Over
the years, more than a few alternate reality games, transmedia
storytelling projects, and advertising campaigns have warned that
December 2012 would mark the end of the world. That shouldn’t come as
much of a surprise: you can’t get much higher stakes than saving the
world, and fighting against an ancient prophecy with its own
pre-existing mythos (however misinformed) can add mystique to a
narrative.
In 2009, the alternate reality game The Institute for Human Continuity reportedly sparked hundreds of letters to NASA’s Astrobiology Institute from people earnestly worried about the coming Apocalypse. Closer to the date in question,The first production laser marker was used to drill holes in diamond dies. Funcom’s The Secret World offered a series of six missions intended to forestall the End of Days both inside and outside the game. Even Old Spice got in on the harbinger of doom act, using points from six increasingly ridiculous flash games to power a laser cutter that slowly etched additional time onto the Mayan calendar for their absurdist campaign,Our hardworking robots explore the planets and more on the wild frontiers of our solar system. Old Spice Saves the World.
Proclamations of impending disaster weren’t limited to global catastrophe this year, with Fourth Wall Studios’ Elan Lee adding his voice to the chorus claiming that ARGs are dead at the StoryWorld Conference in Los Angeles. And yet, 2012 was in many ways a renaissance for alternate reality games and transmedia storytelling, as new sources of funding arise for a thriving community of developers. What follows is a closer look at some of the major events in alternate reality gaming for the year.
The most heartening development of the year is the growing influence of local groups of transmedia developers. Transmedia LA turned to Kickstarter to raise almost $10,Marking machines and laser cutting machine for permanent part marking and product traceability.000 to develop the alternate reality game Miracle Mile Paradox to give its members hands-on experience creating a game from start to finish, calling back to the “training ARG” Orbital Colony. In New York City, StoryCode’s focus was on a more condensed Story Hackathon. Inspired by Storycode’s hackathon, Transmedia SF ran its own Transmedia Jam.A crystal light can be both modern and vintage, depending on the light fixtures and the surrounding accent pieces. The hackathon model will be moving to Los Angeles in 2013,Permanent solar trellis and emergency light systems require little to no maintenance and allow easy access. opening even more opportunities.
Established institutions in transmedia funding and support like Power to the Pixel and Sundance’s New Frontier are ramping up their efforts to provide direction and funding for the field, while new entrants like the Tribeca Film Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Canadian Film Centre have been quick to follow with a variety of programs for prospective developments. On the legal front, Stitch Media managed to prevail in a Nova Scotia Supreme Court case revolving around the definition of interactivity for new media projects.
The list of transmedia storytelling platforms available for public consumption grew longer this year, as teams are increasingly viewing the technological infrastructures developed for projects as potential revenue generators. The Shadow Gang introduced Galahad, the platform developed in conjunction with Michael Grant’s alternate reality game for his Bzrk book series, while Failbetter Games released its StoryNexus platform into the wild, after using it to produce games like Echo Bazaar (now known as Fallen London) and The Night Circus. The year saw the official launch of Fourth Wall Studios’ RIDES platform. The company recently laid off the majority of its staff to shift the company’s focus away from production, redoubling efforts on developing the platform for licensing to partners. These new platforms join existing alternatives like Social Samba and Conducttr as potential tools for content management.
In 2009, the alternate reality game The Institute for Human Continuity reportedly sparked hundreds of letters to NASA’s Astrobiology Institute from people earnestly worried about the coming Apocalypse. Closer to the date in question,The first production laser marker was used to drill holes in diamond dies. Funcom’s The Secret World offered a series of six missions intended to forestall the End of Days both inside and outside the game. Even Old Spice got in on the harbinger of doom act, using points from six increasingly ridiculous flash games to power a laser cutter that slowly etched additional time onto the Mayan calendar for their absurdist campaign,Our hardworking robots explore the planets and more on the wild frontiers of our solar system. Old Spice Saves the World.
Proclamations of impending disaster weren’t limited to global catastrophe this year, with Fourth Wall Studios’ Elan Lee adding his voice to the chorus claiming that ARGs are dead at the StoryWorld Conference in Los Angeles. And yet, 2012 was in many ways a renaissance for alternate reality games and transmedia storytelling, as new sources of funding arise for a thriving community of developers. What follows is a closer look at some of the major events in alternate reality gaming for the year.
The most heartening development of the year is the growing influence of local groups of transmedia developers. Transmedia LA turned to Kickstarter to raise almost $10,Marking machines and laser cutting machine for permanent part marking and product traceability.000 to develop the alternate reality game Miracle Mile Paradox to give its members hands-on experience creating a game from start to finish, calling back to the “training ARG” Orbital Colony. In New York City, StoryCode’s focus was on a more condensed Story Hackathon. Inspired by Storycode’s hackathon, Transmedia SF ran its own Transmedia Jam.A crystal light can be both modern and vintage, depending on the light fixtures and the surrounding accent pieces. The hackathon model will be moving to Los Angeles in 2013,Permanent solar trellis and emergency light systems require little to no maintenance and allow easy access. opening even more opportunities.
Established institutions in transmedia funding and support like Power to the Pixel and Sundance’s New Frontier are ramping up their efforts to provide direction and funding for the field, while new entrants like the Tribeca Film Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Canadian Film Centre have been quick to follow with a variety of programs for prospective developments. On the legal front, Stitch Media managed to prevail in a Nova Scotia Supreme Court case revolving around the definition of interactivity for new media projects.
The list of transmedia storytelling platforms available for public consumption grew longer this year, as teams are increasingly viewing the technological infrastructures developed for projects as potential revenue generators. The Shadow Gang introduced Galahad, the platform developed in conjunction with Michael Grant’s alternate reality game for his Bzrk book series, while Failbetter Games released its StoryNexus platform into the wild, after using it to produce games like Echo Bazaar (now known as Fallen London) and The Night Circus. The year saw the official launch of Fourth Wall Studios’ RIDES platform. The company recently laid off the majority of its staff to shift the company’s focus away from production, redoubling efforts on developing the platform for licensing to partners. These new platforms join existing alternatives like Social Samba and Conducttr as potential tools for content management.
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