BeforeTheSatelliteDetectsYou 1.o (iphone & ipod touch) {2010+}

inter_art
wardive

Before the satellite detects you! is a locative and adaptive game for mobile devices. Our first build is for the iphone. The work plays with the scary concept that every one of us can be traced by satellites at any time. Big Brother is literally watching us already with the eyes of the satellites high above us. Our game proofs this and plays with it. A GPS-satelllite tracks you and your iphone. Is the signal strong, the iphone shows a red locator mark on the local map of your city. This means you have to find a place where the satellite cannot trace you. If you manage to find the shade of a tall building or sneak into a doorway, go to a subway passage, into a basement, the signal weakens considerably and you may hide from the satellite for a while. Try to make your way to the destination in town while outrunning the satellite. You set the destination yourself, it is where you meet a friend. Once set, you have to reach the destination in a certain time without being detected by the satellite!

> BeforeTheSatellite is (iphone & ipod touch) coming soon to the appstore

Before the Satellite detects you! is a follow-up to Wardive. Wardive captured wlan hotspots in the neighbourhood and converted them into enemies. You had to fight those enemies while walking, driving or riding through town. Now Before the satellite does the opposite! It does not capture data and make it visible, but tries to avoid being detected, tries to avoid that data of your location is being collected and registered. We discussed this project first with some colleagues (among them Mary Flanagan) at a festival in Sofia in November 2008 and tried out a first prototype. The implementation was more difficult than we thought since the detection had to work very precisely. Now more than a year later, the project has grown into a fully working application that can be tested in the streets of the cities.

It is a game that should be fun to play while walking through a city. But at the same time this game shows you a very serious side of political and social life: the ubiquity of personal data. As human beings we can be located at any time in any place. Hiding from Big Brother's eyes may be fun, but at the same time has a serious impact on our comprehension of a world full of electronic data that can be used (against us) if wanted.

The sky over you - is full with satellites!

Use BeforeTheSatellite to learn to hide!

Look up to the sky. You are getting traced! BeforeTheSatellite helps you to be on the alert of Big Brother.

The world from the satellite view:

Some tips.

You are exposed! Get under a roof!

Better! Be small!

Select a target/meeting point. And let's go!

You have to hide!

Oh, they detected you - 95% ... Run

Try harder!

Under a roof? Found the satellite shade of taller buildings?

Get away from here - you are in the middle of an open space!
They are on to you! They will come to get you within 3 minutes!
Big Brother will love you!

Hiding under trees or protected by a station?

Events

Beijing 2013: CMoDA (China Millennium Monum. Museum of Digital Arts), Swiss Game Design, jan. 20 - feb. 3.

San Francisco 2011: swissnex, Swiss Game Design, october 07 - 27.

Ljubljana 2011: City Hotel, ELMCIP E-Literature and New Media Art Symposium, september 22 - 24.

Baden 2011: Merker Stanzerei, Fantoche Festival, Swiss Game Design, september 6 - 12.

Lisbon 2011: Goetheinstitut, Realidades Virtuais Reloaded - Game Art/ Art Games, may 3.

Zürich 2010: Dock 18 (Rote Fabrik), GameArt/ ArtGames, december 17.