It pleases me significantly to announce, proclaim, and otherwise acknowledge the availability of Junkyard Games, an "innovation simulation" based on my variously named Found Object Tabletop Olympiad, a.k.a. The Junkyard Sports Tabletop Olympiad, et. al.

Art Golf takes the spirit of Junkyard Golf Teambuilding and makes an art out of it. It was a project of a group called Because We Can, developed for the Maker Faire held in Sebastapol, CA. They were given a budget of $1500 per hole.

From the site, it looks like it was a great success, both with kids and adults. The only differences: they used real golf clubs instead of clubs people made out of things like brooms and sneakers, the holes were created by artists at a cost of $1500/per instead of teams of adults and kids with no budget and a semi-random collection of scrap and junk and stuff.

Not that I'm suggesting that one event was better or more fun than the other. Just pointing out that both events looked like a great deal of fun. One was created by artists. One was free. The success of one validates and demonstrates the viability of the other.

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Sportpong "is an interactive physical computer game. The field is projected on the floor, two or more players can fight in teams against each other. With a paddle on each foot you hit the ball to the goal or to defend your goal. Not only smartnes and reactivity let you win, also geometric appreciation and teamplay is required...a reflector on each foot is the only physical tool to interact with Sportpong. The interface is integrated in the field which is projected on the floor. The players control the game with their feet, nothing else."