Dan’s house

Playing game

“Kingdom of Chalkwell” which is a game in the public place was done in Chalkwell Park, from 12pm to 4 pm on Sunday 6^th December 2009.  About 10 teams participated and completed the game, and most of them were mother or father with their children and grandfather and grandson, as well as children groups and teenagers.    

 Some participants were confused between real place and the game map, because they normally use the park without any map, and using familiar places usually. They also seemed to be difficult understanding the map because we put re-named places in the map for playing this game, such as the castle, the secret garden, the fairy garden, barracks and the battlefield etc.    

Some of the players sometimes could not understand the clues on the game’s paper because they needed to pursue a short story of each clue which instructions are based on created our story.

Most of them followed order of our clues on the paper so they needed to do more working the park to find out the next clue continually. However, if they had red the paper carefully, they have not spent a lot of time for walking the park. Therefore, they could completed this game from about 40minuates to almost an hour.   

One of the participants who lives near Chalkwell park played this game with his grandson. However, he was surprised several times during the game, he could visit some places where he has never been before, even he has lived near the park for 14years. He also tried to encourage his grandson to enjoy the activity, to solve the clues, and reading letter of clues for education.

 Most of them were interested in some our clues because they could not guess the hidden clues, such as using a shape on the garden’s ground for latter X, hiding letter B behind tree wall , as well as using the label on a memorial bench E. The players were happy to experience unfamiliar places through this game.

Interaction

Many groups talked with other groups to share their information of clues on the paper and even its places with their guessing. The participants were differnet aged groups and they had never met each other before. Moreover, each group sometimes companied with others together for finding out difficult clues or next one.

watching video 1

Watching video 2

From the group meeting, we decided the main story of this game and each clue in different places.  In storytelling game, people  

The game is a fantasy genre one. During the playing game, the participants will be able to experience becoming a character who was invited to princess’ birthday party. The game players are going to face seven different clues, and they have to find out each key of clue then they can come to the princess’ birthday banquet.

———————————————————-

Welcome, traveler, to the ‘Kingdom of Chalkwell’.  You are invited to a feast at the castle in honour of the princess’s birthday, but to gain entrance to the banquet you must first learn the name of the young
lady.  Venture through the land, following the clues to discover the letters which make up her name.  When you put it all together, knock three times on the door of the castle(or just ring the bell!) and, if your answer is correct, you will be invited in.

————————————————————

<Clues>

SECRET GARDEN - *X*
This hidden place marks the spot where paths meet.  Splash yourself in the refreshing waters and look around you for what you seek.  The birds can see it - can you?

FAIRY GARDEN -*A*
The little people play amongst the teasel and the knapweed with their friends the hedgehog and the robin.  But when they’re tired, they flitter back to their home in the trees.  Can you find it without waking them?

PRISON - *T*
Journey beyond the creaky gates at your own risk.  The information you seek lies in the heart of the enclosure.  Keep your head down and get out as fast as you can before you’re trapped for eternity!

BARRACKS - *E*
A woman weeps for her two fallen loves amongst the beds of the other knights.  Sit with her a moment on her bench, and take note of the letter which begins the first brave hero’s surname.

WILD WOOD- *B*
Enter the dark canopy of trees by the red markings of the woodsmen and turn towards the Zoo.   Don’t trip on the forked root across the path as you keep your head up for the hidden message!

FARM/BOG- *R*
Follow your nose to the manure pile, but don’t get overpowered by the stench of the bog!  Don’t worry - you won’t need to look through the livestock’s special brew to find the answer.  They’ve left your treat outside the bin.

SWAMP- *I*
Venture to the muddy waters, but beware the Thing as you cross the footbridge!  On a clear day, peer across the slimy expanse to see if you can make out a marking on the other side.
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I researched some previous games which focus on relation between real world space and game players with digital networked devices for playing it. Emergence of ubiquitous computing environment has given opportunities to various research fields to the artist and scientist, the one of area is ubiquitous gaming.

