Tentacles is an iPhone/iPod touch application designed for participation in a multi-user, location-based game projected into public spaces. Co-developed by the Canadian Film Centre Media Lab, the OCAD Mobile Lab, and the York University Mobile Media Lab, with support from CONCERT, tentacles can be played indoors or out – projected on walls, in theatres, stadiums, giant outdoor screens, or on the side of a building.

Players are immersed in an inky pool of darkness found deep near the ocean floor. Each player controls a Squid-like form evoking primitive sea creatures in search of life sustaining micro-organisms dubbed “tenticules.” As your creature grows in size, players are subject to the presence of other oceanic avatars. Played in a world for all to see, the shared display reveals what happens as the actions of individuals co-exist in a sea of others’. As creatures interact, players must make the decision to “share” or “scare,” for as they collide, a tentacle’s tip is capable of stealing valuable “tenticules” inhibiting a creatures ability to grow.

The initial prototype for Tentacles will have its public premier at two outdoor locations as part of the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche festival in Toronto from dusk to dawn tomorrow, October 03, 2009. Look for Tentacles at the CFC Media Lab Prototype exhibition at the Lennox Gallery (12 Ossington Avenue). If you live in Toronto, we would love to hear what you thought of it.

For more information see tentacles.ca

Platform: iPhone
Version: 1.1
Cost: Free
Developer: CFC Media Lab