Works by Mashiyat Zaman
A selection of works I developed in Unity3D, listed in reverse chronological order. My approach is to emphasize simple, thoughtful interactions between subject and visitor, while pushing the boundaries of what I know and can do. See these projects on Instagram as well.
Oshi-Gokko
In this two-player arcade game, play as either an up-and-coming celebrity going about his busy schedule, running between bookings, or as his number one biggest fan, in hot pursuit of photos of him for her burgeoning stan account. Developed as the final project for the graduate class New Arcade (Spring 2023), in collaboration with An-Kai Cheng, Kitty Guo, and Mathew Olson. Presented at Wonderville on May 6, and at the ITP/IMA Spring Show May 14-15.
mashiyatzNPC Mashi
Displayed by the front desk of NYU ITP and serving as both public self-mockery and a public service message, this simple interactive piece features myself as an NPC, working at a desk in a surprisingly honest simulation of the 4th floor of 370 Jay Street. Tap the NPC to hear a variety of quotes you might encounter as a student. Tap the question mark in the corner to see a frank message displayed to passersby.
mashiyatzWhen We're Apart
A metaphor for how a feeling transcends distance between loved ones living apart, presented as an arcade game where you race against the clock. Using an origami pen attached to a joystick embedded in a pop-up book, steer a paper plane across a vast landscape to find four landmarks. Submitted as a midterm project for the graduate class New Arcade (Spring 2023).
mashiyatzPhiPhi's Quantum Tuna Cans
Rotate a can of tuna to increase the odds of successfully feeding a hungry little cat, and learn a little bit about quantum mechanics along the way. Created with Yuke Ding as a final project for the graduate class Introduction to Physical Computing (Fall 2022), and presented at the ITP/IMA 2022 Winter Show.
I scripted the Arduino and Unity3D code for this project, implementing serial communication between the Nano IoT 33 and Unity, which allowed us to use a rotary encoder (i.e., a button you can rotate) as a controller. The orientation of the encoder influenced the probability of a successful outcome, communicated by PhiPhi's expressions. Through playtesting, we iterated the UI to clarify directions more clearly, while offering a route for curious players to learn more about quantum physics.
mashiyatzThis Reminded Me Of You
Take a break in your living room filled with books we’ve lent you throughout years of friendship – use your mouse or scroll wheel to search the room, and click to read our letters to you. Created with Jo Suk for the graduate class Hypercinema (Fall 2022), and presented at the ITP/IMA 2022 Winter Show. Playable on a desktop web browser.
I designed the room, and scripted the interactions with the books strewn throughout. When clicked, a book slides into view while a handwritten note is shown and read aloud. We implemented periodic flickering of the clickable books and audiovisual feedback when the mouse hovers over them to prompt users towards the interaction, while preserving a relaxing, minimalist atmosphere.
mashiyatzRe:Earth AR Prototype
Track local landmarks and visualize 3D models in your neighborhood using this AR companion to Re:Earth, a web-based GIS tool. Developed at Eukarya, a Japanese startup specializing in geospatial technologies.
I built this prototype with Unity's AR Foundation Framework, using a package for rendering objects in AR using GPS coordinates, and open source libraries for downloading 3D models from the web. I developed the project over time to visualize different types of data available from Re:Earth, such as images and text descriptions. Read an introduction to the project here.