About
Jeff Watson is an artist, designer, and Assistant Professor of Interactive Media and Games at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
-
Monthly Archives: February 2010
Talking story with Jan Libby
Knowing that Jan Libby is a prolific and talented indie ARG designer, I asked her if she would be interested in doing a short interview about how she plans and evolves her games — and about the important role of story in the future of ARGs. We exchanged a few emails, and Jan sent me these responses — along with some great behind-the-scenes images from her upcoming indie storyworld, 36nine… Continue reading
Posted in Interviews
Tagged arg, jan libby, story worlds, storytelling, transmedia
Comments Off on Talking story with Jan Libby
ARG readings and reflections: an annotated bibliography
This resource contains links to blog posts, conference papers, journal articles, and other texts related to alternate reality gaming. Continue reading
ARGs in institutions: museums, libraries, schools, and beyond
This resource contains examples of alternate reality games (ARGs) created for museums, libraries, schools, and government agencies. Also included are links to related resources, designers, observers, and policy-makers. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Resources
Tagged arg, education, experience-design, libraries, museums, new media literacies, schools
11 Comments
Hand from Above
Hand From Above encourages us to question our normal routine when we often find ourselves rushing from one destination to another. Inspired by Land of the Giants and Goliath, we are reminded of mythical stories by mischievously unleashing a giant hand from the BBC Big Screen. Passers by will be playfully transformed. What if humans weren’t on top of the food chain? Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged bbc, chris o'shea, interactive video, liverpool, public space, screens, video
1 Comment
RSS subscribers: do not adjust your set
Anyone using an RSS reader to access the content on this site may have noticed a sudden flood of micro-posts (about 20 of them) on Thursday, February 11th. The reason this happened is because I have started to use a great plugin called FeedWordpress to aggregate all my tweets from Twitter. Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged aggregation, announcements, feedwordpress, search, wordpress
Comments Off on RSS subscribers: do not adjust your set
Building a vast world with an indie board game: an interview with James Taylor
In this brief interview, I ask game designer James Taylor a few questions about how his latest board game engages players in consuming and producing story both within and beyond the boundaries of the magic circle. Continue reading
Content management and delivery tools for indie ARG producers
By using and mashing-up freely-available social media, mobile technology, and web publishing tools, ARG producers with shoestring budgets can roll their own custom ARG management and delivery systems. Continue reading
Futurity Now: Bruce Sterling on Atemporality
Bruce Sterling’s keynote from the Transmediale Festival (6 Feb 2010) delivers some brilliant and provocative ideas about the role of the creative artist in the context of an increasingly atemporal culture. Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged atemporality, bruce sterling, history, knowledge production, richard feynman, transmediale
13 Comments
Version 2010 Chicago: Sustainable tactics and strategies for communities, resources, and networks
Chicago’s Version 2010 (April 22 to May 2, 2010) is “now seeking proposals and presentations about tactics and strategies that help sustain our communities, find better uses of our resources, and maintain and expand our networks.” Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged chicago, diy, performance, proximity magazine, public space, strategies, street art, sustainability, tactics, urban space
1 Comment
The amateur operators: notes on early adopters
The hobbyist culture around wireless telegraphy (1906-1912), at once intensely social — as it inherently involved communicating with others — and potentially isolating — as it required technical skills that could only be acquired outside of the flow of ordinary life — bears a striking resemblence to the tinkering subcultures that have attended the rise of home computing, network culture, and social media. Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged amateur radio, boy wonders, comm-620b, imap, susan douglas, wireless telegraphy
1 Comment