The future of games.

A Vision of Spatial Play.

Rune Wars is a simple multiplayer combat system helping people connect and exercise in a more engaging way.

Two people play as warriors battling for their honour.

Players shoot rune-enforced stones from one hand using a pinch gesture, and use the other hand to raise temporary walls from the ground using a pinch + drag gesture. These walls are destroyed after 5 seconds.

To win, a player reduce their opponent’s health to zero.

Designing for immersion that feels authentic.

Our primary goal was to design a novel game tailored specifically for AR devices, an area still largely unexplored. During the 36 hours, I focused on developing the concept, art, and front-end for the game.

• Blender + Procreate: created 3D assets

• Lens Studio: implemented collision detection, gesture tracking, particle effects, lighting systems

• Shortstack: explored this new tool for state management and animation sequencing, as one of the first 10 users

• Premiere Pro + ElevenLabs: created spatial soundscapes and onboarding narration

Here's what we learned under the constraints of working with Spectacles.

The medium is the message.

AR is always "on". A successful experience means digital elements are seamlessly embedded within our physical surroundings. Using World Mesh, we designed runestones that interacted with real-world surfaces by bouncing off them, grounding the experience in reality.

Consider movement within limits.

At 226 grams, Snap Spectacles are lighter than most XR devices, such as the 600-gram Apple Vision Pro. However, the device still is 4x heavier than standard consumer-grade glasses. The device could slip, or feel heavy to move in.

We decided to implement gesture controls using pinching and dragging instead of broad, sweeping motions, and temporal mechanics, such as defensive walls that lasted only five seconds, to moderate the length of the game.

Design for a limit viewport.

Initially, we envisioned a closed, arena-like environment. The limited FOV of Spectacles revealed that obstructed peripheral vision made it hard for players to interact with their surroundings intuitively, so we pivoted to an open layout that used the real world as the gameplay environment.

Why AR, Why Now?

Devices like Spectacles mark the beginning of a new era of gaming, where video games could be both social and physical.

AI could transform AR into a storytelling powerhouse, delivering personalised, contextual experiences at the right moment.

Imagine tools that anticipate our needs, environments that adapt to our presence, and games that teach, inspire, and heal.

Especially now with AI agents powering anticipatory interfaces, extended reality will no longer be about passively viewing. It will be about doing, feeling, and creating in real time.