Tabletop Augmented Reality Games: Play Outside the Display [Abstract]

The current generation of handheld devices have substantially greater processor speeds and graphics capabilities than the previous generation. With these gains, handheld devices have crossed an important technological threshold. It is now possible to blend the methods and practices used to create larger scale Augmented Reality (AR) experiences with those used to design handheld games. Handheld Augmented Reality (HAR) games render rich graphical content into live video of the physical world, captured from the integrated camera and displayed on the handheld device. We are particularly interested in using HAR technologies that create a tight coupling between virtual content and objects in the physical world, enabling styles of interaction and types of play that leverage the clear relationships between the physical and virtual worlds. The resulting HAR games represent a new genre of gaming with its own unique set of affordances.