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Perplex City creator’s, MindCandy, are prepping for the world’s largest alternate reality game (ARG) live event ever - The San Francisco Connection. Set to take place in San Francisco, CA on August 12, 2006, the event will have thousands scouring the city streets, taking part in a high-tech treasure hunt.

Up to 1000 players and spectators will take part on-site, along with thousands more online. The main puzzle will involve real-time RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tracking – something never done before, making it the most impressive and high-tech puzzle ever. Using special chips embedded within objects, RFID allows for a variety of games by tracking the chips within a specific area. The day’s activities will be ‘in-game’ - in other words, participants will influence a vitally important part of the Perplex City story.

There will be hundreds of puzzles for players to solve as they take to the streets. For instance, following a trail of puzzles might direct players to the Transamerica building, where they would need to find how many entrances it has in order to move on; other examples of puzzles will range from images and riddles to finding stale technology (where can one find a floppy drive these days?).

The event will begin and end at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, and will run from 10:30am to approximately 4pm. It is open to everyone (if under 16, please bring a parent or guardian). Those planning to attend are asked to sign up beforehand at www.perplexcity.com (under ‘live events’), as there are a limited number of player spaces available. Players are encouraged to bring a car, bike, or another mode of transit if available (although it isn’t necessary) and a good map of San Francisco.

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