--- key: mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer type: mechanic id: phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer lang: en title: 'Cooperation, competition and communication' summary: >- Light carries a signal to another participant. Morse-It encodes text as flashes for a person in line of sight; automatic reception is not implied. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer.md aliases: - Cooperation and light communication tags: - Phone flashlight interactions - Mechanics catalog sourceIds: - source-47f6341cc0c6a2ab sources: - id: source-47f6341cc0c6a2ab title: Morse-It url: 'https://apps.apple.com/us/app/morse-it/id284942940?uo=4' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: phone-flashlight id: family-multiplayer title: Phone flashlight interactions url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-flashlight/#family-multiplayer categoryIds: - section-1 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Cooperation and light communication description: >- Light carries a signal to another participant. Morse-It encodes text as flashes for a person in line of sight; automatic reception is not implied. image: src: images/mechanics/flash-morse-encode.webp width: 720 height: 1280 crop: x: 0 'y': 50 width: 720 height: 650 game: Morse-It sourceUrl: 'https://apps.apple.com/us/app/morse-it/id284942940?uo=4' originalUrl: >- https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource126/v4/e7/81/95/e7819588-ed18-f189-d310-f9fe38042879/f80c3936-c8ce-4640-bd6a-fd6ad5b820d8_5_-_5.5_-_iPhone_8_Plus-1.png/720x1560bb.jpg credit: Francis Bonnin rights: >- © Francis Bonnin. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: 'Morse-It: encoding text as a light-signal sequence' alt: 'Morse-It: encoding text as a light-signal sequence' markers: - x: 50 'y': 22 label: Two dots and a dash represent the current light-code symbol tips: - >- Agree on the code, visibility and acknowledgment, and provide a non-light channel. examples: - title: Morse-It url: 'https://apps.apple.com/us/app/morse-it/id284942940?uo=4' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/phone-flashlight --- # Cooperation, competition and communication id: phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer type: mechanic key: mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-multiplayer/ Light carries a signal to another participant. Morse-It encodes text as flashes for a person in line of sight; automatic reception is not implied. ## At a glance ![Morse-It: encoding text as a light-signal sequence](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/flash-morse-encode.webp) [Morse-It](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/morse-it/id284942940?uo=4) · © Francis Bonnin. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Two dots and a dash represent the current light-code symbol - Agree on the code, visibility and acknowledgment, and provide a non-light channel. - [Morse-It](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/morse-it/id284942940?uo=4) ## How it works Several sources, an observer or a separate light receiver appear. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - Sender and observer. Action: One transmits light, the second reads and acts. Application: Asymmetrical quest, communication through a room window, code training. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough. Conditions: The recipient can be a person; automatic communication requires a camera or photosensor. - Light response-confirmation. Action: The second participant responds after receiving the message. Application: Ping test, shared password, challenge-response sequence. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough. Conditions: Devices can exchange data over the network; then light is an interface, not a transmission channel. - Message relay. Action: Everyone receives a drawing and passes it on. Application: Command memory, light “damaged phone”, chain of rooms. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough. Conditions: Reading errors become part of the game if explicitly stated in the rules. - Synchronous activation. Action: Multiple players turn on the lights in an agreed window. Application: Open a shared virtual lock, team rhythm. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough; Software game rule. Conditions: For an accurate estimate, use synchronized game clocks and latency tolerances. - Alternation of sources. Action: Players maintain lighting in turns without long pauses. Application: Role transfer, object tracking, general temporary bridge. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough; Software game rule. Conditions: The program can evaluate teams; continuous real light checks external receiver. - Several directions at the same time. Action: Sources illuminate different sides of the same scene. Application: Shadow puzzle, cooperative review, several virtual switches. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough; Prepared props or external sensor. Conditions: Design the real scene taking into account wide beams and mutual illumination. - Separated information. Action: One has a map or instructions, the other has a flashlight. Application: “Mineweeper” with a voice navigator, quest with a scout. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough; Software game rule. Conditions: Light gives an executive role; It is not necessary to recognize it by the camera for communication. - Finding the owner of the signal. Action: Match the visible picture with a given participant. Application: Search for a pair, acquaintance in a group, distribution of teams. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough. Conditions: This is a game ID that can be copied; he doesn't provide identification... - Channel blocking. Action: Place an obstacle between the source and receiver according to the rules. Application: Tabletop protection of the beacon, competition for line of sight. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough; Prepared props or external sensor. Conditions: An observer or sensor is required; Do not use the blinding of someone else's camera or person as a target. - Physical props management. Action: Shine on a photo sensor that turns on a separate device. Application: Quest castle, toy robot, interactive model. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Prepared props or external sensor. Conditions: You need an external photosensor, controller and threshold taking into account external light. ## Context and limits Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. - [Morse-It](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/morse-it/id284942940?uo=4) (id: source-47f6341cc0c6a2ab) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors