Trend: Pervasive Gaming

Mega-Trend: Location based services

Pervasive games allow gaming in the streets offering a combination of tracking and location based interaction.

Trend Description:
Developers are still experimenting to find the new killer application for location based services on cell phones. Location-based games might have what it takes. They not only use the new technology but also focus on the very simple fact that it is more fun to play together than by yourself. In the last couple of years companies all over the world came out with a great number of location-based games. Some are based on simple tactics such as tag or hide and seek, others are inspired by video arcade games. The “playgrounds” are huge, often entire cities. Players do not only play on foot, they also may travel by car, boat or even airplane. But as different as the games are, they all have one thing in common: It is all about connecting to others!

Cases:

Shoot me if you can (Korea)
This urban game is inspired by a first person shooting online game. But the gun is replaced by a cell phone with digital cam, and participants shoot, or take pictures of their opponents. The picture has to be sent via multimedia SMS to the opponent’s team. Necessary skills are team work, tactics and understanding of the urban environment. Shoot me if you can is also meant to be a commentary on the flood of digital photography and the violence of surveillance cameras.

Frequency 1550 (Netherlands)
Frequency 1550 has been developed by Amsterdam’s Waag Society in collaboration with the Montessori comprehensive school as a mobile learning game. Students are transported to the medieval Amsterdam of 1550 via their cell phone and GPS-technology. Starting at the Waag building, one of Amsterdam’s medieval citygates, the students run into a strange frequency problem and find the UMTS network to be interfering with the medieval time period. As teams of pilgrims they have to discover a lost holy relic and learn not only about history but also about the importance of communication and collaboration.

Pac Manhattan (USA)
This large-scale urban game recreates the video game classic Pac-Man on New York City streets. Developed by New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications graduate program, it is supposed to explore what happens when games are removed from their “little world” and placed in the “real world”. The five players (Pac Man and four ghosts) on the street are in contact with five players in a control room. Via cell phone each “controller” receives the actual location of their partner on the streets. This information has to be shared with the other controllers who update their street partners.

Trend Impact: The rise of GPS enabled mobile phones, 2.5G and 3G mobile networks as well as WiMAX wide area networks will enhance the possibilities of location-based gaming. Through these fun activities, people will get more perceptive and open to receive other kinds of information on their cell phones. A whole new arena for marketers to promote their products in directly and interactively to the consumer! But also an interesting field for research and education.

Links:
Shoot me if you can

Frequency 1550

Pac Manhattan

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