This Camera Turns Your Day Into an RPG

If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that Saturday morning cartoons, children’s stories, and video games did not prepare us for the reality of day-to-day life as an adult. Our heads were filled with quests to slay dragons and save princesses, and all we got was a cubicle and office politics. What an epic letdown!

Paul Lagier may not be able to offer up any dragons to slay, but he has come up with a way to incorporate some less dangerous quests into daily life. He built a little camera that comes up with some tasks for its owner to complete, then they have to go out into the world and prove that they have completed them by snapping a picture.

The device blends DIY electronics with gamification, encouraging users to explore their surroundings with a sense of purpose. It is built around a compact Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense board, which handles both image capture and processing. This board is paired with a tiny 0.91-inch OLED display mounted on the back, where each new quest is presented to the user.

A single button on the front acts as both the shutter and primary control input. Press it once, and the device captures an image to confirm a completed quest. Double-clicking activates a 10-second timer, giving users just enough time to jump into the frame themselves. Holding the button for a few seconds unlocks a Wi-Fi pairing mode, allowing access to a lightweight web interface where photos and completed challenges can be reviewed.

The hardware is powered by a rechargeable LiPo battery and includes a microSD card for storing images and quest data locally. Everything is housed in a custom-designed enclosure, 3D-printed using PETG for durability and slight flexibility. Designing the case proved to be one of the biggest challenges, requiring multiple iterations to tightly fit all components while maintaining usability.

Be sure to check out the video below if you need to add a little excitement to your day.