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Creative in association withGear Seven
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W+K London Proves Well-being & Gaming Go Hand in Hand

29/10/2014
Advertising Agency
London, United Kingdom
190
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Play Tetris through the power of touch with W+K's giant controller

Neuroscientists have proven that the little incidental touches such as holding hands, a pat on the back or a caress of the arm are good for human wellbeing. These interactions provide feelings of reward, build cooperative relationships, signal trust and calm things like cardiovascular stress. Regular touch even reduces symptoms of depression in patients with Alzheimer’s and increases weight gain in premature babies. 

Ethnologists have proven that the people of Britain touch each other the least, compared to every other country in the world. Which makes Britons the most touch deprived.

So London-based advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy made an interface to try and change that statistic. 


A team at the agency (Luke Tipping, Joseph Haigh and Daniel Smith) designed a giant controller made with a Makey Makey and copper conductive buttons. The controller, and the game, only works when the users hold hands with their playing partner and the pair complete the circuit, controlling the game with their other “free hand”.

Holding hands is the most effective way to release the ‘happiness’ neurochemical oxytocin into the human body.

Luke Tipping, creative at Wieden+Kennedy says: ‘So many new interfaces created today drive a wedge between people. Meaning, we live an increasingly mediated life. We wanted to design an interface that genuinely brought people closer together.’

The project has been tested publically in various locations, debuting at the Wired 2014 Next Generation in London. 

Credits
Agency / Creative
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