Adopting the alternate reality game approach in the design of the Singa environment

Abstract

Playing games, especially electronic games, is a popular free-time activity among children and adolescents and these games seem to have a prominent role in the culture of young people. It is with this in mind that the SINGA environment was designed and developed. This paper describes the concepts of an initiative called SINGA (short for SINGAZENZELA) and how far the SINGA environment adopts features of the Alternate Reality game (ARG) to enhance its effectiveness. SINGA is an environment, both digital and physical, that simulates the real-world environment to impart survival skills to vulnerable children by putting them through challenges and puzzles. The mission of SINGA is to enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable children and young people by imparting to them ways and means to participate better in their own lives and to get things done without necessarily relying on adults and officials. ARGs, on the other hand, are multimedia narratives that use real-world platforms to tell a story that evolves around the user's response to challenges and puzzles. The game is defined by intense player involvement with a story that takes place in real-time and evolves according to participant's responses and characters. Players interact with characters in the game, solve plot-based challenges and puzzles and analyse the story and coordinate real-life and online activities.