Games With Strangers

As the co-creator and co-developer of Games With Strangers, I helped design and build a playful Android app that leveraged NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to create spontaneous, in-person gaming experiences. Developed during the TAPPED: The NFC Accelerator in New York City, the app enabled users to share mini-games by simply tapping their NFC-enabled phones—either with nearby friends or anonymously via tagged public locations. Players could “pick up” or “leave behind” games at designated Games With Strangers tags, creating a digital scavenger hunt of shared entertainment.

The app was built to encourage social interaction in physical space through lightweight, serendipitous gameplay. Our team—myself, Nick Ihm, and Emily ! Duong—won 3rd place at the accelerator for this experiment in hyper-local, device-to-device gaming. Games With Strangers exemplified our interest in blending emerging technologies with human connection, offering a novel twist on how people could engage with strangers through mobile play.