Virtual geo-detective game challenges Kitchener residents to solve a murder-mystery
Posted Jan 27, 2021 11:30:00 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Described as a mix between the summer hit Pokémon GO and famous board game ‘Clue’, British company CluedUpp Games aims to bring Kitchener residents together safely this summer with their latest murder-mystery geo-gaming experience – ‘The Kitchener Ripper’. The smart phone app-based game will have teams of users scrambling about the city looking for clues and questioning virtual witnesses, with the goal of solving the case of a copycat killer – with several prizes available for cyber-sleuths as well.
Nicole Read is the Digital Marketing Executive at CluedUpp Games and said the goal of the project is to provide residents with a lighthearted day out – all in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. Set for early June, the investigative effort is said to take users around two hours to complete, as they stroll around the streets of Kitchener looking for their next big lead in the outdoor detective adventure.
“Some people tend to whip through it all and try to do it as fast as possible – others like to get through the witnesses, sit down somewhere and gather all the information together to ultimately find out who the killer is.”
Catching the attention of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, the local non-profit has denounced the detective game on Twitter, expressing concerns that the event will centre around a real-life serial killer, Jack the Ripper. The SASCWR encouraged residents to ask themselves if “celebrating the murder of these women is really where we want to spend our time and money”, asking them to consider checking out workshops and training offered by the centre regarding gender-based violence prevention.
Regarding those concerns, Read said CluedUpp Games was aware of the tweets, as she said the murder mystery games of the company are never based off real story or experience. Read clarified that the ‘Kitchener Ripper’ story line is PG-friendly and will not touch on graphic details – while all victims of the fictional killer are male.
“I think there’s always going to be controversy with any murder mystery game,” said Read. “It’s nothing to with any kind of real-life events that have taken place – it’s just meant to be a bit of fun, really.”
When asked how the company plans out where to place their clues and witnesses, Read said CluedUpp has a team that works to map out the experience for users in a Google Maps style layout – though users will not know the specific area of Kitchener they’ll be investigating until closer to the scheduled date of June 5th. Regarding concerns of gathering teams during the pandemic, Read said her team is closely monitoring the situation in any area where it hosts its games – looking at current restrictions to determine whether the game can go forward or not.
“We’ve got a policy where – if any game is postponed, they have the option then to move the game to another date or we’ll make the decision to move it to another date, so they’ll never really miss out on the opportunity.”
Read said there are a few prizes available to participants, including those who solve the mystery first, and the team with the best picture together. Investigators are also encouraged to dress up in their best detective inspired “fancy dress”, and K-9 contributors are welcome as well.
Further information on the event and tickets for teams of six are available here.
