Media artist Jason Corace will play the part of Super Mario in Ctrl-shift, an online game he's developing for release this summer:
Ctrl-shift is a multi player online game that gives its players collaborative control over my freewill. The goal of the game is to fulfill a series of game missions that take place in the real world, in real time. Players attempt to collectively complete these missions by suggesting and voting for actions for me to perform, in response to live streaming video broadcast from wireless hotspots around New York City.
Players will control Jason through a Flash interface, voting on what actions he should take to achieve the game's objectives. Jason, roaming around New York City, will be equipped with a camera & mic to keep players informed of where he is (not sure if GPS is involved), and he'll send data and receive commands with a mobile device (like a laptop or handheld device) using wifi hotspots. According to the site, prototype games will be running this spring with a full-scale 5-day game to be initiated sometime this summer.
Games similar to Ctrl-shift are Noderunner (a race to collect and upload photographic proof of as many wifi hotspots as you can), The Big Urban Game (people vote online to move huge chess pieces around the Twin Cities), EA's Majestic (game sends you email, calls you on the phone, etc. as part of the gameplay; it flopped badly), Can You See Me Now?, and Uncle Roy All Around You (both from Blast Theory, with virtual and real players interacting on the same board).
