1. Markéta Dolejšová, 2012
Urban Gamification
I. Urban culture
 public space
 get the best of your city
 mobile technologies - go social
 coolness
What constitutes urban culture?
 Street art
graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting, street poster art, art intervention, street performance, street
theatre, flash mobbing, sculpture, street installations, yarn bombing, guerilla gardening, video
projection, light painting, videomapping etc.
 Architecture / Design
squatting, eco, temporary spaces etc.
 Urban fashion
street wear, vintage, retro, flea markets etc.
 Food
mobile food, pop-up restaurants / supper clubs, secret cooks club etc.
 Urban sports
running, jogging, skateboard, longboard, inline skates, rollerblading, aggressive inline parkour,
biking, fixed gear, fun bike, freestyle BMX, bike tricking, extreme city cycling, bike polo, street
jumping, building jumping, building climbing, free running, parkour, pomparkour, urban sprinting,
urban surfing, urban climbing, urban kiting, urban golf, sign spinning, urban ninjas etc.
 Hipsters and other urban species

2. Markéta Dolejšová, 2012
II. How to gamify your city?
Urban Gaming / Street Games
 multi-player location-based games played out on city streets, built up on urban environments
 city as playground
 on-line communication
 mobile localization technologies (smartphones, GPS receivers, webcams, Internet)
 UGC
 usually part game, part performance art, part sociology experiment
 sometimes there isn't really a point to the game other than the experience itself
Starting points
 information circuit (blurring of private and public areas)
 non-technology ascendants: flash mobs; games like hide-and-seek in the store, capture the
flag, humans vs. zombies etc.
 technology ascendants: computer games
Examples
 Geocaching
since 1990’s
GPS used to pinpoint exact locations and find „treasure“
 Pacmanhattan
recreation of video game sensation Pac-Man
a player dressed as Pac-man runs around the Washington square park while attempting to
collect all of the virtual "dots" x four players dressed as the ghosts attempt to catch Pac-man
before all of the dots are collected
on-line advisors x runners in the streets
 Can You See Me Now?
on-line players chased by runners on the street
see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX4kZvEllwY
 Uncle Roy All Around You

3. Markéta Dolejšová, 2012
runners on the street chasing elusive Uncle Roy, accompanied by online players who are helping
(or harming) them
group of spies navigates street runners with clues
successful game ends in Uncle Roy’s office -> crucial question:“ would you be willing to commit
to help a stranger if called upon?“
 You get me
played between Mile End Park and the Covent Garden in London
understanding - mediation - place
see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4THE0Dk5Kw
 Parallel Kingdom
GPS-based MMORPG for iPhones and Google Android phones
see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahvJbpJBG2g
 MyGroove
planting trees, fighting pollution
 Tourality
collect goodies on the street -> buy gadgets -> win gold and trophies -> compete with others
see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY7wfQWeBf8&feature=player_embedded#!
 Situationist
urban game based on situationist movement
 iCoolhunt
hunt the coolest things around your city - be the guru of cool hunters
 Fousquare
...everyone knows...

4. Markéta Dolejšová, 2012
III. Urban Sports Gamification
Urban Running
 social running games
 gadgets: trainers, pedometers, heart rate straps, sport watches, smart sensors, smartphones
(see Nike +; Body Media; Fit bit; Run Keeper)
 how does it work? http://earndit.com/how
Examples
 Nike +
iPhone + iPod + Nike SportWatch + Nike SportBand + Facebook
track time, distance and route of your run
start new run -> post it to your facebook page -> get friend’s cheers -> get motivation ->
compete with friends
 Nike+ Tag
GPS iPhone app
runners compete against each other and whoever runs the slowest, the shortest distance, or
starts running latest in the day is designated as “it”
don’t be tagged -> don’t be „it“!
 Nike Grid
London is your game board: 40 postcodes in play and 4 phone boxes in each
run -> collect phone boxes in your postcode -> the more runs, the more points -> earn
badges
no need of smartphones, pedometers or special Nike branded trainers -> low tech (in high
life:))
 „Seber policajtovi čepici a zmiz!“ („Get the cops cap and run away!“)
Roman Týc for Nike
ranking: one cap = base; two caps at once = double catch; beret = summer extras, run = clean
game, from vehicle/public transport = pollo; Bonus for cooperation of the cop
no need of gadgets

5. Markéta Dolejšová, 2012
 Zombies, Run!
ultra-immersive running game for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android
see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyFqZtKvya0
Urban Cycling
 social biking games
 gadgets: bike, GPS locator
Example
 Rider Spoke
combining theatre with game play and state of the art technology
cycle through the city alone at night and hide
get bike -> find a hiding -> reveal a question -> answer -> find all hidings and answers of other
players
not "UGC" but „PBC“(„Publicly Created Contributions")
...Universal urban sports-gamifyers?
there are almost no examples of other urban sports gamification
the world needs more urban games!
IV. New urban game: schodies!
 brand new urban sport: urban stairs running
 urban game: Prague as a playground
 map mashup
 on-line / off-line game
 no need of special gadgets (shoes, pedometers etc.)
 howto:
look into map -> find your stairs -> run them out in the street-> mark your effort -> write a
comment -> collect stairs -> collect badges -> share and compete with others -> enjoy your
city!
 UGC: add new stairs

6. Markéta Dolejšová, 2012
Gamification of schodies
 the more stairs, the more success - be the best schodies runner!
 collecting badges
 finding new stairs - enjoying the feeling of being “schodies developer”
 sharing of success: facebook, twitter
Goals
 enjoy / explore the city
 get in form
 show off
V. Links
Schodies:
http://schodies.cz/
Global Sites:
http://weburbanist.com/
http://www.urbandictionary.com/
Czech Urban Culture Advisors:
http://www.viceland.com/
http://www.protisedi.cz/
http://komfortmag.cz/
http://www.radikalniveverka.cz
http://www.limeandtonic.com
Urban Sports sites:
http://pedal-project.com
Neg’s Urban Sports:
http://www.negdupree.com/urban-sports/