be customized through software, then transfers the customized design back to the physical toy or creates a matching physical version, enabling customization without modifying the base toy's structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If players create custom objects in videogames, then personalization is enhanced, but players cannot readily bring these custom virtual objects into the real world
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates physical copies or representations of virtual objects through multiple methods: generating physical toys that match the virtual design, creating 3D printable models, or producing 2D printed representations. This copying approach allows virtual objects to be brought into the physical world without requiring complex manufacturing processes at the player level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of the object from purely virtual to physical by altering its form factor and medium. Virtual objects with digital parameters are transformed into physical objects with tangible properties through manufacturing processes triggered by the system, enabling portability between virtual and physical domains.
3Ease of operation
If videogames provide detailed customization options, then player engagement increases, but the separation between virtual and real worlds remains sharply distinct
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the virtual and physical worlds by combining digital customization interfaces with physical toy representation. Players interact with virtual objects through detailed customization options while simultaneously maintaining a physical connection through tangible toys that represent their creations, eliminating the sharp separation between virtual and real experiences.
Data Source
AI summary
A user may create a customized virtual game character and the customized virtual game character may be physically substantiated. In some embodiments the virtual game character is physically substantiated by printing a representation of the virtual game character on a card, which in some embodiments has computer readable information regarding the virtual game character. In some embodiments the virtual game character is physically substantiated by making a toy in the form of the virtual game character, which in some embodiments has computer readable information regarding the virtual game character. In some embodiments the toy is made by way of 3-D printing, with for example character information uploaded from a user's game machine to a 3-D printing facility, which may also receive additional detailed information about parts of the character from a third party server.