A case study of exploding places, a mobile location-based game

Abstract

In this paper we present a case study of a new mobile locationbased game based on the creation of virtual communities against a backdrop of historical content. We describe the design, implementation and public pilot of the game, and present a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the use of the game's features. We discuss how and why the combination of these features affected players' engagement with the game. We conclude by reflecting on the design tensions resulting from the artists' 'evocative' approach.

Learning from the experts

“…We have worked closely with "place experts", i.e. experts on the locations for which LBEs are designed, such as local historians [11,34], local government authorities [20], local businesses [3] and local residents [35]. These efforts have resulted in a range of real-world deployments of novel technological artefacts, including locationspecific games (e.g.…”

“…These efforts have resulted in a range of real-world deployments of novel technological artefacts, including locationspecific games (e.g. [6,5,20]) and guides (e.g. [35,3,11,34]).…”