Blowtooth : Pervasive Gaming in Unique and Challenging Environments

Blowtooth: Pervasive Gaming in

Unique and Challenging

Environments

Conor Linehan, Ben Kirman, Shaun Lawson, Mark Doughty,

Lincoln Social Computing Research Centre (LiSC)

Introduction

• We created a pervasive game that requires players to use strangers to smuggle virtual drugs through real airport security.

Blowtooth

• The player plants small amounts of contraband on unwitting fellow travellers.

• The player must retrieve as much of their stash once it is “safe” to do so, e.g. at the other side of a security check.– Forced to wait at least 10 minutes

• Points are awarded based on the number of packages recovered.

• Can the combination of this very simple game mechanic and the unique airport environment produce an interesting and engaging experience?

Disclaimer

• Of course no real drugs are involved• The game simply polls a player’s vicinity for

Bluetooth devices, and allows the player to conceptually dump or retrieve contraband from those devices.

• No interaction with the other devices is made other than to discover it’s unique hardware address

• The “patsies” or drug mules are never made aware that they were involved in the game.

Why?

• The intention is to challenge opinions on appropriate locations for play

• Are high security environments a suitable place to situate pervasive games?

• A response to the growing role of our own devices as spies/surveillance tools for the state.

• “1984 is not what happens when privacy is lost, it is what happens when the camera only points one way”

Pervasive Games

• Pervasive games should not be just about the technology. They should be about context– Tired of treasure hunts set on University Campuses?

• Real environments aren’t boring!• Real environments already elicit curiosity,

intrigue and excitement. Let’s exploit that– places, spaces, societal attitudes, behavioural norms

• The environment should not just be where a game happens to be played, but an integral part of the game itself

Security & Surveillance

• Airport is a high security and high tension environment where– oppressive control technologies are

implemented – Expectations of privacy/freedom are altered. – Mysterious authorities have special powers to

search and detain. – different expectations on travellers’ behaviour

than would be expected outside of this context.– They are “Non-Places”

Pervasive games in airports?

• So, is it really a good idea to play games based on the narrative of illegal activities in the most secure environment the typical citizen is likely to encounter over the course of their lives?

• Pilot study – We had 6 participants play the game through real international airports.

• Player comments suggest that Blowtooth was an engaging, fun, and thought-provoking experience that “really helped relieve boredom,” related to international travel.

alt.Discussion ….(contd)

• CHI Review discussions were very active– Playing the game could have some real

effects on the security of airports – distracting security staff, causing false alerts

– Some wanted more powerful tools for finding stashes. Privacy was not an issue for them.

– This game teaches real, transferrable skills to help drug smugglers/illegal activity.

– this work is an apology of crime

alt.Discussion

– Appropriate games could be used to ease anxiety in tense environments

– Critical games – examining your environment - the narrative triggers players to think like a drug smuggler

– Relation of media to context - while it maybe socially acceptable to read an Andy McNabb novel at an airport, it might be less acceptable to play the infamous "Airport Scene" from Modern Warfare 2

Future Work

• New multiplayer server based version unveiled this week – www.blowtooth.com

• Allows leaderboards, awards for airports each player has smuggled-through, for tracking of the movement of packages, stealing of other peoples stashes.

• Also – we are creating the top 10 list of easiest airports through which to smuggle drugs– This list will be available for sale. Unmarked bills in a

brown envelope, please.

www.blowtooth.com