A game involving stealth where the players identify and follow a target amongst a crowd. It requires the skill in observing human behaviour and discerning different reactions.

Players take the role of an undercover officer of the Stasi, given a photo of a person, which they must then identify in a crowd, and follow. They settings are based in environments involving large numbers of people - shopping malls, sport stadiums, public parks. The goal is to successfully follow a target within a certain proximity for a given length of time, without alerting of losing them - too far risks the target being lost, too close alerts the individual, scaring them off.

Added to this is the challenge of keeping inconspicuous to everyone within proximity. In this game world, everyone has an awareness of state surveilance being carried out, so tipping off a third party has a knock-on effect in alerting your target.

The equipment you have is a Geiger counter, which reacts when your target is nearby. This, alongside reading body language and social cues, comprise the tools used by the player to carry out tasks in this game.

Stasi Land is based off the book by Anne Funder, similar in name and theme. It details the objectives and mechanisms of the Ministry for State Security in Germany, known as the Stasi, up until the 1990 and the fall of the Berlin wall. Their modus operandi involved the protection of state secrets and national security. Much of the book discusses the psychosocial effects of Orwellian control and mass-surveillance.

The game uses a discussed technique discussed in the book, involving spraying irradiated liquid on a target, so they can be followed using a Geiger counter. The game mechanics are built largely upon NPC's showing behaviour that reflects theories of human behaviour in psychology. For example, the Hawthorne effect, proposing humans change their behaviour and body language when it is known they are being observed.

Platform: PC/ Mac
Target Age Group: Adults; Favoured audience: enthusiasts of history, political science, and sociology;

Reference Image:
https://gustos-personales.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/l...