“Ubiquitous gaming seeks to answer this question. Rather than focusing on specifically technological platforms, ubiquitous gaming seeks to make everything in real-life environments as satisfyingly interactive as the object and characters encountered in virtual game worlds.” (Jane, M. 236)

In other words, in this game genre is to discovery of interaction in everyday life and objects, and the player play it in the physical world which can link the cyber space through networked media.

 ”Ubiquitous games are designed experience with a strong potential for emergent, that is to say, unexpectedly complex, group play and performance…” (Ibid. 237)

 From this book ‘Space Time Play’ gives example of ubiquitous games which are ‘Alternate Reality Game (ARG)’ also called ‘Augmented Reality Games (ARGs)’. ARG is that “a new genre of storytelling that combines the internet with real-world events, locations and channels of communication to blur the lines between fiction and reality” (Steve, P. 244) and “mix the physical and virtual world to create hybrid game boards that can potentially affect the experience of a site” (Karen, S. 272) that is definition of and ARGs.

“ARGs are transmedial in that the experience they provide is expressed through a variety of media platform, with each component providing unique information.” (Christy, D. 238) ARGs need an embodiment between real world and virtual world to instruct to the players through the web site or media plaform.

These games can use any facilities in everyday objects or medium such as electrical communication media, show windows and etc. Narrative of this game should seem to be non-fiction, more realistic expression of the story need to give the player. (Ibid) These element of ARGs could make an immersion in interaction between the game and players.

 Perplex city was “a global treasure hunt”(Steve, P. 244) game and was played for two years from April 2005 to February 2007, and used blogs and an Internet web site which gave clues and event about this game to the players. When the participants solve a clue then the web site give them another clue which is different place or countries. (Ibid. 244-245)

Figure1. Perplex city logo

 
Figure2. Perplex city map

http://www.perplexcity.com
http://www.perplexcitymap.com
http://seasonone.perplexcitystories.com

Editors: Friedrich. B, SteffenP.W, Mattias. B. Space Time Play, computer games, architecture and urbanism: the next level. Birkhauser Verlag AG, basel_Boston_Berlin, 2007

 According to McLuhan, “Games are dramatic models of our psychological lives providing release of particular tensions.” (237) In other words, playing game is one of releasing stress activities and ways in our life. Moreover, it will be able to reflect inside of our mind and consciousness. He also insisted that “Art and games enable us to stand aside from the material pressures of routine and convention, observing and questioning.” (239). Thus, games could contribute to an opportunity of deviation from normal life to the public even for a while, and player will be able to dream their ideal world.

About Role-playing game (RPG)…

 For the playing game park project, firstly, I interested in relationship between the public place and people (especially local people). Normally, park gives space to have relaxing and be a part of local area to the people. Secondly, I will approach ways of using the park well in terms of playing game in the park. It will be able to give them to another motivation of enjoying the area, and they could re-recognise it during the playing game. Lastly, I would not only try to use physical activities, but also using various media ecologies for this game such as (sensors, Web, mobile devices if possible). The technological methods because could be useful communicating other players and monitoring what the game is plying by others.

 One of my ideal game in the park, it is a kind of competition and recording of achievement game genre between players. It will be able to bring competition between players. For instance, there are divided many districts (which is kind of territory) and the player will get each small zone when he or she do something.
After then, the player can monitor what they have got their own area or acheivment with playing it, on the Internet or any other medium, and it could be transfomed kind of numerical score or any marks. In other words, this game is that the players reorganise or rerecognise the existed place and could get their own territories with physical exercise, even its own is only in the virtual space.      

 Marshal McLuhan (1964) Understanding Media, the Extensions of Man, London:Routledge.

