Context
A growing number of surveillance cameras are constantly monitoring a visual stream of public and private spaces. At the same time they become more networked, and new image prosessing technologies make real-time augmentation now possible. Combined, these technologies can become the basis for an interactive gaming environment.

What it is
We propose a gaming platform which is based on real time footage, connected to real spaces. The games will be played on home computers and receive live streams from remote surveillance cameras over the Internet. The player becomes an active agent in the surveyed world, experiencing a feeling of control and yet an uncertainty of what is fiction and what is real.

The Zone is the first title of our proposed gaming platform. Its genre is a new form of adventure game with references to hacker culture, crime and mystery. Real-time is an inherent feature in the game – for example, certain daytime activities cannot be encountered at nighttime and vice versa. At the same time, the game is driven by fictional elements that lead the player through the narrative. The player can navigate a number of cameras. Equipped with a toolkit of hacking software, he or she can retrieve information, crack codes, unlock hidden features, reveal higher levels, and access new missions.

How it works
To get an idea of what the gaming experience could be like, we created a small playable Flash demo together with an animated title sequence. You can download it here and try it!

Implications
• Emergence of site-specific game zones (game studio, office building, university campus, governmental institutions)
• Public spaces transformed into game zones
• Role-players installing their own cameras at home and becoming networked to the game, adding their own levels to it.
• Privacy issues