Expanding social mobile games beyond the device screen
Name
779_2015_Article_845.pdf
Size
1.41 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7a0f48ea71c70bf982f256d170be26b5
Author(s)
Sra, Misha
Schmandt, Christopher M
Date Issued
May 2015
Journal
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing
Publisher
Springer London
Citation
Sra, Misha, and Chris Schmandt. “Expanding Social Mobile Games beyond the Device Screen.” Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 19.3–4 (2015): 495–508.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Emerging pervasive games use sensors, graphics and networking technologies to provide immersive game experiences integrated with the real world. Existing pervasive games commonly rely on a device screen for providing game-related information, while overlooking opportunities to include new types of contextual interactions like jumping, a punching gesture, or even voice to be used as game inputs. We present the design of Spellbound, a physical mobile team-based game, to help contribute to our understanding of how we can design pervasive games that aim to nurture a spirit of togetherness. We also briefly touch upon how togetherness and playfulness can transform physical movement into a desirable activity in the user evaluation section. Spellbound is an outdoor pervasive team-based physical game. It takes advantage of the above-mentioned opportunities and integrates real-world actions like jumping and spinning with a virtual world. It also replaces touch-based input with voice interaction and provides glanceable and haptic feedback using custom hardware in the true spirit of social play characteristic of traditional children’s games. We believe Spellbound is a form of digital outdoor gaming that anchors enjoyment on physical action, social interaction, and tangible feedback. Spellbound was well received in user evaluation playtests which confirmed that the main design objective of enhancing a sense of togetherness was largely met.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-015-0845-0
