Contemporary Media Issues- Designing a play experience

Within the past few weeks of our Contemporary Media Issues class, we have been given the task of designing a play experience for uses of the Screen School building. Living in the 21st century and from observing the class's choice of games in a previous lesson, I realized that a game centered around digital technology would best attract users of the Screen School. So in our group we came up with the idea of using Smart Phones as the basis of our game 'Scan Arcade'; where users enter an online community of other gamers within the building who each challenge each other in order to get top of the leader board.

The games include various arcade games such as Pacman and Tetris, and we thought it would be a good idea to introduce a new game each week, decided by the winner of the previous week. The simple scanning nature allows for self explanatory, speedy access to the game along with the various 'scan-points' around the building in communal areas such as the cafe, lifts and corridors. The virtual feel of the game allows for tension to be raised as competitors can see the fate of their fellow contestants on the screen of their smart phones through their user profiles showing their photo, and at the end of each day the leader board presents the winning competitors. Due to the technological nature of the game, a teenage market is ideal for Scan Arcade as today's teens are at one with the fast moving digital world.