At the first Nuit Blanche festival in Amsterdam in 2010, 7scenes, Waag Society and Golfstromen created a nightly interactive smartphone adventure game that took place in the twilight zone between digital en physical urban spaces. Gold Rush players were given the task to find an unknown treasure left behind by a kidnapped Russian business man Kurnan Iblovich and his accomplice Anatoli.
During the game the players stumbled upon obstacles, tasks and mysteries that would initially guide them to the treasure. Leads and tips could be found in public space, attached to buildings, in the day's newspaper, by calling a telephone number, and on the 7scenes smartphone application that guided players right through downtown Amsterdam. Players who succeeded in following the traces were selected for a Grande Finale in the Brakke Grond theatre in a back alley in Amsterdam in the middle of the night...
The teaser
The teaser told the story this way: "Welcome to Gold Rush. At the end of the night liters of liquid gold are awaiting you. This substance is in the hands of a Russian businessman, hidden at a secret location in Amsterdam. In this Mobile Game Gold Rush you will have to find out it's location and crack the lock's code. Good luck!"
A mysterious video placed on YouTube formed the first hint of what the participants could expect during the game. You can find this video on the right of this page. The game received a lot of attention in the press. Some links can be found in the menu on the right of this page.