Exploring
The exploring pattern requires the player to traverse and interact with physical space.
Exploration of a physical space is a simple and powerful pattern. It offers possibilities for combination with other patterns. For example, revealing parts of a map-tool, or finding and collecting a digital object.
Exploration is performed in physical space and it is a good pattern on which to focus learning. In location-based mobile games this pattern occurs always, even implicitly. For a better learning effect it should be incorporated in the game organically, so as to link exploration to specific learning goals.
Exploration might be conducted cooperatively, or with a time limit. It is a common pattern for games that are adapted from board games.
Successful exploration might trigger an ending condition.
Example
The open area derivatives of MuseumScrabble (CityScrabble, CarnivalScrabble, If in Monemvasia..., Treasure in Tzoumerka) require the players to actively explore the game area in order to find QR tags or trigger proximity alerts.
Similarly, in Invisible city: Rebels vs. spies, the players are assigned missions, where they have to explore the space and find QR tags.
In both examples, exploration of the physical space is a crucial element for meeting learning goals of the games.