Posted: 02/25/08 A competitive falling blocks game using the Negative Space mechanic.

Real quick one, guys. I just wanted to show that the Negative Space mechanic did not have to be limited to platform puzzle games. It's really a very versatile concept that can be used in a wide variety of genres. This isn't a particularly exciting use of the concept, but since Negative Space is the idea most implemented by others, I wanted to at least provide an example of something different using the mechanic to sort of spur the imagination. I'll have another, more involved direction for Negative Space at some later time.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Put simple, two people playing tetris simultaneously, each in their opponent's space. It's a game of tug of war, basically. Completing a line, if your opponent lets you, will basically move his heap up higher, giving him less room to maneuver. Obviously, some tweaking of this concept will be required, since two unevenly matched players would result in a VERY short game.

To add just a bit to the concept, you might have gray squares which are solid blocks to both white and black, causing each player to build around it. Perhaps they can be removed by gaining lines next to them, or perhaps they are never removed at all. I just wanted to show how gray could be used as a potential obstacle by the concept.

This not a complete idea. It would require additional work to turn it into a full experience. Still, I just wanted to show that Negative Space doesn't require little stick figure men.