EXIT POLL: ANDY HALL @ BOSTON FIG

Andy Hall at the Boston Festival for Indie Games (FIG), Saturday 9.22.12.

What game are you showing off?
The name of the game I’m showing off is Agent Higgs. This is a puzzle game for iOs devices (iphone ipad…) based on particle physics. The goal of the game is to hide the Higgs boson using other known particles like the electron and quarks. You slide ‘em around and they interact in the ways that they should.

What was your inspiration?
My background’s in physics and education. I worked at the Museum of Science for awhile, teaching there. And I liked hands-on experiences. But the type of science I like, like particle physics, you can’t do hands on very well.

So thats how it turned to making games, simulations like this. With this I wanted to show off the relations between particles to people who don’t have experience.

Are you dressing up for Halloween?
Am I dressing up this year for Halloween? Yes. I should probably be the Higgs boson. I’ve already bought the Groucho Marx glasses, so how could I not?

Is this a competitive game?
Yes. Oh yeah definitely, when people are playing this game.. [The goal is] getting it in the minimum number of moves… Some people dont care, but others, they wont move on. And it gets tough, so, yeah. My favorite part is watching the little kids help the adults. One time, there was a six year old and you know, somebody our age, and she couldn’t figure out one of the levels.

But then the six year old leaned over and went “boop boop boop,” and she did it for her. We all had a good laugh.