Augmented and Alternate Reality Game Design Patterns

Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). CSCW’12, February 11–15, 2012, Seattle, Washington, USA. ACM 978-1-4503-0556-3/12/02. Abstract The realm of alternate reality games is young, cutting-edge, with forms as varied and divergent as the evolving technologies that birth them. One of the distinguishing characteristics of augmented reality as a technology is the ability to register virtual objects, concepts and information onto the natural world. It is not limited to images overlaid onto a persons vision, but can also include any delivered information that aligns with their current reality, such as audio narration that takes into account their view and any occlusions, or the representation of the physical position of entities—either real or virtual—in relation to their own. This paper describes the spectrum of current augmentation as well as design patterns for collaborative experiences within them, ranging from the complete replacement of place and entities with those that exist only inside a computer to those that exist completely in the mind of the players.