Lonesome Together

Alternate Reality Game

“City life is millions of people being lonesome together.” -Henry David Thoreau

Lonesome Together is a game played on the streets of an actual city in which players embark on a city-wide search for hidden secrets. Utilizing GPS technology as a guide, Lonesome Together allows players to experience the mundane and familiar locations of the city in renewed light - one that extends to their experience of each other as well.

 

There are two types of players in this game: Street players, whose playing field is the city itself, and online players, who can play from the comfort of their homes.


Online Players are required to share a single personal secret before gameplay begins. Each of these secrets is assigned a unique code which corresponds with the power system of a GPS reciever hidden in the city. When the game begins and the secrets are submitted, their corresponding GPS is switched on via remote.

 

Online players can access a map on the web whereupon they can view the locations of the working GPS recievers. At the beginning of gameplay, the online player is assigned a Street Player partner. The Street Player cannot communicate with his or her online counterpart, who sends directions via a text messenger client. It is the Street Player's job to find the GPS reciever with the code that corresponds with their Online Partner's secret.

Upon beginning the game, online players will notice that three things about the coordinates highlighted on the maps:

1. The coordinates are not tied to any sort of specific landmark or location; some coordinates are in very odd areas.

2. There are very many coordinates - exactly as many as there are online players in the game.

3. There is no information given as to what coordinate is associated with what code.

  Directed by their online partner, The street player traverses the cityscape in search of the secret. Should they find a GPS reciever, the street player will notice an alphanumeric code attached to it. This code can be sent to the Game Master client via a text message system. The Street Player then will recieve the secret to which that GPS's code corresponds with. Should that secret be the one that belongs to their partner, the Player has won, and the GPS is shut off. If it is not, the GPS remains left on.
  Once a Street player has won, he/she is contacted by the Game Master client with the e-mail and online handle of their online partner, on the condition that the street player takes care of the new secret they have accquired. It is up to the Street player to decide whether or not to contact their partner.

 

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