PROJECTS

games | installation | videos | computer graphics | web design | graphic design

OnSite

This project explores the construction of Hybrid Reality Games (HRGs) for entertainment and educational purposes. HRGs are location-based games that take place simultaneously in two spaces: a digital online space and a physical environment. Equipped with GPS-enabled mobile phones, players in a pre-chosen physical location access location-based information about that space and interact with online players through text messages and voice communication. At the same time, online players track the real-time movement of physical players on an online map that represents the physical location while communicating with the players in the physical space. The collaborative and real-time coordination of HRGs make them especially suitable for educational contexts, as well as other situations that require remote and local networked interaction.

Concept and coordination:
Adriana de Souza e Silva

Programming and implementation:
Rick Skarbez

Research Assistant:
Jordan Frith

Support: Joyce Rudinsky, domain scientist for the arts and humanities at the Renaissance Computing Institute.

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Exhibited at the UNC CHAT Festival (February 2010)

The project will exhibit a documentation of a HRG played in the streets of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. CHAT participants will be able to watch a video shot of game participants interacting with local information in downtown Raleigh. The documentation will also show the role of the online players in constructing the game space and determining the movement of the physical players. The game we have designed is a modified, educational form of "Capture the flag" that uses GPS and other location aware technologies to link information to physical space. Players in the physical environment will be directed by online players to "flags" distributed throughout the streets of downtown Raleigh.

When the physical player arrives at the location, he or she will be asked a place-specific question linked to a historical landmark in downtown Raleigh. The player will then have to answer the question correctly, using the clues present in the physical environment. The online player will then assume the role of an avatar on a digital map of the city and move the flag to a new location. There will be two teams playing the game and the two teams will be competing to see which team will control the flags for a longer period of time.

Our video documentation will show the audience how these games are played, how students and educators can use them as educational tools, and how urban areas can be turned into educational gamespace.

Game concept and documentation:
Kim Burke, Richard D'Angelo, Kati Fargo, Jordan Frith, Maurice Mathis, Jessica Vincent