With multiple stages and several layers of engagement, it provided a unique twist on the typical conference experience, without taking the focus away from the event.

The game had two stages: a pre-conference Twitter battle where players competed to propagate their memes throughout the Twittersphere; and the actual conference game, where attendees built groups using the unique cards they were assigned. The culmination of the game took place at the evening’s WebJam event, where the two top teams duked it out over a round of powerpoint karaoke. The winners received fabulous Crumplerbags.

The two stages had differing design goals. Twitter was selected as the medium for the pre-conference game because of its incredible popularity within the Perth web community. This was also something of an experiment; to our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has used Twitter as a game platform. The conference game was designed to be extremely unobtrusive and easy to play, to fit in with the hustle and bustle one normally finds at a conference. A satirical take on the web industry provided the thematic glue that tied all of these experiences together.

How It Was Played

At the conference, players were given unique cards that assigned them to a variety of roles with various effects.

Players could also collect super-special “friends with celebrities” cards to score bonus points.

Players added stickers to their conference lanyards to let others know they were in the game, and what kind of card they had.

Video announcements and updates were played in the lecture theaters prior to breaks throughout the day.

Featured At

• Edge of The Web 2008 (Perth)

 Credits