Frank Lantz is the creative director and co-founder of area/code
in New York City, a developer that works exclusively on 'big games,'
described by area/code's website as "large-scale, real-world games. A
Big Game might involve transforming an entire city into the world's
largest board game, or hundreds of players scouring the streets looking
for invisible treasure, or a TV show reaching out to interact with
real-time audiences nationwide."
Previously, he has worked as the director of game design at Gamelab, the developer behind the mammothly successful casual game Diner Dash, and as a game developer for POP. He also teaches in NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.
Gamasutra: Could you describe, in your own words, what area/code does?
Frank
Lantz: We create what we call Big Games – games that mix digital,
electronic, and virtual elements with some form of real-world presence.
These games are usually large-scale, multiplayer games that involve
physical activity and face to face social interaction. They often take
place in urban settings or other public spaces.
GS: How do "big games" differ from "alternate reality games"?
Frank Lantz at GDC 2006
FL:
We see ourselves as exploring a similar territory but with a different
focus, or perhaps a broader approach. ARG’s tend to be very
narrative-driven. The standard ARG structure is built around some kind
of mystery story that the players are exploring, and progress through
the game usually takes the form of collaborative puzzle-solving which
unlocks access to additional story elements. We see Big Games as more
gameplay-driven. You might have a Big Game with a rich, complex
narrative, but you could also have a Big Game that is totally abstract.
The
games we make often have elements of collaboration, but also usually
have some form of player vs. player competition, and are less about
puzzle-solving and more about skill, tactics, and strategy. In general
our games are more procedural, and less content-driven.
Also,
ARGs seem to be more invested in the pleasures of confusion, about
creating ambiguous situations where you don’t know whether what you’re
looking at is part of the game or not. In the games we’re making we
usually try to make things really clear and simple, so the players know
exactly what the game is and what they’re doing (which is hard enough
to achieve even when you’re shooting for it!) so this makes them
perhaps a bit more accessible to a casual player. But in general we
love the experiments that are taking place in the ARG world, and see
all those guys as fellow travelers. Real-world stuff like Jane
McGonigal’s Tombstone Hold’em, which was part of 42’s Last Call Poker
ARG, are especially interesting to us.
The University of Minnesota-commissioned Big Urban Game.