Proceedings of the 2002 Conference on New Instruments for Musical Expression (NIME-02), Dublin, Ireland, May 24-26, 2002 NIME02-01 JAM-O-WORLD: Evolution of the Jam-O-Drum Multi-player Musical Controller into the Jam-O-Whirl Gaming Interface Tina Blaine and Clifton Forlines Entertainment Technology Center Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Ave, 4301 Doherty Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 {blaine, forlines}@cs.cmu.edu, sabean2@earthlink.net ABSTRACT This paper discusses the Jam-O-Drum multi-player musical controller and its adaptation into a gaming controller inter- face known as the Jam-O-Whirl. The Jam-O-World project positioned these two controller devices in a dedicated pro- jection environment that enabled novice players to partici- pate in immersive musical gaming experiences. Players' actions, detected via embedded sensors in an integrated tabletop surface, control game play, real-time computer graphics and musical interaction. Jam-O-World requires physical and social interaction as well as collaboration among players. KEYWORDS Collaboration, computer graphics, embedded sensors, gam- ing controller, immersive musical gaming experiences, mu- sical controller, multi-player, novice, social interaction. INTRODUCTION The Jam-O-World project was designed to bring people together to participate in collaborative musical gaming ex- periences in an immersive 3D environment. The experi- ences are multi-player interactive games that encourage team building and cooperation. A custom table known as the Jam-O-Whirl was devised as a next-generation Jam-O- Drum to project computer graphics on an integrated surface with four player stations to control visual and aural elements of the games. Each station has a custom-built turntable de- vice with an embedded electronic drum pad that together provide players with two methods of input. Each station is also equipped with a built-in directional speaker for audio feedback. The immersive aspects of the games are accentu- ated by 3D computer graphics that are influenced by the players' collective actions. These graphics are projected onto the tabletop and the walls of the exhibit space. BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATION The creation of musical controllers to facilitate group inter- action and encourage spontaneous behavior has been a fo- cus of Blaine's work for many years. Inspired by global tra- ditions, new technology and communal music making in non-Western countries, Blaine co-founded the multimedia ensemble D'CüCKOO. This group built custom MIDI con- trollers and interactive "show-toy" devices that integrated music and computer graphics to create opportunities for audience interaction in live performance venues [1]. This work led Blaine to assemble a creative team at Interval Re- search in 1998 for the development of an interactive elec- tronic drumming table known as the Jam-O-Drum [2]. Ini- tially conceived with Tim Perkis, this device was designed to give people opportunities for shared audiovisual experi- ences by integrating interactive music elements with real- time computer projections in a collaborative, ensemble set- ting. Rather than designing an immersive musical environ- ment with projections displayed on a vertical surface, the team invented a seven-foot diameter circular projection sur- face with embedded drum triggers that people could gather around and play as a shared instrument. By informally changing the context of making music to a casual group experience integrating rhythmical music and graphics, the community drum circle [3] emerged as a metaphor to guide the form and content of the team’s work. A Jam-O-Drum that scales to accommodate six to twelve players is on per- manent exhibit at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, WA. JAM-O-DRUM INTERACTION DESIGNS Although many interaction methods were explored over the Jam-O-Drum's development cycle at Interval Research, only a few examples will be discussed herein. (See [2] for more detailed information). Freeform Improvisation Using BlissPaint's color animated drawing program, the team explored a freeform approach to collaborative im- provisation. Players caused color, hue saturation and bright- ness changes in a kaleidoscopic atmosphere [4]. Greg Jal- bert customized the BlissPaint code to respond to a set of scripted MIDI commands that launched graphic events. Individual sounds were layered over a pre-composed back- ing track intended to provide an atmospheric and rhythmic musical reference. Due to the high level of visual intrigue, people were generally less attentive to the act of playing