The world as a game board - 2010

The world as a game board

Karl-Petter Åkesson

[email protected]

Overview

• Historical – how have we played so far in the physical room?

• New technology – Internet of Things

• Games around us that use technology

• ARG and Pervasive games

• Some recommendations

History

• Games and play is older than humanity

• Naturally using our surroundings

Play

• Important way of learning

• Passing time

Physical efforts

• Many games has become what we know as sports

Social games

• Games as a meeting point

• Winning not so important

Murder Mystery Dinner Party

• A box with instruction for a mini roleplaying game

http://www.mystery-games.com/mystery-game.html

LARP

• Live Action Role Playing

• Two main genres- Strategic

- Social

Creativity

• Making clothes, equipment, food etc.

• Characters, stories

What enables technology?

• Structure- Control of rules

- Pacing a story

• Communication- Between individuals, places and things

• Experiences- Different media, e.g. sound and images.

Ubiquitous Computing

• Sense the surrounding- the surrounding becomes the game space

• Control physical phenomena- Effect the surrounding to perceive the game

• Communication- Devices can share information

What exists today?

• Commercial examples

• Research prototypes

GeoCaching

• Treasures localized with GPS

http://www.geocaching.com

GeoCaching

• Gbg High 9- N 57° 41.537 E 011° 56.582 (WGS84)

- The official view point for persons looking for stars is situated close to this cache location. You will also be close to a small special fortress (see picture).

Odd GeoCaching - IRAQ

• GENERAL RULES FOR CACHING IN IRAQ

• This cache is located in a war zone. It is on a coalition controlled installation. You will need proper credentials to gain access to the area.

• Do not post logs that give any references to what is around the cache site or might otherwise compromise OPSEC!

Tools

• GPS

• GeoCaching app on iPhone

• Phone with GPS

GPSDrawing

• A series of coordinates generates a drawing

• GPS

http://www.gpsdrawing.com/

Vasaloppet

• Each runner has an ID tags in the shoe

• Individual timings

Dance Dance Revolution

LaserDome

ARG and Pervasive Games

• New game genres

• Games that utilize our everyday world

• Grown out of mobility and internet

Alternate Reality Games

• Playing with alternative views

• Mainly using websites, e-mail and other online services

• Nokia Game - 1999

• The Beast – 2001

• Majestic – 2001

Perplex City - 2005

• Solve mysteries tofind the cube

• Cards with puzzles

• Over 600.000 solved

• Over 45.000 players

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perplex_City

Pervasive Games

• Blurring the boarders more- Where is the game played?

- Who is playing the game?

- When is the game played?

BotFighters - 2000

• A hunt with yourmobile as a gun

• Find and shootdown as manyas possible.

• Wrong targetgroup.

CanYouSeeMeNow? - 2001

http://www.canyouseemenow.co.uk/

Tools – CanYouSeeMeNow

• PDA

• GPS

• WiFi

• Walki-Talkies

• WiFi Access point with huge antenna

28

Insectopia - 2006

• Arbitrary number of players over a longer time

• Mobilephone based

• Search for and collect insects

• Keep an insect by finding it again within 8 days

• Highscore list

• Insect = device with Bluetooth

Tools - Insectopia

• JavaME mobile phone

• Mobile phone with Bluetooth

Momentum - 2006

• 5 weeks - 24/7

• 30 players

• Whole of Stockholm

• Technology enhanced LARP

• Technomagic- Communicate with the dead

- Channel magic energy

• Game phases- Find nodes with help of clues

- Take over nodes

- Fight for control

http://momentum.sics.se/

Tools - Momentum

• Mobile phones with Bluetooth

• GPS with Bluetooth

• RFID reader with Bluetooth

• Tablet PC with Bluetooth

• Phone = Internet

• Server with game rules

• Skype/IRC/SMS/Web

The truth about Marika - 2007

• First integration of TV series and Pervasive Game

• Interactive Emmy

Tools – Truth about Marika

• Phones with Symbian(QR-code)

• Creator for game rules

• Web sites

• Project Entropia

FastFoot Challenge - 2008

• GPS based hunt

http://www.fastfoot.mobi/

Tools - FastFootChallenge

• Phone with GPS

• Available for iPhone – free + paid

Traveur - 2010

• Parkour & Free Running

• Adds levels and graduations

• Find spots and perform

• Gain community reputation

http://www.traveur.se/

Tools - Traveur

• Community software

• Creator for graduation rules

• Phone with web browser

• iPhone app available later this year- Beta starts in a few weeks

Gbanga

• Platform to tell mixed-reality stories

• Gbanga Famiglia- a viral social game

- take-over real-world places

- become the supreme Mafioso

http://gbanga.com/

SCVNGR

• Solve small challenges

• Win freebies

• Companies create their own challenges

http://scvngr.com/

ARIS

• Open platform- mobile games

- interactive tours

- interactive stories

• GPS and QR code based

• Easy to use

• Opensource

http://arisgames.org/

Designing Pervasive Games

Things to consider

• Socially- Collision with society

- Non-participants/spectators

- Utilize technology shortcomings

• Business models- Existing ones independent in time and space

Seamful design

• Utilize shortcomings as features

• Network coverage – boarders

• Uncertainty – randomness

• Require practice to learn

Some useful technology

• Bluetooth- Robust

- Easy to connect to mobile phone

- Easy to connect to microcontrollers

• Mobile phones- Great wireless connectivity

- Huge areas

- Not that easy to develop for

Identification

• Bluetooth beacons- 10-100 m

• RFID- Very robust

- 1-5 cm

• Semacode/QR-code- Easy to integrate in mobiles

- Light sensitive

Creator

• Our platform for Pervasive Games

• Web application

• Sketch, create, test, run, observe, modify

• Modules- Other web applications

- Mobile clients

Phidgets

Arduino

LilyPad

The End

• Thank you for your time!

• Questions?

• http://pervasivegames.wordpress.com

• http://www.pervasive-gaming.org

• Karl-Petter Åkesson - [email protected]