Supported by the Creative State Commissions program, 64 Ways of Being is a new, free game app that turns a walking tour of Melbourne into an audio theatre performance, a history exploration and inspiring creative experience all at the same time.

The game, which can be accessed off any smartphone, uses augmented reality in the style of widely popular games like Pokémon Go. It was created by artist, game maker and RMIT academic Dr Troy Innocent Dr Innocent, working with live arts collective one step at a time like this, and game developer Millipede.

Developed over two years, the project brought together more than 20 Victorian performers, coders, games developers, researchers and musicians working with Traditional owners, cultural groups and translators to research and select key sites across the city and find creative, immersive ways to bring their stories to life. said

Troy said: “64 Ways of Being has been an amazing opportunity to collaborate with other creative practitioners. We’re really excited to see how Melburnians and visitors embrace it. People often think of digital games as something played on the couch. We wanted to show they can be much more than that and imaginative, urban play can transform your connection to place.’’

The game traverses a three kilometre trail across the city stretching from Parliament to Queensbridge by the Yarra River. Along the way, players will explore laneways and iconic sites where they will collect puzzle pieces, follow characters, or hear stories about the city.

Players will learn about the river that once flowed down Elizabeth Street while watching eels swim around the trams via their smartphone, they might meet a digital character in Croft Alley or uncover hidden worlds in Chinatown.

The Creative State Commissions program was created to support groundbreaking creative ideas that would boost Victoria’s reputation as a creative state, attract tourism and make a lasting impact on creative careers and the wider community.

With the CBD game now live, the team plans to expand the game into other locations across Melbourne over the next 12 months including St Kilda, Footscray, Fitzroy and Collingwood with the potential to expand to other regions or to take this Victorian-made games model to other countries in future.

The free 64 Ways of Being app can be downloaded from the Apple store and Google Play. For more information, visit www.64waysofbeing.com