Scan the iPhone app store for games and the norm will be screen-centered games that keep players glued to the very small field of play. Exo Arena changes the paradigm for iPhone games by turning the field outward and lets multiple phones interact on an exterior arena.

Based on the idea behind Lasertag, using the iPhone as a shooter and a target, Exo Arena turns outdoor parks, parking lots, or other open spaces into battlefield arenas where you take on a swarm of fighters. This cool and truly interactive game will be drawing a crowd for Come Out and Play 2014 where an expectant audience can try out the outstanding idea.

We are big believers in getting up and out for play. The Game Lab here at ESI developed and ran Field Frogger last fall for an outdoor audience, among other live action games. This analog version of the Frogger arcade game also had its debut at Come Out and Play 2012 in San Francisco. As a crowd pleaser, this bouncy ball game accomplishes a similar task as Exo Arena. Both games engage players on a human level.

As ESI interactive designer Pete Vigeant has said that games are important because, “fun things are fun.” And because they are fun, they have the ability to create interactions in ways that are otherwise not possible. Exo Arena and Field Frogger are conduits to discovery.

Download the Exo Arena app, practice with a group of friends, and meet us on July 18^th and 19^th for some group play for Come Out and Play Festival 2014. ESI will be hosting Family Field Day for the third year in a row. This inner event is for children of most ages and is always a great place for kids to play, run, learn, and laugh. Check out all the games that will be played on the Come Out and Play festival page. See you there!