Shadowbox Game Rules

• Two players connect and their webcams are displayed.
• One player starts as the Pointer, the other as the Looker (can be randomly assigned or decided).

• The Pointer wants the Looker to match their direction.
• The Looker wants to choose a different direction than the Pointer.
• The Looker doesn't know which direction the Pointer has selected until after they move.

1. The Pointer selects a direction (Up, Down, Left, Right) using on-screen buttons.
2. Without knowing the Pointer's choice, the Looker physically moves their head in one of the four directions.
3. The system detects the Looker's head movement via CV.
4. The directions are compared:
   • If directions DON'T match: The roles switch, and the Looker becomes the new Pointer.
   • If directions MATCH: The round continues with sequence building.

• When the Looker's movement matches the Pointer's selection, the Looker must repeat those matching moves in future rounds.
• The sequence builds each time the Looker matches the Pointer's direction.
• The maximum sequence length is 3 moves.
• For example, if the sequence is [Right, Left], the Looker must first move Right, then Left, then make their new choice.

1. Round 1: Pointer selects "Right", Looker moves "Right" (match)
2. Round continues: Pointer selects "Left"
3. Looker must first repeat "Right" (from the sequence), then add their new move
4. Looker moves "Right" then "Left" (match again)
5. Round continues: Pointer selects "Up"
6. Looker must first repeat "Right → Left" (the sequence), then add their new move
7. Looker moves "Right", "Left", then "Down" (different from Pointer's "Up")
8. The roles switch: Looker becomes the Pointer, Pointer becomes the Looker
9. New sequence starts

• If the Looker breaks the chain by choosing a different direction than the Pointer's latest selection, the Looker becomes the Pointer for the next round.
• The sequence resets when roles switch.

• The game has a maximum sequence length of 3 moves.
• The Looker loses if their final movement matches the Pointer's direction.
• The Pointer wins when the Looker matches their direction at the end of a sequence.
• After 3 consecutive matches (a sequence of length 3), the game ends with the Pointer winning.
• In other words, if the Looker repeats the sequence correctly but then also matches the Pointer's newest choice (instead of choosing a different direction), the Pointer wins and the game ends.
• For example: Pointer selects "Right", "Left", "Up" → Looker does "Right", "Left", "Up" → Pointer wins.
• Either player loses if they run out of time to make their move.

The game continues until one player reaches a certain score (e.g., first to 5 wins).