The history of the project
The idea of the game appeared in Minsk – the capital of the Republic of Belarus in 2001. It has been found by Ivan Masliukov who is also known at the project as im).
An extract from an interview:
Yes, it was I who has found this game. How has it happened? It was very easy. I was going by trolley bus when such idea occurred to me. She knocked and I opened to her the door and gave her some tea. I liked her immediately and didn’t want to let her go. And the idea, it seemed, wasn’t in a hurry. Our relations were not so good from the beginning. Only in a year we decided to have a baby. The result has lived up our expectations. The first game which occurred in Minsk in 2001 gave us to understand that these relations are for life.
In truth, I am often asked about how this idea has occurred. I say in so many words that I was going by trolley bus (because I used to go by trolley bus too!) and found out the idea about the game. Really, only half is a truth. Because before I found out the game a lot of things have occurred… I recalled the movie ‘The Game’ with Michael Douglas in a title role (Wealthy financier Nicholas Van Orton gets a strange birthday present from brother Conrad: a live-action game that consumes his life). I thought that it will be possible to make such game available for everyone with the difference that participants need to know what they play, because life isn’t a movie, it is impossible to repeat nasty fall from the skyscraper…
But, seriously, I haven’t invented anything new. Cars, the Internet and mobile communication have existed for a long time. There remained only to prepare hot and extreme cocktail from these components – such as the game ‘Encounter’ is. Probably, such idea occurred to someone else in that distant 2001 year. But I haven’t let it go.
The name – ‘Shvatka’ was chosen. Ivan Masliukov has developed and drawn the logotype of the game ‘SHVATKA’ (the logotype of the game ‘ENCOUNTER’ was also created by him).
The first game took place on the server of the youth’s Byelorussian newspaper ‘Znamja JUnosti’ about the address http://zu.by/encounter/ (a copy). It started in a romantic, liable to miracles hour – on October, 7th 2001 at midnight. Only one of seven tasks assumed necessity to leave the computer and to carry out the mission in the real world. Several participants were eager to carry out the task. They got into the cars and drove to carry it out. Probably, it was several persons who have decided the fate of the project… It was found that people are ready to active actions outside virtual reality and it was very important to recognize and feel.
However, in December 2001the original and exiting project was paused because of financial circumstances. The games were organized at the expense of personal investments of the ‘Shvatka’s’ creator Ivan Masliukov, and as it often happens it were not enough. He has given the promise (a copy) to resume games as soon as there will be an opportunity.
In early spring of 2002 Ivan started looking for partners who would help to realize the dream – to resume the game ‘Shvatka’. He decided to visit by oneself one hundred random chosen organizations, which theoretically would agree to participate in the development of joint project. The first in the list was the Internet provider Belinfonet Co Ltd. An advertising manager Ol'ga SHjolk has listened to Ivan with interest and promised to tell about the idea to the company management. The answer was soon given – the project will exist.
The preparation of the first single (open) game which has been appointed to June, 1st, 2002 has begun. The program complex was developed, various advertising production was produced and spread: leaflets, booklets, stickers. The first programmer of the project was Maxim Fedotkin, the design for the site www.cx.by (a copy) was done by Ivan Masliukov.
Thus, the single game ‘Reincarnation of Shvatka’ (a copy) was successfully took place. Four more single games had been passed before the first team game ‘Sounds of the night’ was took place in Minsk, on June, 22nd.
The game drew a wide response. The Byelorussian press wrote about it: newspapers ‘Belarus Today’ (a copy), ‘Tourism and Rest’ (a copy), magazine ‘CD’ and so on. The urban channel ‘Capital TV’ showed TV reports every fortnight. In September 2002 the one and only game’s copy which was allowed by creators of ‘Shvatka’ was created in Gomel.
In April 2003 the first clone of ‘Shvatka’ appeared. It was the game ‘Ohota’ (a copy). It differed from the original only in design and name. Belinfonet Co Ltd and Ivan Masliukov brought in an action ‘About indemnity for infringement of copyright as to the ‘Rules (conditions) of the game ‘Shvatka’ against the organizer of the game ‘Ohota’ Dmitrij Novikov. On March, 21st 2003 the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus dismissed the action of Belinfonet Co Ltd. In the judgment of the Supreme Court was indicated that the ‘Rules (conditions) of the game ‘Shvatka’ are only personal intellectual work of Ivan Masliukov. And a personal intellectual work according to the legislation in force of the Republic of Belarus CANNOT be an object of copyright.
Since that mass spread of game’s clones with different names has begun. They are: Quest, Auto-Quest, Dozor, Zarnica, Azhiotazh, DzzzR, Night City, MAD project, Perepoloh and so on, and so forth. Every new organizer as a rule in a hurry thought up the legend of game’s appearance, but stated the own version evasively and with no reference to the author of the idea. And admiring of the game participants very seldom think how the game has appeared, because in truth it doesn’t matter who the inventor is.
In summer 2004 the founder of the game ‘Shvatka’ Ivan Masliukov has placed at the disposal of Belinfonet Co Ltd his project, because their opinions concerning further development of the project were greatly differ. He made a decision to create his own global project, which would join separate organizers under the trademark ‘Encounter’ (unexpected meeting, collision). On September, 23rd, 2004 the application on registration of a trade mark ‘Encounter’ in Belarus, and in 2007 – in Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland and France was submitted.
Konstantin Glushakov who has written the game engine of the game ‘Shvatka’ has been heading the group of programmers who are now working at the development of the project ‘Encounter’.
At the moment the project ‘Encounter’ is developed by several persons, among them there Ivan Masliukov and Konstantin Glushakov who work from the very first days of the game ‘Shvatka’ existence.
September 2007. Putin's plan 2012 – can they without us?
At the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting on November 19, 2005 in Sydney the next Russian capital was named. After Olympic Sochi-2014, Vladivostok is going to become the capital of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in 2012. And the game ‘Encounter’ is also included in the plan of APEC-2012 :)
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