Eggventures is a cooperative 2D platformer designed around the question of how game mechanics can bring people closer together. Two players share a keyboard, one guiding a chicken and the other an owl, as they navigate platforms, collect keys, and dodge spikes and pits on their way to a shared birdhouse goal. The core mechanic ties both characters together with a rubber band: when one player crouches, the other can jump to launch themselves across the level in a satisfying catapult move. The rubber band also keeps players from drifting too far apart, making coordination a constant and engaging challenge.

The game was built in Unity, making use of its 2D physics system and a spring joint to simulate the rubber band's pulling and flinging behavior. It features a tutorial level followed by twelve progressively harder levels, each designed to push players to make better use of the catapulting mechanic.

Beyond being a game, Eggventures was also a research project. We ran a between-subjects study comparing the rubber band version to a variant where the mechanic was removed and jumping was simply more powerful. The results were really interesting: players with the rubber band communicated almost twice as much, cooperated more, and felt more like a team, even though they also found the game more frustrating and progressed through fewer levels. One participant put it nicely: "Yes, it would be easier to play alone, but not more fun." The study was published as a paper at CHI PLAY 2022 in Bremen, Germany.