Narrative to be submitted....and the actions to come...

Saint James Historic District: Narrative

- presented by group 2 -

Locale : Today Saint James Park is an area of high traffic, with many public figures passing through, as well as the average joe. Here is where lawyers, peddlers, work out enthusiasts, business partners, court attendees, homeless, transit users, church goers, and post office senders and receivers traffic through. As busy sidewalks, streets, and light rail tracks continue a moving crowd around the park, the buildings themselves and the encompassment of the park welcome a momentary station of rest. As Saint James Square once served as the “heart” of the city of San Jose in the early 1900’s, there is still that sensibility today, yet with an awkward twist.

Situation : The City of San Jose along with the Redevelopment Agency has taken interest in the future of Saint James Park, and where it will go in the 21^st century. The abundant nature of technological presence is something to consider when the revamp of Saint James is to occur but more importantly- to distinguish the historical significance of the site as it stands today. Being surrounded by buildings on the National Register of Historical Places, this park must retain its historical stamina, and continue it’s important relevance as a historic district. A need to “activate” Saint James in such a way, that its reputation leans away from its current standings, is a goal that the City of San Jose would like to reach.

What if… we took Saint James into the 21^st century? Connect this historically rich park into the wires and airwaves. In a sense it is literally connected to the current technologies of today, with its prominent presence of a light rail train station, and the kind of people that traffic through, but there could be a deeper connection. It is already evident that Saint James Park has an online presence, through pages such as Yelp and iPhone Apps such as foursquare and Gowalla, but what if we could keep these check-inners entertained? What if we placed an interactive game throughout the park that encouraged movement, like a scavenger-hunt, and a little education at the same time?

Assume … THE TRICKSTER OF ST. JAMES PARK (working title)

BASIC PREMISE: Players 'collect' points by triggering specific ordered groups of QR codes and/or Augmented Reality triggers within 15 minute time spans.

SPECIFICS: AR and/or QR codes are placed around monuments in and around St. James Park. If a participant is not currently in the game, these codes simply reveal a bit of history about that particular landmark and/or area. However, every 30 minutes from the park's opening to the park's closing, participants will have 15 minutes to pick a category or group of these codes, activate them in an order specified by that group (for instance, one would retrace the three main stops of the lynch mob in the mid 1900s or find 3 former clubs/bars/businesses/etc), and clear all those categories before a virtual "trickster" does by the time 15 minutes is up.

PROCESS: Online, a server with an internal clock (in such a way that relates to when the games start and stop, most likely synchronized with an offline clock) sends out the start times and alerts players who 'opt in' with an app to start the game. As players pick a category, the server tracks, which codes have been triggered in order. If a QR code is picked out of order the player must restart the group from the first code. Completion of a category would consist of activating 3-4 codes in specific order, verified by the app's server.

VICTORY CONDITION: One game-exclusive coupon to a local business (e.g., 10% a purchase at local eatery or $5 a week at the Health Club), only good by 11:59PM that day.
FAILURE CONDITION: Player is encouraged to try again in half an hour and to read the QR codes in the meantime.

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I just added a mini background to lay down the basics of why we would like to propose such a project.
I will try to get together a page of "inspiration" with photos,etc. kind of like what Shona did, just in case we have to present so that we can have a visual. (i'll try, not guaranteed)

I think we need to acknowledge our next step to making this possible.
I think our NEXT STEP should be a trip to St. James Park on Friday, to seek out suitable areas that would be god for the Q&R scans.
We should also narrow down a few "stories" we would like to explore.
For example...
-McKinley statue
- The last lynching
- Scottish Rite history
- Post office history (this could even link to the original post office, which is the cafe attached to the SJ museum of art)

etc...
Let me know what you think!