Serious Pervasive Game Design Workshop

[Ding, Zhao Chen]

Serious Pervasive Game Design Workshop:
Towards Intrinsically Motivating Mobile Services That Serve Non-Entertainment Ends

Local organizers:
Beijing Tsinghua University Academy of the Arts:      Zhao Chen Ding,

Workshop dates:
Beijing Tsinghua University Academy of the Arts:      Jan 8-12, 2007

Workshop leaders:
Steffen P. Walz, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Rafael "Tico" Ballagas, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Abstract:
Increasingly, computer games are moving beyond desktop screens. These new experiences - often referred to as "pervasive games" - turn cities into giant computerised, yet tangible gameboards. In this sense, pervasive games are "playcemaking" tools - they create experiential places-for-play in physicality by integrating new technologies such as smartphones, player positioning, gesture recognition, large public displays, or networked sensor / actuator input / output into game play. For example, depending on a player's current location, a pervasive game system may trigger game functionality for the player, or deliver site specific and game relevant information over a mobile phone.

In this workshop - co-led by pervasive game researchers Steffen P. Walz (ETH Zurich, Chair for Computer Aided Architectural Design) and Tico Ballagas (RWTH Aachen, Media Computing Group) - students will explore the design space of pervasive games that serve serious, that is: non-entertainment purposes. An example of these so called "serious pervasive games" is the historical city exploration game "REXplorer", co-created by the workshop leaders for the Regensburg Experience Museum REX. REXplorer is a location based smartphone based game that lets players perform spell-casting gestures with the phone and thereby unveil interconnected stories and secrets in the medieval and UNESCO world heritage protected city core of Regensburg in Germany. The game will launch in the spring of 2007 as a permanent tourist service, and is co-sponsored by Nokia Research, T-Mobile, Buschhoff Stanztechnik, and the Swiss National Science Foundation competence center MICS.

Workshop goals and takeaway:
The goal of this intense workshop is to prototype cutting edge and near future mobile phone based urban serious pervasive games, for example for the areas of tourism / city marketing, citizen involvement, or health / fitness. To achieve this goal, students will be introduced to, and exercise

-benchmarking existing (serious) pervasive games;
-learning from Nokia game research Beijing / Jyri Salomaa about best practices, and current research issues;
-observing behavior in the city, and reflecting city history;
-pervasive game design theory and design strategies;
-mobile and pervasive interaction design technologies and techniques;
-brainstorming and storyboarding;
-designing pen & paper game prototypes;
-using authoring tools such as Google Maps;
-prototyping functional desktop-based and phone-based applications
-documenting and pitching the final prototype ideas to a university audience and NRC Beijing representatives

[寇家瑞]

随境游戏

[寇家瑞]

Location Based Game，中文也叫地点型游戏，是移动游戏 [台湾又称行动游戏；英文是Mobile Game或Wireless Game] 的一个类型，也是Alternate Reality Game或Pervasive Game的一个分支，和Augmented Reality Game也有交合。如名所示，移动游戏就是指消费者利用随身携带并具有广域无线网络联机功能之行动终端设备，能随时随地所进行的游戏 [via here]。牵涉到的技术包括GPS、Wearable Computers、Bluetooth、Wireless Technolgoy以及Web Enabled Mobile Phone。2001年一款名为Botfighters的瑞典游戏据说是首款利用手机GPS来设计的手机游戏。玩家在Botfighters的网上登记后，可选择一个“虚拟机械人”给它起个名字，并为它装备炸弹，雷射枪和盾牌。据报道，之后，玩家便可利用根据全球定位系统资料而得出的手机文字信息，知道哪条街有对手存在。只要进入“射程围”，用手机文字信息下令开火，看最后谁胜谁负。之后的移动游戏就雨后春笋般涌出，国外的有The Beast、Majestic、WaterWar、Go Game等，日本有Moji [链接] 、Fishing anywhere，台湾有大宇的“发达之路�

[寇家瑞]

综合来看，Location Based Game游戏的storyline不外乎以下几点：
寻宝类；根据隐藏的提示信息定位目标所在；
地域占领类；通过虚拟的人物战斗而占领现实区域；
网上网下合作类；两方面的玩家可以携手抵御或者征战，牵涉到双方之间的沟通问题；
经营类；有点类似SIM CITY，结合现实生活的虚拟游戏；
将虚拟和现实的分解打破，让玩家切身感受到游戏的交互性，加上通信和手机技术的进步，成本的降低，新旧观念的交替，相信Location Based Game是大势所趋，也是未来3G内容服务的一个重要组成部分。另外，对于在游戏中融入当今热炒的SNS概念，通过比如寻宝之类的活动增进玩家之间的社交等，这些都是一个值得努力的方向。