Journey to the End of the Night (game)
Journey to the End of the Night is a free reality game that originated in San Francisco. It was launched by the “Playtime Anti-boredom Society” in 2006 and improved by many players and organizers worldwide.
Game description
The game is a hunt through your own city. The players are divided into hunters (chasers) and hunted (runners). At the beginning (on average 200 participants) most of the players are runners and try to escape from the chasers. Players are identified by a colored armband. The runners try to reach checkpoints along a given route as quickly as possible. Whoever arrives first, and above all without being caught by a chaser, wins the game. The chasers try to catch as many runners as possible. If a chaser catches a runner, he receives his bracelet as a trophy. The chaser with the most bracelets wins the chaser game. Every runner caught becomes a chaser himself. As the game progresses, more and more players become chasers.
regulate
An organization team plans a route with checkpoints within their own city. Every checkpoint represents a safe zone. This means that every runner must not be caught within this area. Safezones have to be designed in such a way that there are several entrances and exits (e.g. parks, public spaces, etc.). Only local public transport is allowed as a means of transport; aids such as inline skates, bicycles, cars, taxis and other means of transport are prohibited. The players receive routing slips on which a map of the play area and the checkpoints are shown. The route and the map remain secret until the start of the game, so that none of the players gain advantages through preparation. The checkpoints must be completed in the correct order. If a player arrives too early at a checkpoint, he will not get a signature on the routing slip. There are agents at every checkpoint who sign the routing slip. The runner who reaches the finish line first as the “survivor” wins the game. The following applies to the chasers: whoever catches the most runners wins the game. The game therefore has a winning pair: the fastest runner and the most successful chaser.
Story of the game
Journey to the End of the Night was launched by the Playtime Anti-boredom Society in 2006. It began in the USA. Through contacts with SF0, a Londoner managed to bring the game to Europe. It was held in May 2007 in typical British weather - rain. Still, the players made the run through London; with umbrellas. In 2009 the game reached German-speaking countries: with well-known starting points such as the Prater in Vienna and the Cathedral in Aachen.
Games played
2006
- San Francisco (US): June 17, 2006
- Brooklyn (US): September 26, 2006
- Manhattan (US): October 1, 2006
2007
- London (UK): May 30, 2007
2008
- Los Angeles (US): July 12, 2008
- Chicago (US): April 24, 2008
- Washington, DC (US): June 1, 2008
2009
- Chicago , IL (US): May 2, 2009
- Washington, DC (US): May 2, 2009
- Oakland , CA (US): June 20, 2009
- Vienna (AT): August 7, 2009
- Los Angeles (US): August 29, 2009
- Vienna (AT): October 17, 2009
- Aachen (D): October 17th, 2009
- San Francisco (US): October 31, 2009
- Berlin (D): December 31, 2009
2010
- Vienna (AT): May 15, 2010
- Aachen (D): October 8, 2010
- Vienna (AT): December 31, 2010
- Berlin (D): December 31, 2010
2011
- Budapest (HU): April 22, 2011
- Berlin (D): May 11, 2011
- Los Angeles (US): July 23, 2011
- Berlin (D): December 31, 2011
2012
- Los Angeles (US): May 12, 2012
- Seattle (US): September 7, 2012
- Vienna (AT): September 8, 2012
- Milan (IT): October 6, 2012
- Gothenburg (S): November 10, 2012
- Budapest (HU): November 10, 2012
2013
- Cremona (IT): May 4th 2013
- Vienna (AT): August 31, 2013
- Gothenburg (S): October 5th, 2013
- Berlin (D): December 31, 2013
2014
- Sydney (AUS): February 22, 2014
- Ljubljana (SLO): March 21, 2014
- Dublin (IRE): April 26, 2014
- Erlangen (D): June 12, 2014
- Komenda (SLO): September 13, 2014
- Nova Gorica (SLO): September 19, 2014
- Budapest (HU): October 18, 2014
- Vienna (AT): December 31, 2014
2015
- Budapest (HU): April 24, 2015
- San Diego (US): May 2, 2015
- Erlangen (D): July 10, 2015
- Vienna (AT): September 18, 2015
2016
- Erlangen (D): October 21, 2016
2017
- Erlangen (D): July 14, 2017
2018
- Erlangen (D): June 8th, 2018
2019
- Erlangen (D): June 14, 2019
Web links
- SFZero - SFZero
- totheendofthenight.com - Official website of the game (with event directory and organizational instructions )
- antiboredom - Playtime Antiboredom Society - The inventors of the game
- SF0 - experience reports of various participants
- Oakland Rules - Game details in Oakland
- chicag0 - Journey in Chicago
- Metalab - Metalab in Vienna, meeting point for the organizers of the Journey in Vienna
- FeD eV Förderverein euregionale Digitalkultur eV, organizer in Aachen
- Journey Vienna game site Vienna
- Journey Aachen game site Aachen
- chicag0 Chicago 2009
- Brooklyn - Journey in Brooklyn
- Manhattan - Journey in Manhattan
- London - Journey in London
- Los Angeles - Journey in Los Angeles
- Chicago - Journey in Chicago
- Washington DC - Journey in Washington DC
- journey.hawo.net - Journey in Erlangen