Un-Reality: The Props

For a game like this to exist we needed a vast amount of props. We started work early on building or collecting the required components.

List:

• A tunnel/ Portal
• Paper and Acetate Maps
• Binoculars
• Chest
• Boxes for Jim 
• Boxes to go around Jim
• Bow and Arrows
• Face Paint
• Wild Boy outfits
• Princess outfit
• Tea Party Table and chairs
• Tea Pot and Cup
• Trenchcoat 
• Fishing Rod
• Santas Throne
• Santa Outfit

Here's a some photos of production and props.

Un-Reality: The Tasks

Between us we came up with a character for each person to control within the game. These characters would have a task for the players to complete before they could head onto the next stage.

Jim would be the cardboard robot you dreamed up in your head as a child. You have to help free him from being trapped under the weight of the other boxes. Much like the tin man from Wizard of Oz who needs oil.

Corey was the wild boy you were when you went out into the bush behind your house. He would take the participant on a hunt with those home made bows and arrows.

Rachael was the host of the great tea parties that existed in in all little girls childhood. Players would take part as the guets in the party where fun and games would exist

Emile was the stranger your parents told you never to talk to. (Stranger Danger) The players make a choice how and if they want to interact with this character of the game. He has a fishing rod to reel them in.

And I was the a figure that brings happiness to most children on a certain day. Santa Claus. The participants ask for a gift. If they ask right the game will come to an end shortly after.

Un-Reality: See This is a Teaser

A friend shared this with me tonight while I was working. To me it seemed like the perfect way to start of a game. Its a simple idea that gets the user involved in the game instantly. It evoked many emotions and made me as a user feel very uncomfortable. To be able to do this before the game even commenced would be a great advantage.

http://www.takethislollipop.com/

Un-Reality: My First Impressions of the New Concept

Putting The Player into Our Own Childish, Skewed World

This idea developed out of the rubble of the complex ideas that made our original concept. We want to force the users into situations they would have found interesting and exciting as a child but now would be almost embarrassed to do. There will also be an underlying sinister aspect to what will be almost a performance in a demented circus.

I think the believability of this project will come down to our own belief in the possibilities of our game. From what I know understand I believe this was the key failure in our first concept. Nobody could themselves believe the possibility of that concept. Now that we all feel confident in our ability to act out and become part of this reality we can progress forward.

Un-Reality: The First Idea

Our idea from today:

Exploring the mindset of a child, START: The subjects are invited to a play date, either guided by one of us (Dressed up in a costume) or have to work it out for themselves. The subjects end up outside (outside the library) Party waiting for them there, Balloons and party hats (Maybe AQUA playing?). 

Rachael is waiting for them dressed up in a fairy costume, either face paints them or gives them hats etc. 

They are asked to participate and complete a task - hopscotch or skipping ropes etc.. once completed they are given their next clue, on the way to their next clue is a test, 

Emile is dressed up in a trenchcoat and waiting around one of the corners with a fishing rod with candy attached at the end. Trying to lure the subjects in and tell them to follow him to the party..

This is a test, if they follow emile pulls out a fake gun, and shoots them. 'pow pow you're dead'. if they dont follow emile they end up at their next clue, corey waiting with a sling shot, shooting balloons in a tree, one of them has their next clue inside. Subjects have to pop the balloons and uncover their next clue. 


END: Last clue Tom is dressed up in a santa, 'ho ho ho' come sit on my lap, takes a polaroid of them and writes something on the back, maybe internet clue to progress etc... 


Some other ideas we want to include: Pinata with candy/clue inside. bread crumb trail? hansel/gretal, colouring in book. maybe incorporate a penalty time out zone instead of shooting them, parent figure appears and tells off the subjects for following emile/dodgee character etc..

