“It Was Colonel Mustard in the Study with the Candlestick”: Using Artifacts to Create an Alternate Reality Game– the Unworkshop
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“It was Colonel Mustard in the Study with the Candlestick”: Using Artifacts to Create An Alternate Reality Game– The Unworkshop Zachary O. Toups Alina Striner Abstract New Mexico State University University of Maryland Workshops are used for academic social networking, College Park, MD 20740, USA Las Cruces, NM, USA 88003 but connections can be superficial and result in few [email protected] [email protected] enduring collaborations. This unworkshop offers a novel interactive format to create deep connections, peer- Lennart E. Nacke Carlea Holl-Jensen learning, and produces a technology-enhanced experi- University of Waterloo University of Maryland ence. Participants will generate interactive technological artifacts before the unworkshop, which will be used Waterloo, Ontario, Canada College Park, MD 20740, USA together and orchestrated at the unworkshop to engage [email protected] [email protected] all participants in an alternate reality game set in local places at the conference. Elizabeth Bonsignore Heather Kelley University of Maryland Carnegie Mellon University Keywords College Park, MD 20740, USA Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Game design; playful design; game design; design [email protected] [email protected] methods; design research; improvisation; Matthew Louis Mauriello ACM Classification Keywords University of Maryland Games/Play; Interaction Design; Prototyping; Embod- College Park, MD 20740, USA ied Interaction; Storytelling [email protected] Introduction Within the scope of the Special Interest Group of Com- Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work puter-Human Interaction (SIGCHI), conference work- for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that shops are known as gathering places for conference copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial ad- attendees with shared interests to meet for focused vantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the discussions. However, everyone has attended work- first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author. Copy- right is held by the owner/author(s). This text field is large enough to hold the appropriate release statement assuming it is single-spaced in Verdana 7 point font. Please do not change the size of this text box. Each submission will be assigned a unique DOI string to be included here. shops that are organized like mini-conferences, which interested in physical computing and the Internet of lack sufficient discussion and networking opportunities. Things will tinker with interactive props; experimenting This unworkshop offers something new and exciting for like bricoleurs [19] (i.e., people like the TV persona Potential the SIGCHI community that does not follow the tradi- MacGyver that create solutions for a problem out of Character-based tional workshop format, but is focused on novel per- immediately available found objects) to integrate inter- Artifact formative activities around technology development active, computational artifacts into the scenario [18]. that promote networking, interaction, and creative expression via an evening murder mystery. The final workshop event will be a dynamic murder mystery enacted between designers and spectators at Sample Scenario CHI, facilitating discussions about design issues and On a quiet spring evening, an unidentified man stag- design theory associated with live gaming and interac- gers into a hotel lobby in Larimer Square, Denver, and tive play [8][16]. The underlying workshop theme is to falls down dead. Who is this man? What was he doing consider what design issues and questions arise from in the hotel, and what is the mysterious technical de- integrating physical, material computing assets (e.g., vice he had clutched in his hand? Who killed him, and e-textiles, wearables) into an interactive narrative that why? A blinking e-textile ribbon in his lapel leads to a is played by both designers and spectators. Most im- cafe across town, where—rumor has it—double agents portantly, however, our workshop will be conducted as congregate and secret deals are made. Anyone in the a novel collaborative design experiment whose goal is cafe might be an ally of the murdered man, or they to enable a rich peer-learning opportunity and produce might be enemy spies—everyone is a suspect! Further an engaging and enjoyable performative experience. It investigation only serves to raise more questions about will offer participants a research opportunity for consid- the dead man, whose murder seems to involve secret ering how such novel design formats might lead to drone squadrons located in an obscure foreign princi- stronger, sustained community ties. pality, covert tensions between nations, and an escalat- ing technological conflict unfolding right here in an Background ordinary American city. Figure 1: This sample “suspect” Team-building exercises have often been used to estab- lish connections and trust in academic and work envi- card, revised from the mystery Activities and Format game, Clue, gives a sense of one ronments [4]. Successful exercises create trust by ask- What is special about this murder mystery format [11] of the simplest type of character- ing participants to role-play and perform collaboratively and why are we incorporating it into a SIGCHI Work- based artifact that participants to successfully complete a mission [6] or fulfill a narra- shop? The participants of this workshop will take an might bring. Text and/or photos tive [12]. Similarly, the unconference format [1] has interactive narrative frame like the scenario presented that serve to extend the charac- been used successfully to support interdisciplinary col- above and explore ways to integrate physical compu- ter’s back-story could be included laboration and pro-social community efforts for dec- ting artifacts into it, with the goal of prototyping a in this low-tech artifact. ades, by researchers and practitioners in fields as di- mixed-reality experience [1] that they perform together verse as software engineering, library science, digital with public spectators. humanities, and science and technology studies [14][21]. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss design issues of interest with game designers and ubiquitous Games facilitate natural team building and promote the computing researchers, such as how to effectively or- development of leadership skills through goal setting, chestrate game mechanics and narrative together into interpersonal relations, and problem solving [4]. Alt- a playful experience [2]. Makers and artists who are hough collaborative games have been used to facilitate • A game mechanic that establishes rules or con- teamwork [12], improvisatory theatrical games have straints, whether for the interactive narrative and not only been shown to increase cooperation and build characters, or the audience. Examples might include trust, but have also been used in ideation and participa- a special story timer that constrains the timeframes tory design [13]. within which characters can act or the timeframes within which spectators can give clues to some characters and hide them from others. Potential The blurred line between playing and making has the potential to double the impact of the event: a well- • A chance mechanism that enables opportunities for Character-based, designed environment can allow participants to form randomness, such as, an Arduino-driven “Magic-8 Narrative-Driven meaningful relationships as well as produce a memora- Ball” whose options require some type of audience Artifact ble artifact or experience. Unlike superficial connec- participation or character action (Figure 3). tions, professional trust is based on performance and • A way to express outcome or reward. Examples competency [7]; thus the process of co-creation may might include an interactive device that specifies help to facilitate deeper connections and relationships audience responses such as applause or heckling. [15]. Co-creation with a new group may have even • Elements that represent the game space or story deeper impact: researchers and designers from diverse world, such as an LED constellation of key locations backgrounds have a variety of insights and skills that (Figure 4), an audio file of distinct sound effects, or they can share during co-design, thus promoting a a dinner glass that vibrates whenever someone collaborative learning environment. walks by. As an example from an existing interac- tive performance, the play Sleep No More created Novelty and Impact an interactive Ouija board to let participants com- municate with each other [20]. The CHI researchers, designers, and enthusiasts are armed with talents and insights to design meaningful user experiences. As an alternative to traditional work- In addition to producing artifacts as part of their pro- shops, our workshop’s goal is to design a unique novel posals, participants will be asked to provide profession- opportunity for participants to network, co-create, and al and personal background that will be used to develop learn by designing, performing, and playing an alter- the characters that will inhabit the overarching work- nate reality interactive theater experience. shop experience. Participants will use the artifacts they Figure 2: A flower that shoots build to co-create and facilitate a hi-tech retelling of mystery-based deduction and parlour games like Clue poison is another example of a Rather than asking for position papers,