The Waiting Game is a remote-control toy car designed to give children the opportunity to experience the feelings associated with conversational texting before they begin texting with friends. When people first text, they are often unprepared for the lack of control they feel while waiting for a reply; The Waiting Game eases this transition by helping children become comfortable with this feeling in a less fraught context.

The remote-control car drives through a course that simulates the uncertainties and time delays of texting, in contrast to face-to-face conversation. Control over the car’s direction is accomplished through an Arduino, which takes decides which of two motors on the car to turn on, based on inputs from two push switches built into the remote.In order to minimize components in the car itself, all components other that the motors are built into the remote, which is connected to the car by wires. Most significantly, he car delays its responses to commands given through the remote control. This not only gives children the feeling that something might be wrong, but also teaches them patience and confidence that a response will eventually come. After playing with this toy, children should have a better understanding of conversational text messaging and how to handle the anxieties that go along with it.