Picking pockets on the lawn: the development of tactics and strategies in a mobile game

Barkhuus, M., Chalmers, M., Hall, M., Tennent, P., Bell, M., Sherwood, S. and Brown, B. (2005) Picking pockets on the lawn: the development of tactics and strategies in a mobile game. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 3660, pp. 358-374. (doi: 10.1007/11551201_21)

Abstract

This paper presents Treasure, an outdoor mobile multiplayer game inspired by Weiser’s notion of seams, gaps and breaks in different media. Playing Treasure involves movement in and out of a wi-fi network, using PDAs to pick up virtual ’coins’ that may be scattered outside network coverage. Coins have to be uploaded to a server to gain game points, and players can collaborate with teammates to double the points given for an upload. Players can also steal coins from opponents. As they move around, players’ PDAs sample network signal strength and update coverage maps. Reporting on a study of players taking part in multiple games, we discuss how their tactics and strategies developed as their experience grew with successive games. We suggest that meaningful play arises in just this way, and that repeated play is vital when evaluating such games.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Chalmers, Professor Matthew and Bell, Dr Marek and Sherwood, Dr Scott and Hall, Dr Malcolm
• Authors: Barkhuus, M., Chalmers, M., Hall, M., Tennent, P., Bell, M., Sherwood, S., and Brown, B.
• Subjects: Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science; Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
• Journal Name: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 0302-9743
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2005 Springer
• First Published: First published in Lecture Notes in Computer Science 3660:358-374
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher