A location-based game (or location-enabled game) is one in which the game play somehow evolves and progresses via a player's location. Thus, location-based games almost always support some kind of localization technology, for example by using satellite positioning like GPS. "Urban gaming" or "Street Games" are typically multi-player location-based games played out on city streets and built up urban environments.
Current research trends are looking to other embedded mobile technologies such as Near Field Communication, Bluetooth, and UWB. Poor technology performance in urban areas has led some location-based games to incorporate disconnectivity as a gameplay asset.
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Some games only last for a certain amount of time, while others can be played any time. Some are location-dependent while others can be played anywhere. Narrative elements have become important elements to enabling locative media to progress gameplay.
Geocaching is the most prominent example with a large community. It is nominally a single-player kind of treasure hunt which is usually played using hand-held GPS receivers with user-hidden boxes.
GeoCaching, Combat and Caching are just some of the games that are held under active urban games network Encounter. They have various rules that single them out from similar games. The most noticeable differences are time limitations to every game, team-play is more common and the fact that anyone can be an organizer.
GeoCheckpointing is a worldwide outdoor game where the participants use a GPS device or a map to find control points called GeoCheckpoints. The purpose of every GeoCheckpoint is to lead the participants to places which are worth to visit. Since the GeoCheckpoints are clearly visible, it is possible to find them without long searching so the players can visit more interesting places during single trip comparing to other location-based games. It is also more environment-friendly because the seekers do not need to dig in the ground or in the walls in order to find the GeoCheckpoints.[1]
Parallel Kingdom is the first GPS-based MMORPG for iPhones and Google Android phones.[2][3] The game uses the GPS capabilities of smartphones to center the game map on the player's actual location. The player then has roughly a 1/3 mile radius that can be explored by tapping on the screen of the device. The player can move longer distances by moving in real life and using the "Relocate" button to recenter the game map on their current GPS location. Real life landmarks such as parks, airports, and mountains have gameplay implications by spawning different objects on the game map. Parallel Kingdom is available globally, for free, and currently has over 750,000 players according to the game's online discussion forum.
Pac-Manhattan uses the area in and around Washington Square Park to play a real live version of Pacman. In Pac-Manhattan players communicate their position via mobile phones.[4]
Uncle Roy All Around You and Can You See Me Now?, produced by Brighton based Blast Theory and the Mixed Reality Lab at Nottingham University, are examples for of mixed reality and locative media breaking the arts/science/computer games barrier. Their games implement GPS via PDAs.
Wherigo (Where I Go) is "an adventure game construction set for the real world" currently available for Garmin Colorado and GPS-enabled Pocket PCs.[5] It uses user-developed content (called a "cartridge") which is mostly location-dependent, but cartridges can be built to be played anywhere. The Wherigo web site is maintained by Groundspeak, the same company that maintains geocaching.com.
BotFighters, developed by It's Alive! and released in 2000, was one of the first location-based games on mobile phones.
Gbanga Famiglia is a mixed reality, mobile phone game published on the Gbanga platform.[6] Players takeover as many establishments as possible as part of a Mafia Famiglia. Players must first locate establishments whilst walking around the city before they can be taken-over. Establishments are virtual however they are linked to real-world bars and nightclubs. A successful take-over depends on the Famiglia's power, determined by the number of members and the cash total for special items collected.[7]
Some of the Garmin GPS receivers (including the Geko 201,[8][9] Geko 301,[10] GPS 60,[11] eTrex Vista C,[12] and GPSMAP 76CS[13]) include the geolocation games Geko Smak, Memory Race, Virtual Maze and Nibbons.
In 2006, Penn State students founded the Urban Gaming Club. The goal of the club is to provide location based games and Alternate Reality Games. Some of the games played by Penn State's UGC are Humans vs. Zombies, Manhunt, and Capture the Flag. Students at other American universities have formed similar organizations, such as the Zombie Outbreak Management Facilitation Group at Cornell College.