Bizarre and wonderful things can happen when you ask game developers to experiment with input devices. When teams are asked to work with alternative controls to the boring old keyboard and mouse, you get stuff like Butt Sniffin’ Pugs.
Skip to the gameplay portion of the video above to see how it works: Players socialize at the dog park by rolling a pleasurably big, tactile tennis ball with their hands. Occasionally they will need to incline their head to touch, with their nose, the fluffy bottom of a stuffed pug that is emerging, hind legs splayed, from the controller.
Naturally, these kinds of experiments are better suited to public spaces and exhibitions — no one is about to commercially develop a pug butt controller, sadly. But each year jammers make weird, touchable things for the annual Alt.Ctrl.GDC showcase at the Game Developers Conference, and other highlights from this one include a little wearable snail shell and a Cold War anti-nuclear device that uses a rotary phone dial.
As a bonus, Butt Sniffin’ Pugs‘ soundtrack is comprised of “cute little loops” from the kind and wonderful Knife City.