It’s not a pinball machine or an arcade game, instead A Maze is both an analogue and electronic gaming console designed by Marco Iannicelli. The game is a visual illustration of the complex space/time continuum making it easier to understand how two close spots on the maze are also separated from one another by the length of the never-ending route the ball takes.
Traditionally, labyrinths lead you around until an end is reached, but with A Maze, there’s no end. The marble labyrinth comprises seven concentric rings that link together so there’s no end or beginning. Instead, a circular plate, controlled by a joystick, moves around allowing the silver ball to roll down the channel uninterrupted.
The labyrinth was created with seven rings, as seven is often considered a mystical number and one that shows up in our every day lives with a seven day week. The number was also chosen to reference Miller’s Magic Number, which is based on George A. Miller’s research that found the human brain’s short term memory can only remember seven things (plus or minus two pieces of information) at a time.
