Soul Dingers
A claw machine that captures your soul.
Soul Dingers is an interactive game designed around the familiar image of a claw machine. Players operate the claw to grab the floating "soul plushies" inside the glass box. Yet beneath the playful surface lies a quiet metaphor — with each attempt, the player may find that a part of their own soul is being captured, too.
Soul / Consumerism / Childhood Games / Inner Metaphor / Gamified Experience / Interactive Installation/ 2025
My Roles
Concept Design / Visual Design / Game Design / Writing / Interaction Animation
Background & Inspiration
The project draws inspiration from a sketching activity I hosted during an artist residency — Soul Fingers — where participants captured each other's gestures and postures through quick sketches.
As I digitized the sketches, a question arose: What if our souls could be materialized and placed inside a machine for endless grasping and consumption?
The claw machine became a medium for exploring this subtle and unsettling idea.
Visual Design
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Dark, arcade-inspired aesthetic with flickering pink neon lights
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Soul plushies designed as soft white forms with skeletal faces, evoking a mysterious fairytale vibe
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Interface elements and interaction pacing inspired by vintage arcade games, subtly unsettling
Gameplay Experience
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Players face a physical/virtual claw machine
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The claw sways at irregular intervals
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Soul plushies float slowly, each with its own backstory
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Lighting and sound effects reinforce a feeling of emotional detachment
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Upon successfully grabbing a plushie, the player sees the message: “Did you claw your soul?”
