CLEVELAND, OH - April 7, 2010 - Cavaliers fans attending the Friday, April 9th game vs. the Indiana Pacers will be the first in the NBA to experience a new level of fan interaction with the debut of “CrowdWave,” - a game system designed specifically to allow fans to play together simply by moving their arms. The CrowdWave game platform is a mass-participation technology that uses the collective movement of a crowd to control the video games that will appear on Q-Tube, Quicken Loans Arena’s video scoreboard.
The technology, developed by Bent 360: Medialab Inc. in Ottawa, Canada, uses cameras to monitor the movement of fans. Eight high-definition cameras situated around the arena send images to a server that analyzes the timing, direction and magnitude of the crowd’s movement, as a whole or section by section, to generate commands that control a game or answer a poll. The system turns every fan in the arena into a human controller, enabling them to work together or to compete with each other to play a game.
“We take pride in giving our fans one of the best game entertainment experiences in sports, and with that comes the responsibility of looking for the next big thing that is going to provide the ‘WOW’ factor,” said Amanda Greco, Cavaliers director of game presentation. “That is what we found in CrowdWave. The technology is truly interactive and engages everyone in the arena to participate in a way they never have before in an arena setting. We are very excited about its debut on April 9th and for the Cavs playoff run.”
The Cavaliers CrowdWave launch line-up will include five applications (two games and three polls):
- Dance Off brings the energy of 20,562 players to a game and gets the crowd moving to a popular song while corresponding arrows mark the beat on huge video displays. Sections are ranked by the accuracy and timing of the movement.
- Rock, Paper, Scissors pits one lucky fan against the entire crowd. The crowd votes for rock, paper or scissors by moving their body in a particular direction as the player reveals his or her choice. The quick nature of this game allows for a tournament style multiple rounds over the course of the evening.
- CrowdWave Polls let fans “vote” by moving their arms, for instant feedback on almost any question. The system calculates the percentages of people waving in a particular direction, and matches that to the fan’s choice. videos, favorite music tracks and a Q&A trivia quiz.
For Mark Edwards, CEO of CrowdWave, the goals of the system is fun, interactive game day entertainment. “No matter how good the technology is in your living room, there’s no comparison to the experience of going to a game, of seeing it live in a crowd of 20,000 plus fans,” said Edwards. “We wanted to build on that unique experience with CrowdWave, to get fans working together or competing against each other by providing an entertainment medium that engages them.”
About CrowdWave - CrowdWave is a mass-participation interactive game and entertainment platform for arenas and stadiums. Based in Ottawa, Canada, the technology was developed by interactive producer Bent 360. For more information, visit https://crowdwavegames.com.