Data mutation is the act of using unrelated data to alter an information system. “Unrelated data” is data that was not developed for the specific information system nor was it created within the system itself. Date Mutation Games are games that utilize unrelated data for gameplay purposes (games being an example of an information system).


Examples include:


Mashup Games – Using online data sources for game data.

• The ESP Game
• Trendio
• Buzz Game
• Daily Headhunt
• Photo Munchrs

ARGs/Pervasive/Big Games (or Appropriative gaming) – “A genre of games that are designed for environments not originally intended to accommodate them.” — Brown, D. Pervasive Games Are Not A Genre!. Masters Thesis. 2007.

• Pac-Manhattan
• IPerG
• Cruel 2 B Kind
• Plund

Passive Online Games – Games that place game mechanics on top of everyday actions.

• Itty Bitty RPG
• Chore Wars
• Passively Multiplayer RPG

Future Entertainment Games – Many people are talking about combining games and the web. Though few have embraced data mutation.

• MetaPlace (hopefully)

Data Mutation is also part of my theory of “Games as Ambiguous Abstractions” which combines Information Theory, Media Richness Theory, and Abstraction of gameplay. More on that to come.