“Get to the Point” emerged from my desire to explore tactile interactions we rarely see in modern gaming, particularly those objects that have been replaced by digital conveniences. Intrigued by the old-fashioned crank pencil sharpener, I saw an opportunity to recast a mundane, nearly obsolete tool into a primary input device for a simple but playful arcade experience. By converting physical revolutions into game actions, I aimed to rekindle the kinesthetic satisfaction of turning a crank—allowing players to sense a direct, mechanical link between their actions and the on-screen response.

Under the hood, the project leverages an Arduino paired with a rotary encoder to capture every rotation of the pencil sharpener. The core gameplay is delightfully straightforward: pencils arrive from four directions, targeting the sharpener. The user must rotate the crank quickly enough to “sharpen” these incoming pencils before a brief timeout elapses, effectively warding them off. To support this mechanic, I designed and hand-drew all the sprites and animations, crafting a whimsical, cartoonish aesthetic that heightens the frantic arcade vibe. Each sharpened pencil animates with satisfying clarity, visually reinforcing the physical twist of the crank.

From a technical perspective, one of the biggest challenges was synchronizing the physical input with the virtual game state. Ensuring that the Arduino recognized rotations without lag required careful calibration, while the game’s logic had to handle multiple approaching pencils in real time. I leaned on a lightweight state machine to track each pencil’s position and verify whether it had been “sharpened” or timed out. This approach helped maintain both smooth gameplay and consistent feedback to the player, bridging the gap between tangible hardware and digital responsiveness.

Ultimately, “Get to the Point” stands out as a whimsical celebration of mechanical interaction in a digital world, harnessing the tactile nature of a physical crank to invite deeper immersion. The project also highlights how even the most unassuming objects—like a pencil sharpener—can take on new life as a game controller, offering players a hands-on experience that connects them more closely to the moment of play.