Right now in San Francisco is the annual “Game Developers Conference“. I’m aware of this event mostly because my son, Brian Handy, plans on a future in video game design once he finishes college (majoring in computer science, of course). But today I got an email telling me about a mobile game that the readers of this blog might like and which is getting a special debut at the GDC this week.
What’s it all about? Ogmento, an “augmented gaming developer”, is showcasing at GDC their new mobile game, Paranormal Activity: Sanctuary. It’s an app that’s location based. Since the conference is in San Francisco, they’re playing with it. Here’s what I was told:
“…players in SF will be able to participate in an actual good versus evil battle. Running around San Francisco, players will stop at several locations to investigate paranormal activity.
“A list of locations include the Mansions Hotel, Queen Anne Hotel, Trinity Episcopal Church, San Remo Hotel, Curran Theatre, Alcatraz, the W Hotel, and of course Moscone Center itself.”
Now,forgive me for being a purist, but the only problem with this whole concept is that there is a little mixup between hauntings and demons or evil. (As well as a confusion with casting spells and other such stuff.) It’s not really the case that “alive” people are good, and dead people, or ghosts, are evil. And ghosts may or may not give a care if you try throwing a “spell” their way. (You know, the odds are against them believing in witchcraft.) As the readers of this blog likely know, ghosts are not necessarily or predominantly evil. Ever visited the Queen Anne Hotel? The ghost there is NOT bad in the least. She is, in fact, benevolent and is as likely to tuck you in, cover you if your blankets fall away or fold your clothes should they slip on the floor as anything else.
But hey, it’s a common mistake. A lot of folks get confused and think if it’s a ghost, it’s gotta be bad. If I had my druthers, they wouldn’t mix up all these unrelated things which might only find each other in a horror film, but apps sell if consumers respond.
Even so, it sounds like fun to see the mock up of San Francisco and its most haunted spots. As for me, I’m no video game addict, but I’ve got my people at GDC, and am expecting a full report on this game…as soon as the train pulls in to Silicon Valley….
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