Challenge 1 : Second Look

So, Brian and I graduated last weekend, so we decided to take the week off. Since I started this challenge however, it should get finished.

The Challenge: Produce a Space exploration RPG that provides exercise.

Ok, so the game I've come up with doesn't completely satisfy the requirements, but I think it is a good enough idea that it should be let out.

The idea is for a Augmented Alternate Reality Game. With the recent advances in Augmented reality technology, the time is rapidly approaching when we will be able to have a wearable computer interface that is able to augment our vision to show us things that are not actually there. These could be used in conjunction with the typical trappings of alternate reality games in order to give a more immersive experience. Imagine walking down a street in a major city, and through the glasses seeing an actor standing on a corner with a glowing yellow exclamation point above his head. The actor could be real, marked with an RFID chip on his person, and the computer in your pocket overlays the image of the luminescent punctuation in order to mark him out from the rest of the crowd.

Obvious copyright infringement aside, Game Masters could use this technology to leave clues around the real world play-space that players would be able to find and add to a digital inventory, while the rest of the world would never know it is there, eliminating the problem of having your game pieces removed by the masses or by cops who think you are trying to blow something up. The story possibilities are endless, and could easily be applied to an RPG about space exploration, while the very nature of the game encourages exercise, since sitting on the couch will rarely get a player anywhere.