Playing Apart with Mission Realms: Exploring Shared Leisure Across Distance Through Location-Based Play

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
Meaningful social connection in remote-outdoor play is achieved when game design mandates interdependence, ensuring that both the outdoor and remote players possess unique, necessary information or capabilities to progress.See it on page 20
02
Remote players report feeling redundant and disengaged when game mechanics allow the outdoor player to solve missions independently, highlighting that 'narrator' roles fail to foster a sense of agency or contribution.See it on page 19
03
The concept of 'connection through disconnection' suggests that physical and informational gaps should be leveraged as collaborative resources rather than treated as deficits to be overcome by high-fidelity technology.See it on page 24
04
Successful place-based connection requires more than just live video; it depends on 'environmental anchoring,' where mission progress forces players to interpret, discuss, and deeply engage with specific physical features of their surroundings.See it on page 20
05
Ambiguous clues are preferred over overt directions, as clear instructions often undermine the remote player's role by making the outdoor player's task appear trivial or self-sufficient.See it on page 27
06
While live video and narration help with orientation, they do not guarantee meaningful participation; true engagement emerges when disparate roles—such as physical navigation versus narrative interpretation—are coordinated through a shared, task-oriented goal.See it on page 24
07
Study findings based on 21 participants indicate that while location-based games can foster social and place-based connection, designers must account for accessibility and safety, as certain environments may be unsuitable for players with varying mobility needs.See it on page 31

Summary

Playing Apart with Mission Realms: Exploring Shared Leisure Across Distance Through Location-Based Play DEREK HAQQ, Virginia Tech, USA WEI-LU WANG, Virginia Tech, USA ZEREN YAN, Trine University, USA XIAN ZHENG, Trine University, USA MORVA SAATY, Virginia Tech, USA D. SCOTT MCCRICKARD, Virginia Tech, USA Sharing in outdoor leisure is widely recognized for its role in fostering social connection and engagement with place.

Playing Apart with Mission Realms: Exploring Shared Leisure Across Distance Through Location-Based Play

Playing Apart with Mission Realms: Exploring Shared Leisure Across Distance Through Location-Based Play

Key insights

Summary

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