Alanna Okun (ITP '26) was recently featured on the industry site 80 Level for her thesis project, Loose Ends.
Loose Ends transports players to a rainy day in 2009, offering a cozy exploration of knitting. While the game can be played online, the centerpiece is its physicalhardware. Okun hand-knits the entire setup, concealing the computer beneath the yarn and even transforming the joystick into a soft yarn ball.
From the article by Amber Rutherford:
"If you need a reminder of just how creative game devs can be, Alanna Okun's 2026 graduate thesis at NYU Tisch ITP is a lovely example... even the joystick is a yarn ball: so clever and ridiculously adorable."
Where to Play
Loose Ends is currently available to play on itch.io, Best experienced on desktop). You can learn more about Alanna’s work and her experiments with tactile electronics on her personal blog.