Building game technology takes time, and early implementations are likely too simple for adult gamers who crave depth. While we eagerly await the next big thing in tech-augmented ARG, kids are already getting to play with some of the best tech on the market for expanding gameplay into the real world. Today, I look at two technology-enabled games that are geared toward kids, but have a cutting edge appeal that makes adult gamers drool.

MagiQuest – Creative Kingdoms

tech-enabled live action gaming

First up is MagiQuest, which is billed by its creators as “the world’s largest live action game.” A more apt description would be world’s biggest fully automated live action game. The experience, which takes place in a sort of childrens’ museum environment, gives players a magic wand controller and sends them on an adventure through a physical fantasy world, learning spells, collecting gold and – of course – fighting dragons.

Players use their wand by giving it a swish and then pointing its tip at an object marked with MagiQuest’s logo – these simple animatronics, video kiosks and elaborate battle environments. I had the chance to play the game a few months ago at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. Although the controls are not deep – you simply find things to interact with and point your wand at them – the experience of waving a magic wand at a remote object and having it respond has a lasting appeal.

The technology used in MagiQuest combines a simple IR activator with a remote account reading system.* Your progress through the game is stored externally, and you can pull up your inventory, gold, and XP count at a number of video kiosks that represent some of the “characters” in the game. The game technology is also modular and can be retooled for different experiences. The technology has already been adapted to create DinoQuest, a dinosaur-themed interactive exhibit at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, CA.

Because the game is modular, the game’s developer, Creative Kingdoms, has been able to build it into varied environments. A standalone MagiQuest location incorporates the game elements into a full interactive set that enhances the feeling of being in a fantasy world, but in the Great Wolf version of the game, interactive elements are scattered through all six floors of the hotel. The lodge even offers special “MagiQuest Suites” fitted with unique interactions. This revelation leads the game designer in me to wonder what other, more mature experiences could be created with a system like this installed in a less fantasy-themed environment like an art museum, or even in a mundane public place. As it stands, the MagiQuest storyline is rigid and linear, but there is nothing to say that the same technology couldn’t be used to create deep, immersive experiences.

But for the moment, Creative Kingdoms seems content to run a childrens’ game, especially with all of the built-in merchandising tied to the game. Kids can buy replicas of the game’s magic items, and get them added to their in-game inventory. They can also buy hats, cloaks and other costume pieces in the game shop, which serves as the hub of the experience. All of these props are beautifully designed, including the wand itself, which costs $15. The polish of the designs softens the obvious commercialism of the game a bit, and can even add to the immersion, if you’re willing to pay for these optional addons.

You can play MagiQuest at any one of their locations. There are three stand-alone attractions on the East coast, as well as games in all of the Great Wolf hotels, and two multilingual branches in Japan. However, come prepared to spend some cash: most of the locations charge by the hour.

The Hidden Park – Bulpadok / James Kane

augmented reality GPS gaming

If you prefer your kid-friendly experiences less corporeal, you can hunt for dragons and fairies virtually with The Hidden Park, one of the first full Augmented Reality games for the iPhone, brought to us by Australian design group Bulpadok.