Run a game at your event
The games are free to use. This page explains how to put one on a big screen, and how to get everybody's phone in: in a classroom, at a festival or at a birthday.
What you need
A computer and a big screen
Any computer with a browser, connected to a projector or TV. This is the shared screen: everybody looks at it.
Internet on that computer
For the games on this site the computer only needs to be online. Nothing has to be installed.
A phone per player
Any phone with a browser. No app. With the games on this site the phones can use the venue's Wi-Fi or their own mobile data.
Ten minutes to test
Try it once with two phones before the guests arrive.
The shared screen
- On the computer that is connected to the screen, open the game: promptagame.org/massmaze/, promptagame.org/gyro-battle/ or promptagame.org/elastic-car-race/.
- Make the browser full screen. On a Mac press Ctrl + Cmd + F, on Windows press F11.
- Click once on the page. A browser keeps a page silent until you click, and the sound comes from this computer, not from the phones.
- Keep the computer awake: turn off sleep and the screen saver for the evening, and plug it in.
The screen shows the address that players have to open on their phone. In Massmaze it appears as plain text for a few seconds when the game opens and again every two minutes; the other games show it on screen. Massmaze is always open: there is nothing to start, and players can join at any time.
The links for your participants
Every game has one link for the big screen and one for the phones. The phone link is the game's address with play added:
| Game | Big screen | Phones |
|---|---|---|
| Massmaze | promptagame.org/massmaze/ | promptagame.org/massmaze/play |
| Gyro Battle | promptagame.org/gyro-battle/ | promptagame.org/gyro-battle/play |
| Elastic Car Race | promptagame.org/elastic-car-race/ | promptagame.org/elastic-car-race/play |
Nothing has to be created: it is the same link for every player, and it never changes.
Make a QR code
Typing an address on a phone goes wrong. Better to show a QR code that people scan with the camera:
- Open the phone link on a computer (not on a phone), for example
promptagame.org/massmaze/play. - The page notices that the computer has no motion sensors and shows a QR code of that exact address.
- Take a screenshot and put it on a slide, a poster or a flyer. Add the written address underneath for people who cannot scan.
What players do
- Scan the code or open the link.
- Choose a name and tap the start button (Launch or Join).
- Allow motion when the phone asks. Hold it upright and tilt it.
A game you made yourself
A game you built with the guide runs on your own computer, so the links work differently:
- The links depend on the network. The big screen shows the address for phones, such as
https://192.168.1.20:8443/play. It changes with every network, so never type it from memory: copy it from the screen or ask Claude to show it. - Phones and computer must be on the same Wi-Fi. Guest and venue Wi-Fi often keep devices apart. The reliable fix is to let the computer join the hotspot of a phone, or to bring your own small router.
- The phone warns about the certificate once. Choose "visit this website" (iPhone) or "Advanced, Proceed" (Android). The computer makes its own certificate and nothing leaves the room.
- A QR code for that address: open the address from the screen in a browser on the same computer (not
localhost), and the page shows a QR code for it, like above.
Want your game at a fixed address, like the games on this site? Ask Claude to prepare it for hosting under a path of your own domain. The guide's starter kit is built for that: every address in a game is relative.
If something goes wrong
The most common problems and their fixes are in the troubleshooting list of the guide: the phone cannot open the address, tilting does nothing, the steering goes the wrong way, there is no sound.
Something else, or a question about running a game at your event? Write to promptagame@sndrv.com.