--- key: mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-world type: mechanic id: phone-flashlight--family-world lang: en title: Changing the game world summary: >- Design scenario: switching the LED also changes a virtual scene. phyphox illustrates the physical light channel; game-world changes need separate rules. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-world/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-world.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-world.md aliases: [] tags: - Phone flashlight interactions - Mechanics catalog sourceIds: - source-bdbe910fe2426deb sources: - id: source-bdbe910fe2426deb title: phyphox url: 'https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: phone-flashlight id: family-world title: Phone flashlight interactions url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-flashlight/#family-world' categoryIds: - section-1 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Changing the game world description: >- Design scenario: switching the LED also changes a virtual scene. phyphox illustrates the physical light channel; game-world changes need separate rules. image: src: images/mechanics/sensor-phyphox-4.webp width: 663 height: 1440 crop: x: 0 'y': 92 width: 663 height: 970 game: phyphox sourceUrl: 'https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4' originalUrl: >- https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/3e/83/1f/3e831fc9-b4dc-57f8-fad4-b2fd5cd5243c/iphone-05-strobe.png/720x1560bb.jpg credit: RWTH Aachen University rights: >- © RWTH Aachen University. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: 'phyphox: LED brightness, frequency and pulse duration' alt: 'phyphox: LED brightness, frequency and pulse duration' markers: - x: 64 'y': 16 label: Brightness and frequency control the phone’s physical flashlight tips: - >- Clearly link the light command to the scene change and handle an unavailable LED. examples: - title: phyphox url: 'https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?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 --- # Changing the game world id: phone-flashlight--family-world type: mechanic key: mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-world lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-world/ Design scenario: switching the LED also changes a virtual scene. phyphox illustrates the physical light channel; game-world changes need separate rules. ## At a glance ![phyphox: LED brightness, frequency and pulse duration](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/sensor-phyphox-4.webp) [phyphox](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4) · © RWTH Aachen University. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Brightness and frequency control the phone’s physical flashlight - Clearly link the light command to the scene change and handle an unavailable LED. - [phyphox](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4) ## How it works All effects in this section are software; LED links the action on the screen to the feeling of light in the room. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - Revealing the hidden. Action: Light makes the virtual layer of information visible. Application: Secret platforms, inscriptions, additional map. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: Objects exist in the game or AR; real LED does not create a new layer of the object. - Charging an object. Action: Accumulate progress while the light is on or aimed at the target. Application: Charge the beacon, open the door, revive the mechanism. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: This is virtual energy; The real battery of the device is not charged from the flashlight. - Destruction by light. Action: Reduce the strength of an object under prolonged illumination. Application: Remove virtual mold, destroy the dark shell. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: No physical destruction is implied by conventional LED. - Restoration with light. Action: Restore the health or condition of a game entity. Application: Heal an ally, return color to the world, repair a virtual object. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: Treatment applies only to the gaming system. - Growth and development. Action: Lighting promotes the virtual plant or creature to the next stage. Application: Puzzle garden, bridge growing, creature care. Requirements: Back LED and app control; Software game rule. Conditions: The flashlight does not reproduce the actual growth periods of plants using this rule. - Stopping movement. Action: Hold the target motionless while it is illuminated. Application: Freeze the enemy, stop the mechanism, hold the door. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Software game rule. Conditions: If the actual target is important, an additional camera or tag is needed. - Starting the movement. Action: The illuminated object begins to move or work. Application: Start the elevator, wake up the robot, turn on the conveyor. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: Real props need a photosensor or other control channel. - Change of state. Action: Translate an object between shapes or modes with light. Application: Solid/transparent, open/closed, ally/enemy. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Software game rule. Conditions: The rule can be tied to turning on the LED without measuring the actual spot. - Creating a route. Action: Lighting temporarily makes the area passable. Application: Bridge of light, manifested staircase, path for a companion. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: We are talking about virtual geometry; a physical room does not automatically become a safe route. - Logic "AND/OR/NOT". Action: Combine the illumination of several game targets. Application: The door is open with two active beacons and one extinguished. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule; Multiple devices/participants; sometimes an observer is enough. Conditions: For real simultaneous purposes, receivers are needed; game logic can be read over the network. ## 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. - [phyphox](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4) (id: source-bdbe910fe2426deb) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors