Overview

Plaything: Hive Mind is a mobile application developed as part of a marketing campaign to demonstrate how anonymized user data can be collected and analyzed in real time. The project explores collective behavior by visualizing shared emotional choices inside a playful, minimalistic experience.

Concept & Experience

Each user is presented with a virtual pet and asked to choose its mood from three predefined emotional states. Once selected, the pet instantly reflects that mood, while the application’s background dynamically shifts to represent the emotion currently dominating across all users.

At the bottom of the screen, a live indicator displays the percentage distribution of moods within the system, allowing users to see how their choice contributes to the overall “hive mind.” This creates a simple but effective illustration of collective data influence without exposing any personal information.

Data & Privacy

All data is collected and processed anonymously using Firebase Realtime Database. No additional analytics or personal identifiers are used. Authentication is handled through anonymous sign-in, ensuring privacy while still enabling real-time aggregation and visualization of user input.

Visual Style

The entire visual identity was created specifically for this project in a pixel art style. The character concept intentionally references the Thronglets from Black Mirror (Plaything, Season 7, Episode 4), reinforcing the theme of collective behavior and emotional systems.

Technology Stack

• Engine: Unity 6
• Backend: Firebase Realtime Database, Firebase Anonymous Authentication
• Platforms: iOS, Android

Outcome

Plaything: Hive Mind successfully demonstrates how anonymized, real-time data collection can be transformed into an engaging and understandable user experience. The project combines marketing goals with interactive design, using visual feedback and simple mechanics to communicate complex ideas around data, mood aggregation, and collective behavior.