The design of a GPS-enabled narrative to structure a four-day hiking trip for 10-15 year old campers.

1. The Mystery Trip
A Mobile Game to Structure a 4-Day Hike

2. The Mystery Trip
A Focus on Game Goals and Mechanics
A Focus on Game Goals and Mechanics

3. AR situates game play in the physical place surrounding the body.
Crappy PDA graphics are supplemented by amazing sensory-rich effects
(sun, wind, rain, bugs, cramps, etc.) unparalleled in other types of video
games.
John Martin, regardingjohn.com Photo by Mystery Trip 2008 Group 2

4. Original Plan
John Martin, regardingjohn.com 3

5. Original Plan
• 3-5 campers (boys age 10-16)
John Martin, regardingjohn.com 3

6. Original Plan
• 3-5 campers (boys age 10-16)
• 4-day hiking trip over a 16 square mile
area.
John Martin, regardingjohn.com 3

7. Original Plan
• 3-5 campers (boys age 10-16)
• 4-day hiking trip over a 16 square mile
area.
• play an AR game to understand
affordances and limitations .
John Martin, regardingjohn.com 3

8. Original Plan
• 3-5 campers (boys age 10-16)
• 4-day hiking trip over a 16 square mile
area.
• play an AR game to understand
affordances and limitations .
• critique and redesign game, adding
own sub-culture.
John Martin, regardingjohn.com 3

9. Original Plan
• 3-5 campers (boys age 10-16)
• 4-day hiking trip over a 16 square mile
area.
• play an AR game to understand
affordances and limitations .
• critique and redesign game, adding
own sub-culture.
• Group-collaborated design naturally
causes a game narrative portraying
community narratives on three levels:
– camp history
– current population
– trip group
• Freedom for inside jokes, community-
building, puzzle creation -- slightly
competitive.
John Martin, regardingjohn.com 3

10. Narrative
• Narrative: sets the stage for the game.
Typically introduces Object of game (goal),
and story line that ties in game mechanics
(e.g. "You wake up in a strange cell block
with no memories. There's a chair in the
room with a loose leg that might come off")
• Narrative in a place-based game should
account for (almost) anything players might
encounter.
5

11. Mystery Trip Narrative
You feel a buzzing in your backpack. You take out your Communicator, and tune in.
It’s John. His face is It’s John. His face is It’s John. His face is
scratched and bloody, scratched and bloody, scratched and bloody,
battered and bruised. battered and bruised. battered and bruised.
Whoa! I didn’t think I’d get you! After you left, camp was I’m not sure why they
This Communicator is whacked overrun by men in green. attacked. Head up Great
pretty badly. Pond Mountain. I’ll try to
We tried to fend them off.
communicate with you there.
Hello? Can you hear me?
There were five of them on Stay out of sight, and off the
Well, it says it’s transmitting, so Noah at one time, and Addie open faces — and don’t take
if you can hear me, listen up. took out eight or so, but the the main trails; I think they’re
I’m not sure what’s going on, sheer numbers overcame us. monitoring them.
but don’t come back to camp!
Go! and be careful!
And stay low!
6

12. Mechanics
• Mechanics: what you can and cannot do in
the game (e.g. walk, run, look, turn, pick up,
throw, hit, drive, etc.)
• Mechanics in a place-based game should
account for all the actions a body can do in
place.
7

13. Mystery Trip Mechanics
The Communicator buzzes again...
John Martin, looking John Martin, looking John is visibly
really really tired. really really tired. frustrated …
They’re setting up some kind of I’ll try to program it to accept It’s no use — there’s some kind
base station here. There’s all them from my end. of encryption.
sorts of radio gear.
Do not return to Craig Pond, or However, I think the key is
If you can get to one of the Great Pond mountain — they’re directional and time-based.
nearby peaks, you might be swarming with Greenies.
able to intercept a transmission If you can gather transmissions
with your Communicator. from another peak or two, I
think we can extract the key and
decode the messages.
8

14. AR Game Mechanics
Play on location

15. AR Game Mechanics
Play on
handheld
Play on location

16. AR Game Mechanics
Trigger game
objects
Play on
handheld
Play on location

17. AR Game Mechanics
Trigger game
objects
Play on
handheld
collect clues and
objectives Play on location

18. AR Game Mechanics
Trigger game
objects
Play on
handheld
collect clues and
objectives Play on location

19. AR Game Mechanics
Trigger game
objects
Play on
handheld
collect clues and
objectives Play on location

20. lake Trip Goals
mtn
1. Fill days
(Tue 9am - Fri 2pm)
swamp mtn 2. Camp at different
site each night
3. Explore as much land/
streams diversity as practical
mtn
4 miles
4. Low impact / Stay out
mtn of heart of Wildlands
(wildlife only)
mtn
5. Be Safe
lake 6. Have Fun
mtn
4 miles

21. A Linear Game Day One:
• safety: group sticks together 1. Camp is under attack!
We don't know why.
4 • we know (roughly) where they Go to top of mountain,
are at any time and await direction!
• can only camp at set sites
2. Stay off trails!
• must avoid center of game area
(wildlife only) 3. Here's what we know.
3 4. Camp at Hot Hole
tonight!
2
1
start

22. Day Two:
5 4. They're setting up a
transmitter. Go to
4 6
Flying Moose Mountain
and capture signal.
Simple quests 5. Signal is garbled. Get
• start easy two more from
• focus is primarily on camping mountain tops to
triangulate.
• we know (roughly) where they
are at any time 6. Stay here tonight.

23. Day Three:
6. Get two more signals
from Flag Hill and Owl
6
Peak.
Diverse Landscapes
7. Get one more from
• plan around land 7 Owl Peak.
• bushwacking is slow
8. Great! Will try to
• swamps are slow
decode. Head to
• gravel roads are boring Mitchville!
• stream trails are exciting
8 9. Stay here tonight.
9

24. Day Four:
Pacing 9. We decoded the
signals. Head back to
• take up 4 days
Craig Pond.
10. Look out for snipers!
(s)
11. Get stashed canoes
from Day 1 and head
to middle of lake.
s
12. Transmit anti-signal.
13. Mission accomplished!
We're cleaning camp.
13 10 Come back at 2pm.
11 9
12
s

25. lake Trip Goals
mtn
5 1. Fill days
4 6 (Tue 9am - Fri 2pm)
swamp mtn 2. Camp at different
7 site each night
3. Explore as much land/
streams diversity as practical
3 mtn
s 4. Low impact / Stay out
mtn 8 of heart of Wildlands
2
mtn 5. Be Safe
13 10
11 1 9 6. Have Fun
lake
12
s mtn