Aether

The interest in screenless entertainment has risen in recent years, fueled by public discourse questioning our relationship with technology and the time we spend in front of screens. One clear sign of this is the post-pandemic boom in board game sales. But what if you want to play a game alone – without the intensity of digital media, and without the burden of simulating the 'computer' in a solo board game?

Much of this project's research focused on how physical playing cards have historically been paired with technology. Examples include Barcode Battler (1991), Super Barcode Wars (1992), and Nintendo's e-Reader (2001). These systems treated cards as peripheral add-ons rather than central components – and most ended in commercial failure, which did not look promising for this project.

The outcome of the project became Aether: a modular game console designed specifically for physical playing cards. It uses infrared sensors to read card patterns and matte e-ink displays to show game information. In summary, it offers the slow tactile experience of an analogue game while at the same time utilizing the benefits of digital logistics in order for the user to enjoy the game solely as a player.