Mood Pinball Live

Mood Pinball is an artwork by Ben Neal, Edie Jo Murray and Harmeet Chagger-Khan. Originally a full-size virtual pinball machine, this Android edition is a slightly stripped down version of the game. Mood Pinball is a novel and accessible way to explore a data set. By playing Mood Pinball you are stepping into the shoes of Edie Jo Murray, a neurodiverse artist living in Coventry. You play as Edie in the form of the ball and you travel around the playfield designed by her as a futuristic, alien version of the city - to visit the park, city centre, gallery and train station. When visiting these locations volume levels in decibels are shown. As the clock progresses noise levels change. These noise data readings were synthesised by data scientists at Southampton University to approximate real noise levels at specific sites at the time shown on the clock. If you visit a location with a high noise level - above Edie’s comfort threshold - your mood is negatively affected, while quiet locations positively affect your mood. The ball also has an energy level, and constant, long-distance movements makes you tired. Mood and energy boosts can be achieved when visiting locations and represent a successful days shopping or a pleasant visit to the park. Mood pinball playfully re-imagines how city-wide data could be used by an individual, or explored by playing a game. It was created from a neurodiverse perspective, focusing on noise levels in an urban environment and the effect they can have on well-being. Players encounter a large, bright, highly stylised pinball machine game with a synthesized data set buried deep in the heart of the code. The visual style of the game is based on the analogy that autistic people can feel like aliens on this planet. The project began with a series of workshops with neurodiverse participants, designed to establish areas of interest, explore what data was available or unavailable, and how that could be used to create an artwork. Android app co-commissioned by ODI Data as Culture and Now Play This Festival. Original Digital pinball machine commissioned by ODI Data as Culture in partnership with the University of Southampton / King’s College London Data Stories project, supported by the EPSRC. Produced by BOM centre for art, technology and science, Birmingham. Music "Slow Thinking" by Arc Vel. More info is available at www.moodpinball.com