Office Wizards

Office Wizards is a alternative controller interface and game that tasks players with using work supplies like barcode scanners and printers as magic wands in a wizarding duel.

Created alongside Michal Bodzianowski, we sought to create a game that used the versatility of barcode scanner inputs to cast a variety of spells. The players could select different spells on screen, and use their barcode scanner to print the spell from a magical-looking printer and then cast the spell that’s spit out of the magical creature.

For this project, Michal was responsible for programming the game in Unity and setting up the integration of the controllers, and I was responsible for the physical visual design of the enclosures, as well as some additional visual assets for the game.

The main visual component of the alternative controller was the enclosure for the printer. In keeping with the fantasy theme, I sought to turn a mundane printer into a fantastical, moss-covered creature. I also wanted to make sure that the enclosure could be removed from the printer without permanently altering it, allowing the printer and the enclosure to both function separately.

In order to make the enclosure, I cut up grey presentation board and used it to create both the corner hinges and the walls that would go around the printer. Additionally, I made sure to cut holes into the walls to make sure that cords, buttons, and the printer tray were still accessible.

In order to add some personality to the enclosure, I then glued giant googly eyes on the left and right walls of the enclosure, transforming the printer into a curious creature.

Next, I wrapped the enclosure in a moss-covering, making sure to leave room for the eyes and the cut-outs in the enclosure.

The last additions to the enclosure mostly involved visual flourishes to help emphasis the nature theme. I added fake flower around various points on the enclosure, wrapped a fake vine around the base of the printer, and placed a twig wreath as a crown at the top of the printer. I also created a set of teeth using the presentation board and white puff balls that could impermanently attach to the printer tray.

While Michal used some asset packs for the visuals in the Unity game, I also created some original pixel art assets to serve as logos and as icons for the various elemental spells.

Office Wizards was selected for the Spring 2023 ATLAS Expo, an annual expo hosted at the Roser Atlas Building at CU Boulder where students majoring in Creative Technology and Design can show off their weird and innovative creations to the public. This ATLAS Expo was one of the biggest yet, with hundreds of visitors stopping by.