MFA DT Thesis

ABSTRACT / Prototypes / Presentations / Briefs / Blog

 

Through the real-time, creative development of an interactive, online narrative, this project pitches a method to confront pervasive issues of accountability, escapism, and socialization in our networked, virtual society. In a cultural landscape where the distinction between real and imaginary identities, rule sets and consequences has become perilously blurred since the development and ubiquity of virtual reality and game theory respectively, the role of ethics and values in mainstream, decision-making processes has diminished. Wonderful Life is a sexy, interactive marketing campaign for a satirical product that lures participants into an existential alternate reality game (ARG), where they become part of a humorous allegory about addiction and accountability, all from the tainted vantage point of their own virtual space. Since the crux of the project’s efficacy is in the power of interactivity to reveal how the player is an integral part of the flawed system, a replica of the entire game is laid out in several testing modules before the project’s release date to improve the take-away message of the final version. The project is a success if it reaches participants who would not normally endorse an anti-establishment message, and in doing so, builds participant awareness about the potentially deprecating social laws of a culture based on game theory and virtual reality.

KEYWORDS / social media, interactive marketing, alternate reality game, virtual reality, game theory, non-linear narrative