2. Information about the park (visited 22 Nov, 2009)

It is a very well-planning park for using of each area
- Each cell of the park area seems to have its own purpose of using (e.g. rose garden for old generation, playing football and for particular sports areas, playing area for young children (swings, sliders), looking good area for keeping wild environment, centered loads for connecting different areas and entrances
- Very useful it for children (riding inline skating and given a specific skate boarder area)
- There are many memorial benches which marked contribution of families

 Who use the park normally?
- Walking the park for local people with their dogs (families)
- People who take rest and spending time (older and mother like people)
- Young generation (teenagers)
- Children (younger with parents)
- Students for doing school activities in the park facilities (students)
- Playing football children with families (whole age families)

Thought and looking about the park (from interview with people)
- People tend to be kind and friendly
- Have pride the park (good location, good serve facilities to do exercise for people)
- Quite clean park

Weak points
- There are few park information maps even which are very small and useless one (the location of public toilet)
- Each entrance has few notice or instruction for using it (only has prohibition cars and motorbikes and riding bicycles)
- Many children seem to be scared dogs but many family walk on the park with their dogs

* figure 1. there are many entry gates to the park

Free media is that using any kind of existed media to make different ways of using its functions. It could be recycling, combining together with different materials to create something. Free media does not need an advance technologies or using a computer, it can use even paper, stickers and anything.

The Idea of free font comes from that how we can use light or colour in public places which is like air because the light and colour surround us but we just walking under street lights and passing light advertisement boards, shop signs the colour printing posters on the wall even sky, trees, building’s wall. 

These colour and light have been represented by the free media through free font in this project. We tried to use box paper, DVDs, newspaper for it before but printing A4 paper is better for cutting a letter (Alphabet) off. Each letter taken picture with various background materials which are on the load, parks, shop’s windows and etc. These letters has graphical information, different patterns and its own memories respectively.  

- A4 paper (26pages), a knife, a digital camera, graphic editing software (photoshop) 

Step1.
rawing a letter on the paper

Step2.
utting the letter off  

Step3.
aking pictures

Step4.
diting pictures through photoshop

Step5.
ompleate free font

 eg : a sample letter using the free font

Tools : Digital camera, Voice recorder, GPS application (G1 phone), Foot steps (iPod touch),

Aimlessness is quite unfamiliar meaning of word for me because I always think of my life which needs precisely purpose, and I feel that I still alive. However, when I met this project I struggled to understand the purpose of it. The aimlessness that when people travel in a city or other place most of them would make plans how can I get there by any transportation or fixed particular visiting place before their journey. They would be satisfied to following their plans. We would however pass numerous unique experiences during the journey.

Our team started the project from London station, interviewed with station workers who are usually immigrated form Africa, and Black people. We found out next our destination into the interview with them.
We marked our position through GPS application, and took picture every 10 minutes for time base journey rather then particular places. Moreover, we counted our foot steps during our project.

Through this project, we could meet station workers in London stations and many people on the roads, if we chose usual travel route, we would not meet them and experiment in London.

<Presentation>

We made a movie clip which contains recorded voices, converted pictures through ‘imagemagick’, then it presented on Linux terminal window with Perl scripts.

#!/usr/bin/perl
system “mplayer -vo 11 -zoom -fs filname.avi”;

I am interested in condition syntax of if, else and elsif to interact between user and computer. I made a simple program through the perl. We have experienced ’yes‘ or ‘no‘, as well as ’other‘ during the using ‘ARS’ on the phone, ATM machines and the Internet etc. The ‘if, else and elsif‘ give a number of conditions and opportunities to control machines to us.

* perl scripts- for interactive questions
# press your name!
if (true = thank you){
} else { collect name, again }
# how old are you?
“14 = a teenager”;
“35 = so old”;
# where do you live
“London = a complex city”;

* executed the code on a shell
I edited text spaces and line spaces through ‘\t,\n‘;

I made an image tile which three type of colour Mona Risa images from last week work. It used a function of ‘montage‘ in imagemagick and a number of its options ’-geometry, -tile, -flip, -flop -resize and -blend‘.

In fact, I tried to type whole scripts with pipe ‘ | ‘ for final result but It could not be done at the same time because it needed a processing time to create each image. Finally, I changed my mind to make each step for the composition.

Step 1. (making original image tiles)


 
 

Step2. (making a large image tile for composition)

Step 3.  (composition of the tile with a Mona Risa image)

I have tried to make an image composition through Graphicsmagick code.

Function of composite  script can extract image’s colour which Red, Green and Blue, while it composes with another image. I have made a moving image through animate code that will be able to represent the ’Mona Lisa’ image.

<Original and converted images>

<Graphicsmagick code>

<Composite image>