As new technologies evolve and mature, they infiltrate our lives in ways we don't necessarily expect. Cell phones and Global Position Systems (GPS) have their obvious uses -- you can make and receive calls when away from home, and you can easily find places or people, including yourself if you get lost.


Photo courtesy Blast Theory
An urban gamer playing "Uncle Roy All Around You"

People around the world have been putting these technologies to innovative use, creating "experiences" in public settings that are part game, part performance art, and part sociology experiment. Dubbed urban gaming, these activities can range from recreating the 80s video game "Pac-Man" on a human scale in New York City to hiding "treasures" in state parks for people to find via GPS.

In this article, we'll see what urban gaming is all about, find out how it works, and explore the potential of games and technology. We'll also take a look at some recently-played urban games.