MN ZOO TECHNOLOGY

Stuart Urback

Who am I?

Carleton College Sophomore Game Player/Designer

Potential: Studio Art, Physics, or Interactive Design Major

SCVNGR

Why am I here? Mobile Gaming Platform SCVNGR.

Trivia Game for the Cellphone.

It fell through. No one wanted to spend time staring at

their cellphones… To be honest, we don’t like that idea much

either.

Purpose

Role Expanded

Visitor Experience Goal Visitors will experience interactive

(potentially gameplay) media that will add either another layer of information and/or an extra experience that they could not otherwise access. The goal is aimed at getting visitors to do things they would have otherwise been unable to do.

Research

SCVNGR reviews Online Museum Conference Spoke with Woodland Park and National

Zoo Conference with Minnesota Historical

Society Watched Lectures and Listened to

Podcasts by important Interactive and Game Designers

Looked at other Zoo Websites

Ideas

Social-Generated Content Text-Based Cellphones Smartphones Groups and Events Other

Social Content.

MyMNZoo

Notes on Flickr

Tags are important! Link to Animal Sponsors!

Accessibility is important! http://www.flickr.com/groups/mnzoo/pool/

Cellphone

FAQ

Text your questions to the zoo… While you’re at the zoo.

Example:To: #####

Text: Why does the bear swim back and forth? Does he feel cooped up? stuarturback@gmail.com

Activity

Borrowing from Disney’s Playbook… Text based notifications of “activity”

I PLEDGE TO...

TURN OFF THE WATER WHILE I BRUSH MY TEETH

DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT ON MY COMMUTE

PICK UP LITTER

TAKE A WALK IN THE PARK

Tram Game

Poll Based Question and Answer

Example: What continent do the Bactrian Camels

come from? Text your answer to: #####.

Smartphone

GPS Map

Find Out what’s nearby.

Easily Navigate the Zoo.

Make suggestions about paths to take based upon time.

Mobile Applications

Sustainable Seafood App Idea: Green Activities Idea: Put a slightly more complex tiger

game on the cellphone.

Reference Back to the Zoo.

Groups and Events

LARP/Puzzle Hunt

Live Action Role Playing School adventure where kids

role-play as Animals, Poachers, Humans, and Volunteers

Puzzle Hunt Find the animal or item. Played over an hour or

months. Popular Meaningful/Special

Other

RPG For Animal Sponsor Get to “play” through e-mails as if you were

a growing animal (the one you just sponsored!)

Simplified to just send interesting updates, or specifically for babies to sponsor, get sent real life updates.

Connections

Advertise Wolfquest

Other Zoo’s Websites The more connections there are the

more integrated the zoo experience will be.

Final Thought: Happiness

1. Satisfying work to do.2. Experience of being good at something.3. Time spent with people we like.4. Chance to be a part of something

bigger.

Thank You