Abstract. "Plug: Secrets of the Museum" (PSM) is a game played with NFC-enabled mobile phones inside a museum containing dedicated passive RFID tags. During a PSM session, 8 teams exchange virtual cards representing objects located in the museum. These exchanges are done either with RFID tags or with other teams. PSM game design results in an educational and entertaining game which is much more attractive than the plain old treasure hunt proposed by several museums. Thus PSM is a good companion to discover and even take up a museum.

La base JOCONDE, première base de données regroupant les peintures des musées français : www.culture.gouv.fr/documentation/joconde/fr/pres.htm © DR 1 Les musées se sont engagés sur le terrain des technologies numériques depuis presque quarante ans et pourtant les discours prophétiques sur la révolution numérique toujours en cours, toujours en train d'advenir, continuent de produire une injonction à la nouveauté dans la sphère muséale (

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PLUG -Play Ubiquitous Games -, is a research project that deployed a fully distributed RFID architecture in the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris. A pervasive game was designed: "Plug: the Secrets of the Museum" (PSM) where players had to find virtual representations of the Museum artifacts, scatter them around or tidy them in the right spots, or swap them with other players. The analysis of the players' feed back showed that three main features characterize mobility when it is connected to pervasiveness. First, mobility appears as a way to read and collect information. Second, it is a tool to virtually mark the environment and the artifacts. Moving can be akin to "writing" a new scenario. Third, people become part of the network propagating and refreshing information not only on their mobiles but also on the RFID displays.