The following location-based experiences are designed and developed as team projects for the 2019-2020 HCI Master’s course “HCI208: Design of Location-based applications”. All these experiences are developed through the augmented reality (AR) software platform, named Taleblazer.
To play the games, download the Taleblazer app on your mobile device and enter each game’s “game code”.
The following map presents the points where the location-based experiences can be played.
Apocalypse Now!
Player age: 18+
Game Location: The game is located in the area between the “Faros” park and the stairs of “Trion Navarchon”.
Game Description: “Apocalypse Now!” is a survival game where the player must follow instructions and collect useful items in order to successfully reach the endpoint and complete the game, feeling the thrill of battling for survival. The aim of the game the players with emotions of agony and adrenaline rush by motivating them with powerful storytelling relative to the current era. In the end, the player gets the reward of finding the shelter creating emotions, similar to a horror movie with happy ending. Moreover, the game aims to encourage the exploration of the city by combining important places with bumping points and in the end presents a learning aspect about an important and not well known prewar historic bombing shelter. Other side goals are the exercise aspect because the player has to walk a distance of 1.2 km in order to complete the game and an ethical aspect, where the player is called to help fictional characters in need. The overall game time is intended to be about 25 to 30 minutes.
Estimated duration: 25 – 30 mins
Created by: Georgakopoulos Theodoros
Game code: glsjubu
BEAT-COVID
Player age: 18+
Game Location: The game is located in the centre of Patras
Game Description: “Beat-COVID” is an adventure activity, helping users exercise their body through walking around in the city (exergame) and explore the city by visiting locations they might have never visited before. Also, it is inspired by the real-life events of the COVID-19 pandemic virus and will support an infinite number of players. The game adds suspense by considering real and fake positions for the police patrols and the infected citizens. By using such traps/bluffs, users can never know when they will actually be caught by the police or be infected unless they exchange their available coins for extra tips. Additionally, the game has been structured in such a way that offers multiple scenarios, adding up to the complexity of the game (e.g. user categorization, coins, tips, and collectibles).
Estimated duration: 20 – 40 mins
Created by: Zarkadoula Iro, Michos Evangelos
Game code: gvgqduh
Let’s be Pirates
Player age: 12+
Game Location: The game is located in the Marina of Patras
Game Description: “Let’s be Pirates” is a game about pirates that during the Battle of Nafpaktos, were caught up in a storm and travel through time in the city of Patras, 2020. It is a narrative treasure hunting game that aims to entertain and educates people, especially children. The players in order to find the treasure must interact with characters (e.g sailors, pirates) and collect clues. Those characters are placed in spots of historical value and other points of interest so that the players learn details about these spots. With the end of the game kids-regardless of whether they have managed to find the treasure or not-will have learned some things about a specific area of their city and historical facts that probably they have not learn from school.
Estimated duration: 35-45
Created by: Balaskas Stefanos, Koutroumani Maria
Game code: gwwhcar
Odyssey: The long journey home
Player age: 13+
Game Location: The game is located in the Marina of Patras
Game Description: “Odyssey: The Long Journey Home” is a location-based narrative decision-making game. The story of the game is inspired by Odyssey and narrates some of the adventures of Odysseus on his way back home (e.g. Lotus-Eaters, Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis). The purpose of this game for every player is to live these adventures through the eyes of Odysseus and make the best decisions in order to reach as fast as he can in the final station, Ithaca. The player has to visit seven locations (stations) in which he has to make the best decision in order to reach as fast as he can to the last location. If the player makes the best option in a location, he earns 10 points and he can move directly to the next station. Each of these 10 points corresponds to Odysseus’s virtues that came up after his decisions (Determination, Intelligence, Strategy). The player who will gather all these points/virtues, regardless of the time spent, he can consider himself as “Resourceful”, like Odysseus. Otherwise, each bad decision that the player makes is driving to consequences. In the end, arriving at the last location, the one with the best score and the best time is the winner of the game. Furthermore, a coordinator is needed to observe the gameplay, avoiding cheats, and provide safety to the players.
Estimated duration: 20 – 25 mins
Created by: Gkoumas Stamatios
Game code: gbyihkh
