By now, you probably know about how versatile and useful QR codes can be for distributing all sorts of information. Most often, they are used as quick ways to access links. But the list of what you can attach to those links and how you can distribute them is just about endless. From websites, to videos, to documents, music playlists, and more, all can be easily accessed through a QR code.
What you may not know, however, is how QR codes can and have been used for various forms of gaming, including real world alternate reality games, video games, board games, and more! In this piece I will go over some of the ways you can integrate QR codes into gaming, as well as some examples of how artists and game designers have already done so.
An alternate reality game, or ARG, refers to an interactive experience that uses the real world in the core gameplay experience. Probably the most popular example would be the 2016 phenomenon Pokemon Go, which had players use their phones and mobile devices to catch Pokemon, gather items, and battle, all in real world locations. Other examples include the games made to supplement and promote movies and TV shows like The Dark Knight, Dexter, and The Blair Witch Project, as well as more immersive and self contained indie projects like Marble Hornets, Everyman HYBRID, and NOC + 10.
The field of ARGs is relatively new, with one of the earliest examples being Ong’s Hat from 1993, though the medium has garnered wide success and praise from all over, with more and more projects featuring ARG elements popping up all the time. Most often, ARGs are used to supplement another sort of media, like an upcoming movie or show, though they can also be self-contained, with all story and gameplay elements taking place within the game among the players.
ARGs are complex and have a lot of moving parts. Just about anything can be used as a gameplay element, very much including QR codes. Since QR codes exist as an image that can be scanned by almost any device, they are perfect to use in ARGs as a way for players to access information or gameplay elements.
For example; a player on a web based ARG could find secret codes scattered throughout a website and piece them together into a link. This link could then host a QR code that could be scanned to reveal more information on the game’s story, through text or video, or even some kind of other reward for a player. For a real world ARG, the game master could hide a QR code in a public place that the players would need to figure out the location of in order to scan. Individual codes could also be separated into cards that would need to be put together like a jigsaw puzzle in order to be scanned.
The limit to what you can do with QR codes in an ARG experience really is up to the imagination of the game master, and there are all sorts of other ways users can and have used QR codes in their ARGs.
Effortlessly create, customize, and monitor dynamic QR codes.
Game designers can also add QR codes into video games that players can scan as they play to reveal more information or link to additional content. This practice could essentially turn a video game into an ARG, or at least introduce some ARG elements.
If you decide to integrate codes into your game, it’s important to keep in mind that some players could miss them, skip them, or decide not to scan them at all. For this reason, you should keep the content behind QR codes to supplemental material, not necessary to experience the core game, but still rewarding enough to eagle eyed gamers.
One fantastic example of QR code use in a video game would be in the 2021 remaster of Alan Wake, a game that was originally released in 2010. Developer Remedy is no stranger to adding ARG elements to their games, with the original Alan Wake release receiving an in-depth ARG of its own.
Alan Wake Remastered features 3 QR codes within the game that were not present in the original release. Each code is linked to a private Youtube video of the titular character toiling away at a new story, which ended up being a little tease to Alan Wake 2, which would release a few years later in 2023 to critical praise.
This is just one example of many clever uses of QR codes in video games. Next time you play a new game, especially one where the developers like to play with ARG elements, keep an eye out for one of these codes, it just might be rewarding to scan and find where it leads.
It’s a little more difficult to implement, but it’s also possible to make use of QR codes in board and tabletop games. One good idea for game producers would be to include a code on either the box or the instructions that links to a more detailed how to play video, as some players learn better by watching rather than reading.
Game masters of tabletop RPGs can also make use of QR codes in a bunch of different ways. You can provide your players each with a paper map or hand out that has a code to link to additional information, or even a way for them to keep track of their stats and inventory.
Alan Wake Remastered contains 3 QR codes throughout the game that rewarded eagle eyed players with a little tease of what was to come in Alan Wake 2.
Internet web series Spooky Month had shorts that contained QR codes that provided additional information on the characters and lore of the world.
The code based and puzzle solving aspects of alternate Reality games make them pair perfectly with QR codes, as they are easy to make, easy to scan, and provide players with a sense of accomplishment when they come across one and know just what to do with it. Just about any piece of media can be turned into an ARG by using one of these codes, making for a more immersive and memorable experience.
We recommend giving the free tools available on QR Codeveloper a shot and let your imagination run wild with the possibilities these codes can provide to your games.
Effortlessly create, customize, and monitor dynamic QR codes.
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