Hello, Operator!
collaborator, 2016–2017
A time-management game played on a restored 1927 Western Electric switchboard wired to a computer, using a real handset alongside real patch cables and lamps.
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Emilia Lazer-Walker created the game at Playful Systems by wiring a refurbished 1927 Western Electric 551-A switchboard to a modern machine as its controller. The design adapts the format of Diner Dash to the physical hardware of the original switchboard. Players use the handset and patch cables to manage calls, monitoring lamps that indicate who is waiting.
The game was shown at alt.ctrl.GDC in 2016 and in the Strange Arcade at IndieCade East.