More than Me

Prior work on location-based augmented reality (AR) games demonstrates that even in simultaneous single-player games, in which non-networked mobile devices run independent parallel instances of a particular game, players can have meaningful educational outcomes. However, technical constraints of single-player modes constrain AR players’ role, peer, and team interactions, tasks within the game world, and place-based investigation. A digitally connected multiplayer game enables more nuanced, collaborative experiences by connecting players to a shared virtual world in which players communicate and coordinate across both physical and digital space, make choices affecting peer-players and the overall game state, and negotiate among limited virtual resources and shared spaces in the physical world. This poster describes the initial release of TaleBlazer multiplayer, outlines the rationale for its design affordances, and proposes future research around educational gameplay and game creation of complex location-based multiplayer AR games.