Under Watch

EGS, Drexel University

Under Watch is a pervasive mobile game designed to prompt player reflection about online privacy, surveillance, and ubiquitous computing.

In Under Watch, players seemingly engage in a social-networking game where the goal is to find and take selfies with fellow players, meeting new people in the process. By giving up just a few small privacy permissions when downloading the app, players get the opportunity to connect with their peers while having some good-spirited, competitive fun. What may not be immediately obvious is that the app does not limit its imitation of social media to the positive side. Over the course of the game, whistleblowing articles and microtargeted ads slowly reveal to players the consequences of their online actions. Through disquieting experiences and the subversion of expectation, Under Watch seeks to evoke feelings of discomfort in players regarding the security of their personal privacy. There is no escape from this spatially and temporally pervasive game; players must sit with the discomfort