Inspiration
This project was inspired by how children experience the world. Babies explore through curiosity, not awareness of danger. The idea was to turn “masking” into a gameplay mechanic that represents perception, responsibility, and care rather than power or control.
What it does
Mask On / Mask Off is a short interactive game where a baby moves autonomously through different environments. With Mask OFF, the baby ignores danger through innocence. With Mask ON, dangers are revealed, but responsibility shifts to the player. The player must decide when to know and when to shield. The goal is simple: keep the baby safe for a short time by managing perception rather than control.
How we built it
The game was built from scratch using: HTML CSS Vanilla JavaScript No game engines, no frameworks, and no generative AI were used. The baby’s movement, timing, danger evaluation, and interaction logic were all manually designed to create tension through autonomy and time pressure.
Challenges we ran into
The biggest challenge was fairness. Early versions caused instant failure when danger was revealed. This was solved by introducing: grace periods visual movement before evaluation meaningful roles for both “Mask ON” and “Mask OFF” Balancing tension without punishment was the hardest design problem.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Designing a game where doing nothing is a choice Giving both visibility and ignorance meaningful roles Creating real tension without scores, timers, or penalties Building a complete, playable game loop during the hackathon
What we learned
We learned that good game design is not about adding features, but about giving players meaningful decisions under pressure. Small systems interacting thoughtfully can create stronger emotional impact than complex mechanics.
What's next for Mask On / Mask Off
Future improvements could include: Additional environments Accessibility options Soft audio feedback Expanded age-appropriate scenarios The core mechanic will remain intentionally simple.
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