Pass on the PHEON!
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is hoping to participate in a multiple-institution game named PHEON. The game will be designed by CityMystery and anitboredom, the people that brought you “Ghosts of a Chance” in 2008 (http://www.ghostsofachance.com). The game needs a minimum of three partners in order to happen. The partners might be museums, libraries, historic sites, science centers, archives, or any institution or agency that is looking for ways to engage and connect with its audiences.
The purpose of the game is to celebrate and reinforce the American impulse to innovate. We hope to promote the idea that Americans understand innovation as a reoccurring utility of our democracy, one that matches our ability to adapt and succeed. PHEON’s subtext has to do with how ideas are passed along: how one person articulates a wish that another fulfills. 
It will be a mission-based game, with missions emanating from the expertise, collections, programs, and goals of participating institutions. The customizable nature of PHEON means that each partner can design missions to fulfill its own specific needs. It might be about generating content about a collection, helping digitization efforts through micro tasks, or just encouraging use of on-line and on site resources.
The game will be built around an on-line network, known as PlaytimeEngine, which will serve as the hub for all mission-related activities. It will also create a platform for players to connect with each other as well as with the game designers and staff from the partnering institutions.
PHEON will be geared primarily towards the DIY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diy) or “maker” community. There is a revitalization of the indie craft movement right now, from embroidery and knitting to robotics and hacking, and this game will speak directly to that. The enthusiasm that we saw around the artifact-creation in the “Ghosts of a Chance” game was staggering, and I'm hopeful that we will see even more this time around.
Are you ready to pass on the PHEON?
Georgina Goodlander
Interpretive Programs Manager, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum
E: GoodlanderG@si.edu
T: (202) 633-8532
www.LuceFoundationCenter.si.edu
www.twitter.com/bathlander 

John Maccabee
CityMystery LLC
E: johnmaccabee@gmail.com
B: (415) 346-6371
C: (415) 377-6839
www.twitter.com/johnmaccabee