A Machine That Finally Merges High Scores And Your Dirty Underwear

Speaking as someone who's irked and annoyed with the constant need to make everyday minutia more exciting than it honestly needs to be via gamification, even I have to admit that Kingston University design student Lee Wei Chen's combination arcade game/laundry machine is a stroke of genius.

It works like this: the game part on top is tied to the washing unit at the bottom. To clear your clothes, simply insert a coin and play successfully. But mess up and you'll have to insert extra credits to keep the game/wash cycle going.

The possibilities behind such a mash-up is limitless. Imagine a variant that ups the ante by releasing hot water into one's cold cycle for each mistake. A poor game thus results in shrunken delicates. Or a bonus component that rewards the player by drying one's soaking wet attire after the main game.

[via Design Week]