Embark on a Tetris Adventure with AI

In 2023, Arhs Spikeseed seized the exciting opportunity to participate in Voxxed Days Luxembourg, a renowned technology conference in Luxembourg. Our stand aimed to captivate attendees by showcasing innovative projects, with one standout attraction—the Tetris AI game. This adaptation of the classic Tetris introduces artificial intelligence and wrist gesture control for a truly immersive gaming experience.

The response from conference attendees was nothing short of enthusiastic. Individuals of all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned gamers, eagerly lined up to test their skills in the Tetris AI challenge. By the end of the event, we tallied an impressive 150 plays, each providing a unique and engaging experience for participants.

How the Game Works

Tetris, traditionally controlled by a joystick or keyboard, undergoes a transformative experience in this event. Our goal was to provide a distinct and dynamic gameplay encounter, leading us to introduce a version of the game governed by the spatial positioning of wrists—eliminating the need for any physical hardware interaction.

Gaming Setup

To bring this innovative Tetris experience to life, we meticulously crafted a dedicated gaming setup that seamlessly integrates technology for an immersive player interaction:

A computer runs our developed application, intricately connected to a screen.
A strategically positioned camera, linked to the computer, captures the player’s wrists movements from above the screen.
The player, standing in front of the screen, engages with the game exclusively through wrists movements.

Application

Now, let’s delve into the heart of the experience—the application that transforms traditional Tetris gameplay into an interactive and visually engaging encounter. In full-screen mode, our application presents a curated layout that maximizes both the Tetris gaming experience and the integration of real-time player interaction.

Tetris AI Game

The application display includes:

The Tetris game on the left.
The camera image on the right.
A timer in the bottom right corner, showcasing the remaining time for the current game.
The best score of the day in the top right corner.
The real-time score for the ongoing game at the bottom center.
The next tetromino preview, positioned between the Tetris game and the camera image.

The camera image display is composed of different elements:

two green dots represent the detected positions of the player’s wrists. The detection of the wrist position is performed using an Artificial Intelligence model able to estimate body pose.
The top blue zone facilitates the rotation of the tetromino:
The bottom blue zone triggers the rapid descent of the tetromino.
The left blue zone initiates the movement of the tetromino to the left.
The right blue zone prompts the movement of the tetromino to the right.

Tetris actions

As players position their wrists within these predefined zones, the corresponding actions seamlessly translate into the gameplay.

Game Rules

Players should aim to strategically place Tetriminos to create and clear as many lines as possible. The game becomes progressively faster, requiring quick thinking and efficient maneuvering to keep up with the increasing speed. Use the wrist gesture controls to move, rotate, and accelerate the descent of the Tetriminos to optimize your gameplay strategy.

To participate in the Tetris-AI game, the following rules have been decided:

Game Duration: Each game session has a maximum duration of 3 minutes. The objective is to score as many points as possible within this time limit.

Line Completion Points: By completing a full line with the falling Tetriminos, players can earn points based on the number of lines cleared simultaneously:

Completing one line: Players earn 100 points.
Completing two lines at once: Players earn 300 points.
Completing three lines at once: Players earn 700 points.
Completing four lines at once (known as a Tetris): Players earn 1500 points.

Leaderboard: The Tetris-AI application features a daily leaderboard to showcase the top scores achieved by players. Each day, the leaderboard is reset, providing a fresh opportunity for players to compete for the highest score. Test your skills and aim to secure a place at the top of the daily leaderboard!

Demo

Here is a demo of a player enjoying TetrisAI:

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve unveiled the immersive world of TetrisAI, an interactive game developed by ARHS Spikeseed that marries the classic charm of Tetris with cutting-edge AI and Computer Vision technology. Through the fusion of wrist gesture controls and spatial awareness, we’ve redefined the gaming experience, offering a novel and engaging way to play Tetris.

Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or new to Tetris, TetrisAI provides an exciting challenge that transcends traditional controls. The intuitive wrist movements seamlessly translate into Tetris actions, creating a dynamic and visually captivating gameplay encounter.

We encourage you to explore the source code available on our GitHub page and customize the game to suit your preferences. Join us in this TetrisAI adventure and redefine the way you play Tetris!