Mudlark – making life playable

Some fellas named Mudlark have been in touch, a cross-platform company who have recently moved into Fazeley Studios in Digbeth from my hometown of Tamworth. I didn’t know anything about the company but from the projects outlined on their bright and breezy website I recognise some past projects. Notably, ‘Love City’ – an SMS mobile phone and web game played over several different locations, bringing players together through sending messages of love.

The aim of the game is to move about in the real world to locations that are mapped onto the game world of Love City. Players score points by sending messages to players who share locations with them in the game world. The game was originally launched across 3 cities (Nottingham, Leicester and Derby) on Valentines Day 2007.

Mudlark are currently developing ‘Chromaroma’ a project backed by the 4IP fund and Screen West Midlands. The website describes it as ‘a pervasive online game played in the real world’. It uses smart cards and urban mass transit systems as a currency and environment to allow people to play as they commute, travel and move around their urban environments.

This is one of the most exciting companies I have seen in a long time, who seem to be successfully combining a games company, a TV company and a web company. The website is clean, crisp and outlines what they do without all of the usual alienating mumbo-jumbo speak. They will be getting together with an invited a group of people who are also developing new practices, projects and ideas on a similar ethos on Friday 22nd, and hopefully will be posting any interesting outcomes onto their website.