Pocket Ink
Heaven’s mandate: a hyper-individualized tangible card game platform in the Age of AI
Project team: Quincy Kuang, Lingdong Huang, Lucy Li
*Note: Pocket Ink is an ongoing work
Introduction
Teenagers spend a significant amount of time online. Whether playing video games or doom scrolling, increased screen time can lead to shorter attention spans and decreased social interaction skills. In the Age of AI, how can we use intelligent and innovative interfaces to excite teens for tangible card games and foster social play? We present Pocket Ink, an AI-powered card game platform that uses flexible e-ink displays to make hyper-individualized game decks. On the one hand, the physical card form factor keeps the social and tangible aspects of card games, such as trading with friends or enjoying the haptics of holding a winning hand. On the other hand, Pocket Ink’s e-ink display cards give them an interactive and individualized play experience commonly associated with digital games. One deck can be flashed with any game of your liking, and by using generative AI, players can quickly introduce personalized avatars to create an adventure unlike any other.
Card games, especially Collectible Card Games, are one of the most impactful toys for children, offering a rich environment for growth and development. They nurture strategic thinking, support identity formation, and foster face-to-face social interaction from an early age. A key strength of card games lies in their tangible nature, creating opportunities for direct, meaningful interactions with others. However, the rise of smartphones, social media, and mobile gaming has transformed how children play. School playgrounds have become quieter as more children opt to stay indoors and connect with friends through online platforms. While digital entertainment is highly accessible, it often lacks the tactile engagement and in-person social elements that card games provide, potentially hindering the development of crucial social skills. Redesigning playing cards for children in an era dominated by dynamic and immersive video games is no small challenge. To address this gap, we developed a card game platform called Pocket Ink. It combines the dynamic, technology-enhanced gameplay of modern digital experiences with the tangible interaction and social benefits that traditional card games offer. To demonstrate our platform, we created "Heaven's Mandate", a 2-4 player card game showcasing how AI enhanced games can thoughtfully integrate into and even elevate physical card game experiences to rival digital games. We believe that the future of play must remain grounded in the physical world to allow the next generation to develop into a socially connected and emotionally resilient society.
How it works
To set up the game, players first transform into characters within the game using the deck box. Each player shares a fun fact or character trait about themselves, for example, "I enjoy playing frisbee," and uploads a selfie. The multi-modal input is then used to spawn a character in the card game. The text description is analyzed by a large language model (LLM) and matched with one of the 53 predefined character profiles, such as Archer, Witch, Doctor, etc. The picture is fed into an image generation model to create a fictional portrait that both looks like the character and the player. Once the generation is finished, an empty Pocket Ink card is inserted into the station to flash the personalized character and start a unique playthrough
To demonstrate the interface's unique potential, we developed Heaven's Mandate, a role-playing, turn-based strategy card game. Two players compete by using a shared deck of character cards, with the goal of reducing their opponent’s player score to zero. Depending on the desired game length, the players start with an initial score of anywhere between 3 and 10. In the first round, every player draws five cards from the shared deck. For each following round, players draw new cards and play up to three strategic moves. The playing field consists of five spaces for placing cards in battle and a designated graveyard area for defeated characters. Battles are resolved by comparing attack power; the card with the higher value survives while the weaker card is sent to the graveyard. If two cards have equal attack power, both are destroyed
The design of Heaven's Mandate emphasizes personalization and social connection. Every card represents a character with specific attributes, including a name, type, attack power, and special effects. Each character is crafted with unique themes to align with different player personalities, ensuring that both the function of the cards and their narratives resonate with the players. This approach fosters a sense of identity and engagement, allowing players to see themselves and their friends in the characters they play. The game thus bridges physical and digital experiences, creating a balance between traditional card game’s tangible appeal and the dynamic possibilities offered by AI-driven customization.
Hardware and software design
The software portion of the system is straight-forward. Floyd-Steinberg dithering is applied to the source image to produce a 1-bit output. Unifont and OpenGL Free GUT are used to render the pixel fonts. The firmware quickly updates the e-ink display according to the spec of the e-ink display. We used OpenAI's API to match the players description to the characters and fastcomposer for image generation.
The Pocket Ink platform consists of the deck box and cards. The box flashes new motives onto the display, while the cards are made of e-ink displays embedded on a flexible PCB. This design preserves the tangible elements that are unique to card games, such as their thin, flexible form and portability, while introducing modern digital enhancements.
Use of AI
Card games hold a universal appeal, captivating both younger and older audiences. Older players often enjoy the strategic challenge of outmaneuvering their opponents, while younger players are drawn to the rich lore and intricate character designs. Despite these differences, both groups tend to form strong emotional connections with specific characters on the cards. These connections may stem from the card's unique strategies and "play styles", or from the distinct stories and designs of the characters themselves. Players often enjoy developing attachments to the roles and personalities of their favorite cards. We leverage AI's generative abilities to harness this defining trait of collectible card games by transforming each play session into a custom, unique, and deeply relatable experience.
Final Prototype
This is the initial prototype of Pocket ink, more development will come.