Geo Game

Welcome to our Geo Game, Murder Mysteries of Provo. This game uses a combination of media and geo-location technologies to explore rather less well-known issues right here in Provo, Utah; specifically, murder. We chose to focus on all the homicide cases discovered in the area in approximately the last 10 years. Although, manslaughter is the uniting theme, the correlating causes are diverse; including but not limited to, domestic and child abuse, aggravated burglary and assault, suicide, human trafficking, drunk driving, and drug usage. The game is meant to increase awareness of these dangerous situations, provide resources to people involved in them, and facilitate social change. Players are required to go to the location (hopefully not at night!) where each murder was realized, read information about the victims and cases, and then participate in a related challenge. The challenges range from visiting websites with more information on prevention and resources, to identifying people in their own lives they may know that deal with similar issues, to possibly making donations to foundations that aid victims and their families. Points are awarded to each player upon the completion of tasks and missions. The overarching goal is to make individuals more personally aware of their surroundings and be equipped to deal with issues that may seem inconsequential here in the quite town of Provo. 

            We hope that the gamification of these issues doesn’t read as disrespectful or simply as an eerie or morbid trip, but rather gives people an opportunity to participate in community concerns and discussions. Allowing people to engage with these problems in a creative and “playful” way ideally will motivate further contemplation and collaboration on solving them. We want our players to not only think about themselves, but also others in their community they could help (Jane McGonigal,Becoming a Part of Something Bigger Than Ourselves). We want to create a connected learning experience that provides a platform where marginalized and non-dominant issues and concerns can gain visibility and communities can build capacity in dealing with them (Mimi Ito et al, Connected Learning).

Murder Mysteries of Provo

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