Slovensko narodno gledališče Nova Gorica

GO!CROSS

Welcome to the GO!CROSS mobile game!

Set off on a unique cross-border adventure in the municipal area of Nova Gorica and Gorizia! Explore the two cities, solve riddles, complete challenges and discover hidden treasures. Join forces with other players and help the benevolent artificial intelligence to join the two cities into one. Prepare for an exciting mix of a virtual game and real-life exploration in this unique mobile game. Start your journey and become a part of something extraordinary!

Play GO!CROSS!

It was first possible to play the mobile game GO!CROSS in the conurbation of Nova Gorica, Gorizia, Šempeter pri Gorici and Solkan in the second half of September 2024. In this browser-based strategy game, similar to a treasure hunt, the players search for and collect stickers with QR codes and complete special tasks to (re-)acquaint themselves with the conurbation and life in it. The game encourages players from “both Goricas” to veer from their established paths, open their eyes and explore the parts of the conurbation that most often remain overlooked – including the cultural infrastructure on both sides of the border.

Through interesting walks, a wealth of quizzes and tasks, and different rewards, the game pulls together the cultural landscape of the Nova Gorica/Gorizia urban area. GO!Cross was developed as a part of the Creative Europe ACuTE project, an innovative project in performing arts production, which solicits the help of new technologies and searches for new ways of collaborating among institutions and developing skills.

The current iteration of the game could be played until the end of September 2024, when awards were presented to the best players at the final event. Since then, the creators have been upgrading it into individual challenges for visitors to the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) throughout 2025.

The game’s concept was created by artistic director and dramaturg Marko Bratuš, theatre director Jure Novak and city games expert Markus Schubert (Germany). Project collaborators included Neva Makuc, a historian at the ZRC SAZU, programmers Christoph Wanja and Maksimilian Zabukovec, students from the classes of professors Hester van der Ent and Herman Passen at the Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Enschede (NL) and digital theatre experts Carla Meller and Michael Eichoff at the Akademie für Digitalität Dortmund (DE).

The concept of a city game allows the players to reclaim their city, to look at it with fresh eyes. What I particularly like in this game is that we use smartphones to actually, physically, move people through the conurbation and allow them to interact with other inhabitants and the parts of the city they have not yet visited. This game personifies of the slogan of the ECoC 2025, GO! Borderless.

_{Markus Schubert}

The ACuTe project aims to research the relationship between technology and performing arts, with an emphasis on audience development. When we searched for the best way to use technology in theatre, we soon realised that instead of focusing on theatre, we needed to focus on the audience and on how technology can contribute to a better life for them. Via a city game, we wish to bring the two cities closer to the people – to both their inhabitants as well as all the guests that will visit them during the ECoC. We also managed to include the area’s rich history in the game, as well as most of its cultural institutions.

_{Marko Bratuš}

ACuTe – the acronym for Culture Testbeds for Performing Arts and New Technology – is a European innovation project that unites and encourages the creation of performing arts with the help of new technologies, searching for new ways of cultural collaboration and skills development.

There are 14 participating organisations in the ACuTe, including theatres, universities and arts networks and organisations. The project partners are:

· Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

· Ars Electronica (Austria)

· European Theatre Convention (Germany)

· Azkuna Zentroa-Alhóndiga Bilbao (Spain)

· Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia)

· Saxion University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)

· Théâtre de Liège (Belgium)

· Oulun teatteri (Finland)

· De Toneelmakerij (Netherlands)

· Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica (Slovenia)

· Det Norske Teatret (Norway)

· Academy for Theatre and Digitality (Germany)