Wayfinder Live Tampere

BACKGROUND: The research expanded existing pervasive game design methods through an embedded ethnographic study. In “Digital Playscapes: Merging Digital and Urban Playspaces” (2009), de Souza argues that designers of these games work with a long tradition of play in public space ranging from the Situationist International through to scavenger hunts. In this research, an embedded digital ethnographer and researchers in Tampere, Finland to co-create an urban journey blending digital and analog play to study and draw upon this heritage. CONTRIBUTION: Finland has a long tradition of outdoor play ranging from geocaching to forest schools, “Wayfinder Live Tampere” comprised game design, ethnographic research and urban play to study the response of Finnish players to the work. This edition was conceived online, activated through two days of field work before a week of play. This methodology allowed observation of the design and play phases of the work through a close relationship between designer and the ethnographer, who was embedded in the co-creation process. The digital app interfaced with the city as an assemblage of urban playspaces, ranging from streets and laneways to parks and public squares leading to a walkway across a frozen lake. Through this playful exploration of diverse, urban environments further insight and understanding into the impacts on urban play on players was established. SIGNIFICANCE: This project was initiated by invitation from the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland. The centre is at cutting edge of game studies, developing new avenues for research, developing creative research environments generating 221 publications over the past three years. In addition to an invited keynote and workshop connected to the project, it was also included in the exhibition “The City as Game Board – From Geocaching to Harry Potter” at the Finnish Museum for Games in the Vapriikki Museum.