Simon says the color: the digital evolution of an outdoor kids game

In the last decades mobile phones have evolved from simple instruments to make calls to complex and powerful devices. Following this trend, a popular application as gaming has extended its domain from home computers and consoles to the mobile realm. Mobile games represent now a killer application for smart phones and are attracting millions of subscribers worldwide. Nowadays, the challenge is that of creating a new generation of mobile games proposing something more than just a tiny version of home entertainment blockbusters; the ubiquitous use and the interesting features (camera, gyroscope, connectivity, GPS, etc.) of mobile phones should be fully exploited to generate a completely new kind of gaming experience. To this aim, we have created an application for mobile phones exploiting new features available in every modern mobile phone (in particular, bluetooth communication and camera), to digitally replicate and enhance an outdoor game for children that would not be playable (with fun) on an desktop PC.