Julian Bleecker

Here's a unique mobile cameraphone game that I might describe as Mobile Social Software game if I weren't taking advice from Ben that we put the "social software" meme to bed and just make social software. Dan and Frank and Kevin cooked this up for Ubicomp2005 as part of their contribution to the workshop on ubiquitous computing, games and entertainment I organized with Ian Smith and Nicolas Ducheneaut.

Cross posted from Regine's entry: Superstar Tokyo

Superstar is a multiplayer photo-based game designed for Ubicomp 2005, Tokyo. The game is free, and open for anyone with a phonecam and self-portrait Puri Kura stickers of themselves.

The game uses Japanese Puri Kura stickers as a starting point for an experiment in social networks, automated phonecam image analysis, and urban visual culture.
The goal is to see and be seen, using tiny images woven into the fabric of Tokyo streetlife.

To play, place your own stickers (with a star on it to recognize participants) wherever you want and collect the stickers of other players by shooting them with your phonecam. Whenever a player snaps a Superstar sticker both players earn points.

A link is then created between the two players. From this point on, any time either player earns points (by shooting a new sticker or by having their sticker shot) the other one will also earn points (though not as many).

Superstar thus builds a network of connections that forms a social, pyramid scheme. Successful players will be the ones that forge connections with other active players.