Interactive lightbox with button and LED effects for night time airsoft game scenarios
The Interactive Lightbox was designed to solve a very specific problem at the Gunman Airsoft Tuddenham site. Night games introduce atmosphere and tension, but the site has no permanent power and traditional portable lights either flood areas with harsh white light or add nothing to gameplay. This project set out to create a portable, battery powered light source that doubled as a clear, visual game mechanic rather than simple illumination.
At its core, the lightbox is a compact unit built around an Arduino Nano and addressable RGB LED strips, commonly referred to as NeoPixels. Mounted inside a lightweight enclosure, the LEDs project coloured light outward, creating a subtle glow rather than a blinding beam. A large illuminated push button allows players to change the light state with a single press, shifting between two preselected colours such as red and green.
The primary design driver was building clearance during night games. Instead of relying purely on shouted calls, a building could visibly change state once cleared, turning the entire interior glow from hostile to secure. Beyond that, the same boxes can be used to mark objectives, zones, or points of interest using different colours.
Simple, readable, and intuitive, the Interactive Lightbox became a reusable system that blended atmosphere, feedback, and gameplay into a single physical prop.