Playing Football with the Twisting, Sliding Controller of Hua & Liu's Fooscade
The 2023 Game Developers Conference will once again feature Alt.Ctrl.GDC, an exhibition dedicated to games that use alternative control schemes and interactions in new, exciting, and clever ways. Ahead of GDC 2023, Game Developer will be talking to the developers of each of the games that have been selected for the showcase.
Fooscade is a pong-like take on football (soccer), using a sliding, spinning controller to mimic the complex footwork and movements of the sport.
Game Developer spoke with Hong Hua and Yixuan Liu, creators of the game, about how the concept was born out of prototyping several controllers, what the motions of rotation and sliding feel right for capturing the feeling of football footwork, and how the physicality of the controller captures some of the adrenaline and excitement of the sport.
What’s your name, and what was your role on this project?
Hua: Hi, I’m Hong Hua, a product designer/creative technologist. I am the developer of Fooscade.
Liu: Hi, I’m Yii (Yixuan Liu), a visual designer, and XR storyteller. I am the game designer of this project.
How do you describe your innovative controller to someone who’s completely unfamiliar with it?
Hua: The Fooscade Controller is like an arcade version of the Foosball table. Instead of controlling your players with poles, you will use your fingers as your left and right feet. You can rotate and change the distance between your feet, then try to kick the ball to the goal! It will be a bit challenging when you first pick up this controller, but it is easy to master.
What's your background in making games?
Hua: I come from a background in industrial design, but I also worked as a hardware developer before. My current work focuses on the tangible interactivity of
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