GDC is a lovely show, but darting around a crowded showfloor between VR demos during a hot week in San Francisco is pretty exhausting. So I was desperate for a way to beat the heat, distract myself from the smell of anonymous face sweat, and entertain my coworkers. Horror counts as entertainment, right? Enter, Planet Licker.
Planet Licker uses a custom controller with three multicolored popsicle-filled divots. Custom 3D printed molds were used to make the treats (which taste quite good) and licking them completes a small circuit that’s then recognized as an input in game. Each color corresponds to a planet, so when you lick that color, it sends the player careening towards the nearest planet of that color. Once there, lick a few more times to gobble it up. Consume as many planets as possible within the time limit, avoid space mines, and confuse your friends to get a high score.
Planet Licker is a novel idea, a prototype really, but it still got me thinking about how else food could be utilized in game design, and perhaps as more than just entertainment. And god forbid anyone makes a burrito game. That would be the end for me. Unless I can convince management to buy BurritoGamer.com.
