Holocene Minigolf Course

Portland studios enter their best and brightest for Holocene’s Annual Minigolf Invitational. For this year's annual, Second Story set out to reimagine minigolf with an interactive, participatory experience. Inspired by 50s Americana—the milieu in which minigolf was popularized—the course designs feature a tropical tiki jungle, southern California surfers, and retro dining. Golfers use a Wii player to control the direction and velocity of the swing, while interactive obstacles add a layer of complexity to the game and an opportunity for friends to participate. Players are encouraged to move the obstacles anywhere on the course and multiple people can contribute during gameplay to build a course as easy—or as difficult—as desired.

How does it work? The course is based on the idea of “augmented reality,” where players can interact with media in real time. The game is projected on a glass-top table opaque on one side, and transparent on the other. The transparency allows for a camera to read discs with fiducial symbols on the underside, which then translates into the obstacles seen on the course.