Matt Adams, Co-founder, Blast Theory

Matt Adams is a hardcore gamer's nightmare. He helped develop a series of games that on the surface appear to be high-tech versions of hide-and-seek. But ultimately, players are used as guinea pigs to see how they react in certain situations.

London-based Blast Theory is composed of artists who create interactive performances, installations, video and mixed reality projects. One of the group's latest installations is a game called “Uncle Roy All Around You.” The game, a collaboration between Blast Theory, Mixed Reality Labs and the University of Nottingham, allows online players and street players with wireless devices to work together to find Uncle Roy, who is played by either a local performer or one of the Blast Theory artists.

After about 40 minutes of chasing, though, players are asked a series of questions about whether they are willing to help out a complete stranger in a personal crisis. Without giving away too much more, the game turns quickly from there into something more than hide-and-seek.

“It ends up being something about trust and about social relationships,” Adams said. “We're very interested in exploring those kinds of relationships and how they're built.”

The group, which has staged Uncle Roy in the U.K. several times and hopes to bring it to Seattle in June 2005, also is trying to get carriers to think about applications beyond simple gaming. In the past, Blast Theory issued handheld devices to participants and used closed networks. More recently, in Australia, the group is letting players use their own devices over a third-generation test network in Adelaide.

“We want to demonstrate to telecom companies that there is a demand for this kind of experience,” Adams said. “We want to broaden the possibility of what 3G is.”