STOWAWAY: Alternate reality game
Main overview
STOWAWAY is an Alternate Reality Game.
An ARG works similarly to an escape room or a treasure hunt, but deploys interactive storytelling and a
trail of physical locations as well as information online and technological devices.
The plot of STOWAWAY is inspired by science fiction’s time-travelling narratives.
The central themes are local diversity and climate change.
This game is free and open to all.
The plot, themes and level of difficulty are designed for adults and young adults.
All clues are located in areas along Blackhorse Lane and neighbouring streets.
For more information visit: @socialcinemalondon
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Players will only need a smartphone to play.
The whole game can be payed in a few hours.
Players can come back any time during the opening hours of the game.
Clues are a mixture of audio, video, online and physical objects.
Before 10am and after 4pm most devices will be turned off and most clues will not be accessible.
The game can be played and completed over multiple days.
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Public spaces, parks and businesses along Blackhorse Lane and neighbouring streets.
The game starts from Yonder, 4-6 Hookers Road London E17 6DP.
To get there:
Blackhorse Road Station
(Underground and Overground)
Buses 123, 158, 230, W11, N73
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From 23 September to 8 October 2023
Opening times:
Mon - Wed 10am - 3pm
Thu - Sun 10am - 4pm
(some of the clues will be accessible after 4pm, but we recommend starting in the morning to allow time to access all clues)
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We're running cooperative play sessions on Saturdays where people can play cooperatively in case they're not familiar with alternate reality games, don’t own a smartphone, need support with visual or audio clues or just would like some company.
These cooperative sessions are free but booking is essential. Link to book is accessible from the linktree in our Instagram bio (see instagram link above).
Game Setting
The game is set in an imaginary future where climate change has greatly impacted the way that humans can survive, ice caps have melted and much of what is now land is underwater.
London has become an archipelago of small islands. Much has vanished: flora and fauna, knowledge of certain technologies and - perhaps most importantly - the reason that this collapse occurred.
The Stowaways are a small community of teenagers who have settled together on an island that once was Higham Hill Park. They move around on boats and survive on fishing and on what they find, often diving deep into the water to retrieve tinned food from the submerged houses. Dry land is scarce, plants are rare and hard to grow because of the change in climate and because so many species have been lost.
As a result this future community is reaching backwards to us, and like a ghost in a machine is occupying technological devices to communicate.
Communication between communities is difficult but cooperation and trade is not unusual. Central government is corrupt, true power lies with a few communities who have gained influence and do not want the status quo to change. For these reasons communication from The Stowaways is glitchy and sometimes difficult to comprehend.
