Four Dreamteamers, Adorian, Betina, George and Ilayda, took the challenge to make a new exciting installation to promote the Esportslab at the Designlab. By creating a mixture between the virtual and futuristic side of the Esportslab and incorporating this into the sleek industrial design of the Designlab.
The Esportslab is located downstairs in the Designlab. It was set up to improve response times, insight, stress levels and spatial awareness of eAthletes. By applying state of the art scientific knowledge and measurement techniques, the Esportslab addresses challenges in performance optimization, sensoring, movement science, player psychology, Esports data science, player health, inclusion, and the societal & organizational impact of gaming. Their ultimate goal is to design the future of Esports and gaming through research.
For the purpose of making the Esportslab more known and visible, they decided to make an eye catcher wall installation that will attract the attention of passersby. The installation is strategically positioned next to the staircase leading to the Esportslab. When walking past the wall, it feels like you are walking through a videogame area. The LED lights stand out on the white walls and the infinity mirror feels like you are about to enter a level leading to the villain of a game. On the right bottom corner there is a light panel with a funny little animation that shows that in order to go to the Esportslab one has to go down the stairs.
The Process
The installation consists of nine different panels.There are five wooden panels that contain text related to the DesignLab and the Esportslab, explaining what their vision is, who they are and what their goals are. Additionally there are two plexiglass panels that have a moving LED backlight. The colours of the LEDs are in the colours of the logo of said instance, making it stand out and fun to look at. On the bottom right of the installation there is a small LED screen that can change into whatever is needed at the moment. Right now it has a little animation with pacman that shows where the students can find the Esportslab. What can be pictured there is very flexible though as it is easy to animate. This was done with the intention that it can promote specific events or workshops that are being held by the Esportslab.
The installation is very modular. The plates can easily be switched out because they are attached to the frame with magnets. This is nice for situations where we want to promote a specific event or when we want to change a text. The panels and the frame are shaped in the recurring pattern of hexagons that feel oh so familiar in the style of the designlab.
With our team we hope that our installation will be a new exciting addition to the already playful and exciting interior of the Designlab. We also hope to attract more students for the Esportslab and create a thriving community of students that love games, Esports and everything in between.
