Quickly emerging from the fast-paced growth of mobile communications and wireless technologies, pervasive games take gaming away from the computer screen and back to the three-dimensional world. Now games can be designed to be played in public spaces...
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Quickly emerging from the fast-paced growth of mobile communications and wireless technologies, pervasive games take gaming away from the computer screen and back to the three-dimensional world. Now games can be designed to be played in public spaces like shopping malls, conferences, museums and other non-traditional game venues. Game designers need to understand how to use the world as a gamespace-and both the challenges and advantages of doing so. This book shows how to change the face of play-who plays, when and where they play and what that play means to all involved. The authors explore aspects of pervasive games that concern game designers: what makes these games compelling, what makes them possible today and how they are made. For game researchers, it provides a solid theoretical, philosophical and aesthetic understanding of the genre. Pervasive Games covers everything from theory and design to history and marketing. designers, so that they can learn how to engage players' real-time experiences beyond the mobile phone or computer screen. -Thirteen case studies with illustrative and inspiring examples make the entire pervasive games design space tangible. -Provides practical design tips, potential pitfalls, design problems from real games, and inspiration from some of the most interesting pervasive game designers in the world, including Matt Adams, Frank Lantz, and others.
"International Game Developers Association."--Cover
Includes bibliographical references (p. 286-298) and index
Electronic reproduction; Mode of access: World Wide Web
Front Cover; Pervasive Games Theory and Design; Copyright Page; Contents; Foreword; Contributors; Introduction; How to Use This Book; Acknowledgments; Theory; Case A: Killer: The Game of Assassination; Chapter 1 Games and Pervasive Games; Magic Circle as a Contract; Blurring the Magic Circle; Spatial Expansion: Whole World as Playground; Temporal Expansion: Renouncing the Play Session; Social Expansion: Playing with Outsiders; Rethinking Play for Pervasive Games; Emergent Gameplay; Between the Real and the Artificial; Immediate Experiences; Conclusions; Notes; Case B: The Beast
Chapter 2 Pervasive Game GenresEstablished Genres; Treasure Hunts; Assassination Games; Pervasive Larps; Alternate Reality Games; Emerging Genres; Smart Street Sports; Playful Public Performances; Urban Adventure Games; Reality Games; Conclusions; Notes; Case C: Shelby Logan's Run; Chapter 3 Historical Influences on Pervasive Games; Play in Public Space; Campus Culture; Play in Everyday Life; Roots in Literature and Arts; Performing Arts; Ludic Literature; Gamer Cultures; Role-Playing Games; Persistent Virtual Worlds; The Migration of Influences; Conclusion; Notes; Design; Case D: BotFighters
Chapter 4 Designing Spatial ExpansionPlaying in Public; Sightseeing and Local History; Playing in Prepared Locations; Urban, Suburban, and Rural; Playing on the Move; Traffic and Transportation; Global Gaming; Physical Play; Indexical Environment; Urban Exploration; Exergames; Expanding to Virtual Spaces; Cyberspace; Mixed Reality Games; Conclusions; Notes; Case E: Mystery on Fifth Avenue; Chapter 5 Designing Temporal Expansion; Styles of Temporal Expansion; Dormant Games; Ambient Games; Asynchronous Games; Temporally Seamless Games; Persistent Worlds; Structuring the Game Duration
Starting the GameTutorial Mode; Change over Time; Late Arrivals and Early Leavers; Managing Stress; Contextual Adaptability; High Stakes and Social Obligations; Interruptability; Pace and Stress; Information Overload; Conclusion; Notes; Case F: Momentum; Chapter 6 Designing Social Expansion; Game Awareness; Game Invitations; Modes of Participation; Playing with Outsiders; Fostering Pronoia; Emergent Interaction; Empowerment on the Brink; Double Life; Power Structures; Social Play; Performative Play; Having Fun Together; Collective Play; Conclusions; Notes; Case G: PacManhattan
Chapter 7 Pervasive Game Design StrategiesTangible Experience Design; Surpassing Expectations; Linked Tasks; Real Challenges; The 360° Illusion; The Magician's Curtain; This Is Not a Game; Seamless Life/Game Merger; Runtime Game Mastering; Gods and Power Users; Active Game Management; Keeping Track of the Game; Dealing with Large Scale and Long Duration; Games Telling Stories; Distributed Narrative; Collective Story; First Person Story; Replayable Progression; General Issues of Game Design; Sustaining the Critical Mass; Pacing the Game; Immersion and Flow; Casual Pervasive Games; Conclusions
