Pervasive Games: Theory and Design

by Markus Montola, Jaakko Stenros, Annika Waern

Quickly emerging from the fast-paced growth of mobile communications and wireless technologies, pervasive games take gaming away from the computer screen and back to the three-dimensional world. Now games can be designed to be played in public spaces like shopping malls, conferences, museums and other non-traditional game venues. Game designers need to understand how to use the world as a gamespace-and both the challenges and advantages of doing so.

This book shows how to change the face of play-who plays, when and where they play and what that play means to all involved. The authors explore aspects of pervasive games that concern game what makes these games compelling, what makes them possible today and how they are made. For game researchers, it provides a solid theoretical, philosophical and aesthetic understanding of the genre.

Pervasive Games covers everything from theory and design to history and marketing.

Genres: Games, Nonfiction, Game Design, Art, Design

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 2009

Reviews

[Nauxi Shuweng-Judassa]

Not helpful for designers. Mildly interesting.

[Drusillah]

I really enjoyed this book as it was interesting to read. It presented many examples of pervasive games, and also raised some questions and tried to answer some others. It provided a few guidelines. One thing I've gained from this book is being able to detect what a pervasive game is and recognizing one.