Let’s Play Pittsburgh: Pinball
Through the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, I have had the privilege of working on Let’s Play Pittsburgh! project. The goal of the project is to make Pittsburgh a more playful city through pop-up installations that promote intergenerational play and learning.
I acted as Head Engineer and Hardware Designer for the project’s duration.
KDKA
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SXSW 2026
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Vellum Fermentation
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Remake Learning Days
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ETC Fall Festival
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AI Horizons
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KDKA 〰️ SXSW 2026 〰️ Vellum Fermentation 〰️ Remake Learning Days 〰️ ETC Fall Festival 〰️ AI Horizons 〰️
Our project consisted of multiple iterations of pop-up virtual pinball.
Our first controller prototype! We wanted the controller to mimic the visual and feel of real pinball as much as possible, which starts with having a real ball on a real track!
Using TouchDesigner, we designed a game where gameplay reveals a picture! The ball is like a paintbrush that reveals the image below. In our additive color version, the ball reveals colors separately
Players take a photo together (prompting multiplayer use!), and their photo is used as the uncovered background for the game! Who doesn’t love a photobooth?
Players work together to play pinball and uncover the image below! Each player has their own ball and plunger, and they each control either the left or right flippers. Teamwork required!
Pop-up themes changed based on events. Past themes include:
Additive color
AI Filter
Intergenerational Play
Halloween
Pittsburgh
Where we’ve been
SXSW - March 2026
We brought our project to Austin , TX to help represent Pittsburgh at The Keystone House for SXSW 2026!
AI Horizons
We featured our AI iteration at Pittsburgh’s AI Horizons event in 2025.
Remake Learning Days
In partnership with Remake Learning, we’ve brought different iterations of the project to Remake Learning Days events.
KDKA
We were featured on KDKA!
Pittsburgh Pop-ups
We’ve brought our project to multiple places around Pittsburgh, and are excited to pop-up many more times!