The magic triangle (Das magische Dreieck)

A guided tour as location based game



The location of a historic event in Berlin becomes a playing field. An app on the iphone offers the player hotspots with information and photos, but also issues and challenges. A spot at the former Berlin Wall was in the focus of city planning, an occupation and ended with a surprise. The guided tour on your iphone: The Magic Triangle offers a journey back in time to 1988 in the vicinity of Potsdamer Platz. Lennéstr., Bellevuestr. and Ebertstr. surround the triangle, which is also known under the name Lenné Triangle.

This is a site-specific tour which explores this unknown part of the history. While exploring in game mode, achievements will be rewarded with badges. Step by step new content will become visible to complete the story. Contexts of time and place are added. A search in an urban space which changed radically.

Background - the historical event
180 people climbed over the Berlin Wall and fled from West to East Berlin. On july, 1st, 1988, arguably one of the most remarkable events occurred along the old border. Accompanied by more than 200 press articles. On Lenné triangle, the site of the incident, the tour 'The magic triangle' offers insights into motivation and backgrounds of the facts. Thirty years of traffic planning and a two-month occupation. The proclamation of an independent state and a historically unique escape stand as historical documents of the divided city.

Premiere
The game was introduced to the public on the B_Tour Festival Berlin, in August 2014. And was played by numerous guests.

Software
ARIS is a user-friendly, open-source platform for creating and playing mobile games, tours and interactive stories. Requirements are an iphone 4 or newer and iOS7.

Photos
left: View during the game on site (Photo: An-Chi Cheng)
bottom left: Screenshot - Overview of content hotspots
bottom right: Screenshot - Single view