That, my friends, is a play-doh controller. If you don’t believe me that it works, you can (and should) watch the video here.

That was MaKey MaKey. It’s a Kickstarter by two graduate MIT students who look set to blow out our perceptions of what is and isn’t–or can be–a controller. Through an extremely simple DIY circuitboard that needs no more interaction than a couple clips, you can make seemingly anything into a controller whether it’s a banana, stairs, or pencil drawings.

The circuit and its connections seem to work by magic. In fact, the whole thing almost seems to good to be true. It’s extremely easy to pick up and use but also has room for development should you decide to delve further into the world of electrical engineering.

The project is built around making anything into a controller and could have some very exciting implications for the games space. Some creators like Doug Wilson, who made JS Joust and Mega Girp, have already begun experimenting with the idea of how controllers can effect gameplay. The MaKey MaKey lets anyone explore the same idea without much technological skill required. It’s a really exciting opportunity that may bring us some extremely interesting games and expand the reach of installation games: anyone with a MaKey MaKey and the right supplies could recreate an indie hit in their own backyard.