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Darren Waters

Hunting the bowler hat at SXSW

  • Darren Waters
  • 14 Mar 09, 01:26 GMT

The South by Soutwest Interactive Festival is a celebration of web culture and is a great way to showcase the way online and offline worlds are merging in practical and exciting ways.

A number of companies have launched location-aware tools at SXSW. From FourSquare, a location-based nightlife game, to Whrrl, a new social network infused with GPS.

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One of the more intriguing and fun examples at this year's festival is something called The Hat Game.

The premise of the game is simple: someone, somewhere in Austin is weating a bowler hat and you have to track him or her down and then say: "Excuse me, I do believe you have my hat!"

You then become the hat wearer and the person who manages to keep the hat for the longest period wins a prize.

So what has this got to do with the web and interactivity? Well, inside the hat is a concealed GPS device and the position of the person wearing the hat is plotted in real time on a Google Map.

People who spot the hat can also update its location by Twittering using the hashtag #hatgame.

The game starts on Saturday and runs for three days between the hours of 1pm and 9pm.

The Hat Game has been organised by the Arts Council of Wales and digital agencies iShed.net, locative games firm Simon Games, the Umbrella Group representing different UK firms and individuals at SXSWi and web design company Pollen 8.

It's not a new business or service but is being used as a calling card for the digital creativity of developers in the South West of England.

Happy Hat Hunting.

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