The Crumbskees take CommArts
A crunchy, munchy waste of time.
The Crumbskees, a multiplayer web and mobile based experiment from Upperquad, has been selected in the Website/Interactive category for Communication Arts' 27th Interactive Annual. Thirty-three projects were selected by a jury of creative professionals from the 442 entries.
Originally built as a demo for an in-person SF Design Week event at the Upperquad San Francisco studio in 2019, the Crumbskees started as an installation that allowed people to use their phones to play on a shared screen together. The original game was based on shapes and Upperquad brand colors, but was a surprisingly fun.
From this working concept, Upperquad decided to make the game accessible to everyone on the web. We added some original couch potato characters and added psychedelic colorful animation styles inspired by our love of Adult Swim cartoons. And, in the process, we also captured something about the surreal COVID-19 experience.
Bright, brash, irreverent - this one is just fun as hell
Husani Oakley
We want people to simply pull out their phones and have fun, so we eliminated any user interaction on the display device - all the navigations happen on the phones, which can become controllers. The site was built using Node.js and WebSockets, which allows the phone to connect directly to the browser during game play, and not through a game server.
Upperquad creates experiences with new technologies beyond what is usually possible. The Crumbskees pushes the boundaries of design, type and technology. We’re always making things that reach new audiences and extend our capabilities.
The Communication Arts 2021 Interactive Annual is available online. Play the Crumbskees at crumbskees.com
