A brief introduction into Urban games
Urban games are a form of pervasive game, that enables the player to interact with their real-world surroundings in a playful manner. As Urban games are a fairly new phenomenon, with the first games emerging in the 1990s, a strict definition is hard to come by. However, we can find a couple of traits that all urban games share: For one, an urban game is played in public spaces, oftentimes these spaces are within a city, but they can also take place in the wilderness.
The use of real-world locations enables players to transform their surroundings into a playing field and thus invites them to interact with their surroundings in ways that traditional games would not permit. The final attribute that all urban games share, is the use of technology such as GPS, communication devices, and the internet, to coordinate the game and navigate through the space.
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As most urban games use aspects from the real world as a core part of the game, we might notice that Huizinga’s Theory of the magic circle does not apply entirely to these types of games.
Huizinga’s theory on play states, that play is something “Outside of ordinary life” and with their own proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and an orderly manner.”
In urban games, the boundaries of the magic circle are much more permeable than in traditional games. Real world instances can influence play at any time and must be accepted by the player.
For example: In the game Pac Manhattan a group of players, dressed as the ghosts from Pac Man hunt down a single player disguised as Pac Man. Throughout the game, the players have to adhere to the rules of traffic and pedestrian crossings.
This tightrope walk between ordinary life and the game is what makes urban games so exciting.
To further illustrate how urban games differentiate themselves from traditional games, I will showcase 3 examples of how urban games expand the boundaries of the magic circle, in ways that traditional games can not. These forms of expansion are: Spatial, Temporal, and Social. Additionally, the selected examples were also chosen to illustrate the beginnings of Urban games.
Spatial:
One could argue that the roots of urban games stem from folk games such as Tag, Hide and seek, and many more. A folk game consists of a simple ruleset, which is easily explained by word of mouth, requires minimal to no equipment to be played, and is easily adaptable to any locale in which the game can take place in.
These games are played primarily by children, in locales tailored to play, such as playgrounds. But as the nature of folk games makes them highly adaptable, they can be played in any location that socially permits play.
The location, in which the game is played, is an intrinsic part of the gameplay. The terrain provides obstacles and advantages that the player interacts with.
A great example of how the terrain is used, is the game “the floor is lava” in which participants assume a lusory attitude and imagine that the ground is lava and thus, may not be touched. All objects above the ground can be used as stepping stones and walkways. Depending on the player's interpretation of the rules, they may define which objects or constructs are “safe” to stand on.
The act of repurposing everyday objects and locations to fit the needs of the urban game is an important aspect of play.
Temporal
One of the first established pervasive games is the assassination game Killer. In this game, each participant receives another player as a target, that they have to “assassinate” while trying to avoid an assassination attempt on themselves. To assess if a so-called hit was executed an unbiased referee purveys the game's progression.
To perform an assassination, the player can use everyday objects as assassination tools.. These objects are used in an imitative fashion to form a toolkit that an assassin would use. For example, a Gun is replaced with a banana. To poison someone, an assassin can use vinegar, with which they lace the targets drink. A stand-in for a bomb is an analog alarm clock.
An interesting aspect regarding Killer is how the players experience the game in a temporal fashion. The act of play is incorporated into the player's daily routine, as at any moment the player could stumble upon their target or be chased by their attacker. Thus the player fluidly switches between active and inactive play. This notion of inactive/active play is another unique aspect found in urban games.
Social:
Another possible origin for the Urban game is the act of larping. Live-action role play, LARP in short, has evolved out of role-playing games. As players began to take the inherent mechanics/concepts from RPGs and adapt them for play in the real world.
As urban games can take place anywhere, it is possible for players to interact with non-players while actively playing. Thus the nonplayers become part of the game without possibly even knowing of it. The Larp: Vampire the masquerades plays with this permeability in interesting ways. In this game, players assume the role of a vampire, living in our current age. The thematic throughline reinforces the dynamics between players and non-players, by stating in the guidelines that players may never tell a non player that they are a vampire. Thus the players have to obfuscate that a game is taking place while also participating in the game.
The social interactions that are fostered between players and non-players are the final unique trait of urban games.
In short, Urban Game expands upon the Magic circle in three distinct ways compared to traditional games. The three expansions, spatial, temporal, and social provide new possibilities for designers to create unique interactions, that would not be possible otherwise.