Leading Swedish ICT Research Institute Releases Unique Game for iPhone

STOCKHOLM, June 23, 2010 - Sweden's Interactive Institute has released a unique, experimental audio
game for iPhone. iSpooks: The Manor is an adventure game where the sound is
the primary gameplay driver. The game, over 200 MB large, has a surprising
lack of graphics. Instead, nearly all the effort has been put into over a
thousand sound clips, utilizing the latest in technology, to create a complex
game world of sound.

'Sound is incredibly effective in enhancing a game experience since it
triggers emotions. Games like this encourages the player to make an inner
picture of the game world which we believe give a richer game experience',
says Mats Liljedahl, researcher at Interactive Institute.

iSpooks takes place in a haunted house. The player has to solve a mystery
via interaction with the resident ghosts. The over 30 ghosts live in a
meticulously designed house, faithfully rendered in 3D. But, and here's the
catch, if your not alert you'll miss all this graphic richness.

'iSpooks has raised some eyebrows because of its size over 200 MB, and
yet the player view looks like something from a 70'a Atari game. Most of our
effort has gone to designing the vast array of sound clips with extensive use
of binaural recording, cutting edge technology and always with the sound in
focus.' says Nigel Papworth, lead game designer.

As well as the new use of technology, iSpooks also boasts some novel
interaction ideas. The iPhone can play multiple sound files simultaneously,
which is imperative in order to convey the mood, environment, events and
objects in the iSpooks game world. The sound-scape, composed at any one time
of up to five different sound sources, is manipulated and controlled in
real-time by a game engine that is unique for a mobile platform.

The Interactive Institute's Sonic Studio has for a number of years
explored sound for information and experience in ICT and media applications.
iSpooks: The Manor is a result of research designed to test the limits for
using sound as a gameplay driver.

The game: www.ispooks.com

Interactive Institute: www.tii.se

Interactive Institute Sonic Studio: www.tii.se/sonic

Images:
www.flickr.com/photos/interactiveinstitute/sets/72157623594470102/

Download: itunes.apple.com/app/ispooks-the-manor/id376555310?mt=8

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkka_b0MC6Y

Contact: Nigel Papworth, game designer, +46-70-622-79-00; Mats Liljedahl, software designer, +46-070-540-58-88; Sofia Larsson, communication officer, +46-70-381-02-12