Hide and Seek 2008 – Report
July 1, 2008 4:11 pm NewsIf you happened to be in the vicinity of the London Eye on Sunday last, then you may have seen a guy wandering around in a seemingly random manner wearing some earphones and holding a gadget out in front.
Let me fill you in. As part of a game, the grassy area to the south of the London Eye had been transformed into my garden and I had developed a serious problem with moles digging up and spoiling it. With the aid of GPS in the PDA that I was holding, my reality was augmented with “virtual” moles popping up around me at random intervals. In order to play the “Game” I had to dart about to various locations and “stamp” on these moles to stop them ruining my garden. It was good fun, although more of a brisk walk rather than a sprint, but the game could be developed much further.
I also took part in an “Eye Spy” game based on SMS texts. Everybody in the game wore a sticker with a number on it and once you spotted a fellow player or a location with a number you texted it in. It was great fun to meet so many different people along the south bank in London.
There were lots of other interesting games going on and I am currently in a virtual village moving around interacting by texting, but I am not really sure what is going on. I will let you know if I manage to work it out.