Suit Keen Renovator: Alternate Reality Design

presentation for interactive entertainment 05 by ann morrison and truna

Virtual territories and their theme parks are more akin to the physical world of real estate than they might at first appear. The trick in triggering the designer's imagination, is to find a 'nice renovator' (cottage/ house) at a low price, with loads of potential, and by doing it on the cheap to add character, and engage the imagination. Here the designer can construct changes from an imagined space. Vision is more important than how the actual place presents. This work describes a case study involving undergraduate students in the Creative Industries who needed a place to explore, so as to create their own visions and projects. The place had to inspire, trigger engagement, and their imaginations. At the same time it was important that the place did not coerce activity, or distract from the task by confusing tools with task, or architectural navigation with conceptual skills.

The solution was an alternate reality.

ipskay - a presentation produced by the town council and the our ipskay website

this project was originally developed as a test bed for further research into exploiting rich immersive environments in educational settings

however, it took on a life of its own and developed into a fabricated reality which suited the brief to such an extent that even when we were offered a rich environment - built in the TGE - it was added to the warp and weft of the alternate reality, rather than used to replace it.

warp and weft of the alternate reality
ipskay council website	news archive	virtual ipskay	river underground

the case study

KKB018 Rationale The development of the creative industries has been identified as a central element of the contemporary knowledge-based economy, which is informational, global and networked. This unit identifies the growing importance of creativity to all aspects of society, culture, and artistic and professional practice. It introduces the idea of the creative industries as the industry sectors which explore and exploit the expression of individual creativity for commercial and artistic gain. The unit considers the implications for creativity that arise from the new economy environment, globalisation, technological shifts, changes to society and citizenship, the emergence of a creative class, intellectual property laws, and the current artistic and media environment. A thorough knowledge of such issues provides an invaluable foundation for the work of creative industries professionals and practitioners. [details] [unit desc]

the posters

the magic circle and game play

All games are cooperative; playing a game means engaging with the shared meanings of the game, "speaking the language of the game" with other players in order to play - withholding disbelief and entering a 'magic circle of belief'. This in turn, is reinforced by all players and non-players engaged with the 'game', which in this instance also includes lecturers and tutors. The proposals presented were quite real; they referenced the imagined world of Creative Town as if it were real.

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thoughts on design of worlds

Critically, the ramifications for design are those of a KISS principle. The alternative reality is simple to construct, (and for the students easy to work in) enables rich play, and is readily open to contribution and expansion by its participants. The strengths of [Alt] real design, as opposed to use of more graphic or technologically rich environments, so tempting in projects like these, are the strengths of the dream of interface design: that the task can be achieved without noticing the technology, that the environment doesn't coerce any particular style of activity and the imaginations of the players are allowed full reign.

[avi] [wmv]