JEN

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT

Originally created in 2006 by Ian Kizu-Blair, Sean Mahan, and Sam Lavigne, Journey to the End of the Night is a game that puts players in the middle of a cinematic chase scene through a city at night. With over 5,000 players all time, it is one of the most successful street games in the world with runnings in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Vienna, and of course, Chicago!

Upcoming Journeys!

Saturday, September 14th 2013, 7:00pm
Noble Square, Chicago IL

Saturday, October 5 2013, 7:00pm
229 S Civic Center Dr columbus, OH 43215

For the latest information on the upcoming Journey, click here!

Who can play?

Everyone! Make new friends, bring old ones, and find new ways to adventure in our city!

The game is super fun, and the more people that play, the merrier! This is an intense game, capable of changing your perspective on the entire city. But while it will test your mettle, Journey is not an exclusive sport by any means – players range from spunky 18-year-old athletes to computer geeks to 50 and 60 year old common citizens. Journey is not a competition of youth and strength, but a game to test yourself against the city. This is liberty through genuinely free, self-conscious, authentic play.

How does it work: Gameplay

This is a footrace–only your own two feet and public transit are permitted. No bicycles, no skates, no cars, no taxis.

You will meet at a pre-determined meeting place. There you will receive a map and two ribbons.

One will be red. One will be blue.

The blue one will be placed on your arm. The red one will go in your pocket.

Beginning at 7:00pm you will follow the map across the city trying to make it to the secret checkpoints as quickly as you can. All the while you’ll be chased by robots wearing red ribbons.

If you get caught, you will hand over your blue ribbon as a prize to the chaser. You will take the red ribbon out of your pocket and place it around your arm. You are now a robot. The object of the game is to get to checkpoints without getting tagged or to catch as many runners as you can.

Rules

1. Chasers (Robots) may only catch one person at a time.
2. You must take the blue ribbon before you tag another runner.
3. Checkpoints are safe zones. No one can be tagged in a safe zone.
4. Safe zones will be noted on the map you receive in the beginning.
5. Public transportation is always a safe zone. The only thing that counts as public transit are buses and trains.
6. If there is an argument about who got caught, you settle it like adults in the dark of night between each other remembering the game is meant to be fun.
7. Everyone who makes it to the finish line is a winner and will receive a prize.
8. The runner who reaches the finish line first wins a trophy.
9. The chaser who captures the most runners wins a trophy.

Where does the route go?

• Travel light. The less you have weighing you down, the faster you’ll be escaping chasers. Wear comfortable shoes, dress for the weather, bring some water and possibly a camera.
• Arrive a little early. Organizers will be at the start early, so you can collect a map and plot out your route without time pressure. If you don’t have a plan, you could find yourself running in the wrong direction.
• When you see a chaser, run. Get around a corner and hide, or try to make it to the nearest safe zone. Always know where the nearest safe zone is.
• Bring a friend or two. Preferably ones you can outrun.
• Fill up your transit card. Parts of the journey may be faster on public transit. Also, a transit map may prove useful. 
• The most direct route between two checkpoints is likely to be the way most patrolled by chasers. Take a longer route to reach the safe zone from another angle.
• Keep your eyes open. Anyone could be a chaser.
• Move quickly, but try not to draw suspicion. They’ll be looking for your ribbon (you can’t hide it), but it’s dark and details are often hard to see at a distance. If they start moving towards you, be ready to run.