DIY Horse-Shaped Game Controller for Attack of the Bric-a-Brac

In this tutorial, we will be building a horse-shaped controller for the free game "Attack of the Bric-a-Brac," which can be downloaded here: mechbird.itch.io/attack-of-the-bric-a-brac. The controller will be made using cardboard and USB gamepads.

• Cardboard
• Corrugated cardboard
• Hot glue gun
• Glue
• Paint (brown, pink, white, and black)
• 2 twin stick gamepads (we used USB Xbox controllers)
• A rope
• Rubber bands
• Tape
• Scissors or a cutter
• A ruler
• A pen
• A pillow
• A stool
• (optional) Googly eyes

Attach a rubber band to each stick of one of the gamepads.

Cut a piece of rope and tie it to the rubber bands.

Create a box for the gamepad.

Place the gamepad inside the box.

Make a large hole in the box, wide enough for the USB cable to pass through without difficulty.

On the opposite side of the box, punch two holes that are wide enough for the rope to pass through without friction.

On a separate piece of cardboard, draw the silhouette of a horse head.

Cut out the silhouette.

Use the first silhouette as a template to draw a second one.

Cut out the second silhouette.

Measure the space between the two silhouettes.

Cut a strip of corrugated cardboard to the same width.

Use a hot glue gun to attach the strip of corrugated cardboard to fill the space between the silhouettes.

Punch two holes in the corrugated cardboard. The holes should be wide enough for the rope to pass through without friction.

Paint the silhouette to create the horse's face.

(optional) Add some googly eyes.

Plug the gamepad inside the horse's head into the computer first, then plug the gamepad on the stool into the computer.

Secure the first gamepad to a table or stool.

Place the second gamepad on a stool and put a pillow over it for comfort.

And that's it! You are now ready to play with your homemade horse-shaped game controller!