Old Project proposal

• Project: Augmented Reality Game
• Platform: Android
• Partners: Ben Lickly, Darren Kuo, Tuan Le

Game platforms such as the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Kinect, and Sony Move are often hailed as a healthy alternative to traditional gaming, getting gamers off the couch and on their feet through their use of novel new input devices. Despite their success, none of these devices challenge the idea of a player staying in their living room.

We see the GPS-enabled smartphone a new novel input device, allowing for games that can be controlled by physically moving around the real world. This allows for games that are much more expansive and physical, and offer an even sharper break from traditional video games.

Specifically, we are proposing a Pacman-inspired game called "Ghost Run." The idea is to have a real-world maze where pellets and ghosts are laid out on the streets and the user acts like Pacman where his/her goal is to eat the pellets and to stay away from the ghosts. In the long run, we are also considering having a multi-user environment where we can have multiple coordinated Pacmen, or having one group of users acting as ghosts and another group of users acting as Pacmen.

Since our project would be controlled by running around outside, it may be difficult to demo. We may elect instead to shoot a video of the gameplay, and then just show that to the class.