There I was, hopping up and down in my room when a friend barges through the door.
"What are you doing?"
I stop and don't really know what to say. Maybe if I keep silent he'll forget about it.
It doesn't work. He keeps standing there in the doorway with that strange look on his face.
"I was er....kinda....rubbing the frost away, you know?" I stutter.
The strange look doesn't disappear. Then he sees my computer monitor.
"Yeah. It does look a little bit frosty", he says and starts waving his arms.
Webcam Mania brings the EyeToy concept to your PC. Hook up your webcam, and play one of eight addictive minigames; alone, or with friends. If you think you need a PlayStation for webcam games, or a Wii to play tiring games, think again.
Preparation
Want to get started? Great! Let's do it properly, though.
First, download Webcam Mania here.
Next, move away all the furniture in your direct environment. Make sure you can wave around your arms without hitting anything valuable. Preserving a high contrast with your surroundings is also advised.
Now plug in your webcam and run the program. To calibrate your camera, point it to your playing area and press enter. Make sure to stay out of the image! When it's ready, press enter again.
The Games
There are eight different mini games available; seven of them to play by yourself and one you can play with a friend. Below you'll find a short description of each game mode.
To navigate through the program, wave over the chosen button. You'll have to wave pretty hard before it selects, which means you'll probably be worn out before you get started.
Wipe Off
In this first game your screen is covered with frost, and you'll have to clear it (similar to Wishy Washy for the EyeToy owners). You do so by waving your hands, arms, heads or by shaking hard enough with your ass. As you proceed in the game, the frost gets thicker.
Bubbles
The screen is filled with both red and blue bubbles. Try popping as much blue as possible, but watch out for the red ones! I advise you to move a little further away from the screen than me here, because I was popping them with my shoulders on the narrow parts.
Mirror
A very simple, yet very tricky game. There's a bubble in each corner, and your goal is to pop the blue ones. Simple, right? Wrong.
Everytime you complete a screen, the image gets flipped. Disorientation guaranteed!
Snowball
My personal favorite. Snowballs are being thrown at you from all directions, and your icy fortress won't protect you. The only thing you can trust is your kung-fu training. Remember what the wise monks of Hu-Lang-Chi told you: 'Hit them before they hit you!'
(Tip: use your elbows for the low ones when it gets tough)
Monsoon
The bubbles are back with a different concept.
Red and blue bubbles float downwards. Evade the red, but try not to miss any blue ones. A funny game which gets you in some hilarious positions.
Fireworks
Make sure everything goes well. Tap the firework in mid-air and hit the switch. One of the less entertaining games, as it tends to get tedious.
River Run
Grab a hold of the steering wheel as you maneuver about down the stream. Steer over the green orbs to get extra points, but evade the red ones.
Pong
This one needs no formal introduction. The first video game in history is still around. Grab your paddle and play one on one against your friends.
Who needs to go to a fitness club when you can just use Webcam Mania?!