Blending history and fiction in a pervasive game prototype

Pervasive games represent an exciting development in gaming which leverages the use of sensor, visualization and networking technologies to provide immerse live-action game experiences. The field of pervasive games has been intensively researched in the recent years, as evidenced from the proliferation of available prototypes. Existing pervasive game projects commonly do not enable relocation of the game space while also overlooking several aspects which critically affect user acceptance and game experience such as scenario design, usability of employed technologies, game duration and intensity. This article introduces Barbarossa, an outdoor pervasive role-playing game. Barbarossa addresses the abovementioned issues featuring several portable game modes. It also takes into account concrete technology usage requirements for each game mode according to the game session duration and player effort required. Further, game experience is enhanced through incorporating several contextual parameters. User evaluation trials indicated warm reception of Barbarossa by players and confirmed that the main game design objectives have been largely achieved.

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