blowtooth : pervasive gaming in unique and challenging environments
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Blowtooth: Pervasive Gaming in
Unique and Challenging
Environments
Conor Linehan, Ben Kirman, Shaun Lawson, Mark Doughty,
Lincoln Social Computing Research Centre (LiSC)
Introduction
• We created a pervasive game that requires players to use strangers to smuggle virtual drugs through real airport security.
Blowtooth
• The player plants small amounts of contraband on unwitting fellow travellers.
• The player must retrieve as much of their stash once it is “safe” to do so, e.g. at the other side of a security check.– Forced to wait at least 10 minutes
• Points are awarded based on the number of packages recovered.
• Can the combination of this very simple game mechanic and the unique airport environment produce an interesting and engaging experience?
Disclaimer
• Of course no real drugs are involved• The game simply polls a player’s vicinity for
Bluetooth devices, and allows the player to conceptually dump or retrieve contraband from those devices.
• No interaction with the other devices is made other than to discover it’s unique hardware address
• The “patsies” or drug mules are never made aware that they were involved in the game.
Why?
• The intention is to challenge opinions on appropriate locations for play
• Are high security environments a suitable place to situate pervasive games?
• A response to the growing role of our own devices as spies/surveillance tools for the state.
• “1984 is not what happens when privacy is lost, it is what happens when the camera only points one way”
Pervasive Games
• Pervasive games should not be just about the technology. They should be about context– Tired of treasure hunts set on University Campuses?
• Real environments aren’t boring!• Real environments already elicit curiosity,
intrigue and excitement. Let’s exploit that– places, spaces, societal attitudes, behavioural norms
• The environment should not just be where a game happens to be played, but an integral part of the game itself
Security & Surveillance
• Airport is a high security and high tension environment where– oppressive control technologies are
implemented – Expectations of privacy/freedom are altered. – Mysterious authorities have special powers to
search and detain. – different expectations on travellers’ behaviour
than would be expected outside of this context.– They are “Non-Places”
Pervasive games in airports?
• So, is it really a good idea to play games based on the narrative of illegal activities in the most secure environment the typical citizen is likely to encounter over the course of their lives?
• Pilot study – We had 6 participants play the game through real international airports.
• Player comments suggest that Blowtooth was an engaging, fun, and thought-provoking experience that “really helped relieve boredom,” related to international travel.
alt.Discussion ….(contd)
• CHI Review discussions were very active– Playing the game could have some real
effects on the security of airports – distracting security staff, causing false alerts
– Some wanted more powerful tools for finding stashes. Privacy was not an issue for them.
– This game teaches real, transferrable skills to help drug smugglers/illegal activity.
– this work is an apology of crime
alt.Discussion
– Appropriate games could be used to ease anxiety in tense environments
– Critical games – examining your environment - the narrative triggers players to think like a drug smuggler
– Relation of media to context - while it maybe socially acceptable to read an Andy McNabb novel at an airport, it might be less acceptable to play the infamous "Airport Scene" from Modern Warfare 2
Future Work
• New multiplayer server based version unveiled this week – www.blowtooth.com
• Allows leaderboards, awards for airports each player has smuggled-through, for tracking of the movement of packages, stealing of other peoples stashes.
• Also – we are creating the top 10 list of easiest airports through which to smuggle drugs– This list will be available for sale. Unmarked bills in a
brown envelope, please.
www.blowtooth.com