We had started a group page where we would post research and ideas.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/290074361019564/

Un-Reality: Stagnant Waters

After such a blast of brilliant ideas at the start we hit a major roadblock. We lost sight of where the project was going and how we could create a storyline out of the concept. We could find little or no incentive for the player to play the game. We had come up with far too much concept and realised we couldn't figure out how to build a story on this basis. With this in mind we had to make a choice. After 2 days of not being able to do much we started work on one of the smaller concepts we had been thinking about. The idea of exploring the reality of a child. Children view the world in a completely different way from an adult. They do not feel the social or societal pressures and they have no reason to hold back from doing anything. In essence they are the freest and happiest of us all. Why couldn't we recreate this for us at that age. This could be an experience for everybody involved including those who would act out the parts to play in it. With this in mind we started brainstorming ideas and dredging up our dearest and most vivid memories from our childhood. Things that had had some effect on the person we are now or that to us seemed to be the most fun part. The child's is one of the most creative. Hours can be spent by oneself making up your own world, your own reality.

Un-Reality: The Beginning

When we first started off doing work for this project we came up with a whole load of extremely conceptual ideas that were both interesting and crazy at the same time. We started a cerebral tempest of our ideas on a white board chucking down every idea that came within our grasp. What we created was a jumble of things that could be loosely attached to each other in various ways . 

After all that we needed to refine all these ideas into a concept we could work with to create a storyline. Earlier in the year myself and Emile had explored the idea of Solipsism: 

it is the philosophical idea that one's mind is the only one that is sure to exist. Solipsism as an anepistemological positions hold that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure. We brought our ideas in around this one as it left a lot of room for play. 

After a couple of days we came up with a basic outline for our concept: From the onset we wanted to create a very conceptual and deeper meaning game. We want to provide an experience that will make the participant very self aware and help them begin to understand some key ideas of the degradation and indoctrination thats occurs in life. To do this our game exists around a combination of 2 ideas. The use of an NPC and the philosophical idea of Solipsism. The idea that ones mind is the only thing that is sure to exist. Everything is just a figment of your own mind. The players will be a construct of the NPC's mind and to continue to exist they need to make an impression on its mind. To be forgotten is to cease to exist. In a novel you will  never remember the names of the minor characters. It is only the heroes who make impressions. We will run the players through a series of challenges that test both moral and psychological worthiness. 

This game will effectively be a initiation for a string of future games. Each delving deeper into the mindset.

Un-Reality: The Brief

The Project

In the streets surrounding the WT Building, hidden from the day to day wanderings of commuters and shoppers, is a parallel reality. Discovered through direct or secret invitation, or just by chance, this alternate world weaves across physical and digital space in and around the WT Building.  

The creation of this alternate reality is your project this semester. 

Transmedia games are at the leading edge of game design and are being utilised for a variety of purposes including marketing, education, organisational and community development. They form a bridge between multiple worlds, and by presenting multiple views of reality, expand our epistemological and ontological flexibility. We are giving you an opportunity to create a game of your own.

Brief

This assignment will involve the creation of an alternate reality ‘journey’ which will utilise multiple media and traverse multiple realms. The journey must involve at least some physical movement around spaces (including the streets closest to the BCT studios (a map is attached showing outer boundaries)), and involve both physical  and digital media content. 

The type of ‘reality’ you choose is up to you and your group. The reality may involve a mystery, an unfolding narrative or simply be an alternate reality tourist trail. It could involve interdimensional communication with unusual beings or day to day people in an unusual context. It is up to you. But it will need to be compelling and engaging and demonstrate your ability to take creative risks.

Try to pay attention to as many senses as possible (e.g. sound, visual, smell, taste, kinaesthetic, emotion/feeling) when creating the reality. Also think about magic, surprise, fun and excitement as you create an alternate reality experience.

You may choose to utilise some form of mobile technology as part of your process but this can be at any level of technological sophistication (i.e. conventional phones or GPS units, through to smart phones using QR codes or AR apps).You should not have to do any programming for this assignment – keep it simple and use existing apps where possible and if at all.

You will need to attend to how individuals discover the reality – direct invitation and selection or chance? Also how do they end the journey? The process of journeying through your reality should not be too complicated or confusing