ValemontU - The World, The Story, The Experience

Valemont is the university to enroll in. ValemontU is about you.

So what are you waiting for? :)

1. Enroll and explore Valemont University (ValemontU & ValemontU's Facebook ).

2. Get to know the students by:

a. Following & interacting with them on Twitter (Some of the more popular: @so_fields, @PoppyBarker, @PntheraHseLeo, @gabri3lr, @queen_beatrice).

b. Engage them at the student 'fan' forum (Valemont Commons).

c. Read student blogs (i.e. Poppy Barker).

d. Listen to student playlists (Music & Tones @ Verizon).

3. Find out more about @valemontsux.

4. Learn more about the mysterious "Watchers" (@jeanduprat, @SpecolaV, & @GigalRefaim).

5. Read up on some of the speculation @ the secretive "Valemont University Study Group" on Facebook.

6. Start investigating the mystery (Detective Loomis).

Valemont is getting noticed. Even MTV is on campus & they are taking 'reality' shows to a whole new level by following the life & experience of one of the 'students'. Check out MTV's coverage at Valemont University below (pretty cool!):

Episode 1 - Family Reunion

MTV Shows

Episode 2 - Back to School

MTV Shows

That new blog smell...

I stumbled on some fresh produce: Brent Friedman, co-founder of Electric Farm Entertainment, has a new blog at the EFE website.

Having been a fan of EFE projects [Afterworld, Gemini Division] and having interviewed Mr. Friedman a few times in the past I am always impressed by his vision. In this new blog Brent spells out the building blocks of "New Media"

As I posted in my comments there;

the salient points of “Old Media” copycat success and the “New Media” symbiotic relationship between content and consumer are the meat of the paradigm that is “Internet Broadcasting”.

What I am going to be excited to learn about in future blogs is the transparency between portals and viewer immersion; being able to watch/play/immerse myself in a project through multiple portals seamlessly. Not just Enhanced Experience or ARG ancillary content, but truly seamless pathing between distribution platforms to allow viewers active [or passive] participation in a project.

At the bottom of the post was a must have for those new to serialized web projects: If you haven't watched all of those GO NOW!

Electric Farm Entertainment and MMO's like upcoming 'Star Wars - The Old Republic'. A Good Fit?

One of the things I most value in a video game is story. Unfortunately, in my opinion, not a lot of games have a great story/storyline that invest the player in the characters, the world, and into seeing that story unfold. I think this is particularly true when it comes to MMORPG's.

Bioware sees this need and is looking to make story to be a foundational element in their upcoming MMORPG, "Star Wars: The Old Republic".

Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk of Bioware describe traditional MMO’s as focusing on three primary pillars:

1) Exploration.
2) Combat.
3) Customization/progression.

Bioware looks to up the ante by making story and character and meaningful choice with consequences a fourth pillar of the genre. They believe that this fourth pillar is the context for the other three and that the story should drive the experience, leading to deeper immersion by the player. Sounds cool, particularly so because Bioware’s games usually have a great immersive storyline!



This seems to parallel what Brent Friedman said on a recent podcast we had the opportunity to participate in.

By the way, thanks go out to Co-hosts Jackie Kerr (ARGNet, Unfiction forums), Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction, Despoiler) and Jonathan Waite (ARGNet, Unfiction forums). Thanks for including us in your interview of Gemini Division executive producer and series creator Brent Friedman. For those interested, check it out at ARG Netcast. Definitely worth checking out!

Brent talked about involving and engaging viewers in the story. He talked about doing this in such a way that the story itself is influenced by the actions of the players. He also mentioned the possibility that viewers would potentially have the opportunity to be a part of content creation in an upcoming series.

The podcast at ARG Netcast and the interview from Bioware triggered the thought that Friedman's philosophy is particularly well-suited for video games, particularly MMO's. From there I developed the following proposal/possibility.

Idea Summary
EFE could produce a story set in a quality game universe like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars, or World of Warcraft. The primary story would be standalone and released in a daily rollout in traditional EFE style (Afterworld, Gemini Division, upcoming Woke Up Dead).

As the story progressed, unique quests in the Massive Multiplayer Online game could be unlocked. These quests could reveal more about a character, or provide additional background to the story. Players would have the opportunity to interact with non player characters (NPC's), other players in player versus player combat (PVP), or even with "actors" who are officially playing the role of a character in the story (think ARG/puppetmaster and a new type of acting/ARG interaction). That could be pretty cool!

As players completed these quests and as events unfolded in the MMO, this could then in turn unlock extended video content.

Three General Viewer Categories
Consumers of this type of EFE content could be broken down into three general categories:

1)Casual viewers of the EFE story.

2)Players who want to dig deeper and really immerse themselves into the story by joining in on the parallel extended experience in the MMORPG game.

3)Gamers of the MMO who want to dig deeper into that game world, immerse themselves, customize their character, and extend their gaming experience.

Return on Investment
People could buy this at the local video game store as a unique “Extended Game experience”. These players would be able to add the “Extended Game Experience” to their in game accounts. They would have the opportunity to acquire additional quests, items, cool looking customizable gear, etc, but most importantly they would get story!

This is a value add for the game developer and for the players. It would be nice in that it would be a way to generate ROI apart from advertising. Players who purchased this extended game experience could watch the story free of ads. However, they would need to log in with their game account to do so. Multiple simultaneous logins would not be permitted and an active game account would be required to watch the content without ads.

People who wanted to just watch the story could do so with ads and without any type of login. (Though, ideally the ads would not be overloaded! :). For these people the story actually becomes advertising for the MMO.

Central Portal Site
The portal site would have a lot of quality themed graphics, sound, and music to work with already in place. This would be an ambitious project requiring the MMORPG game company and Electric Farm Entertainment to work together. However, both would have a vested interest in making it work and making it cool!

Conclusion

Oh, and by the way, Mr. Friedman. This just can’t be done! :P (For context listen to ARG Netcast's podcast with Brent Friedman).

As far as upcoming MMO’s go, “Guild Wars 2” (no monthly fee required) and “Star Wars: The Old Republic” could be nice settings to tell some cool stories. The stories wouldn’t necessarily need to be limited to the MMO present, but could tell stories of the past and of the future. Some very cool and interesting possibilities!

P.S. As an aside I found Gordon Mattey's latest entry an interesting supplement to this article. Particularly the "1000 true fans" article that he linked to.

Brent Friedman to discuss Gemini Division EE

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/arg-netcast

Afterworld and Gemini Division executive producer and series greator Brent Friedman will be a guest on the October 20th ARGNet podcast discussing the Enhanced Experience [EE] for Gemini Division, the growth of Electric Farm Entertainment's Alternate Reality Games from the Afterworld ARG through Gemini's EE and onward as new properties are released.

We'd like to thank ARGNet co-hosts Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction, Despoiler) and Jonathan Waite (ARGNet, Unfiction) and their panel [ Marie Lamb (ARGNet, Unfiction) and Michelle Senderhauf (ARGNet, varin.org)] for inviting both Tim and me to participate in the podcast.

We are looking forward to asking Mr. Friedman about the development process of the Gemini EE and his view on the the differences between an ARG and an EE as the evolution of EFE interactive experiences from AW thru upcoming projects. I am specifially curious about Brent's views on the future of ARG as it it combined with immersive entertainment and how he views the integration of immersive elements such as Hotel 626 in conjunction with web based series.

A little love to the folks over at ARGNet, Despoiler, and UnFiction , and Varin for including us; To listen live or participate in the chat (and maybe have your question answered by Mr. Friedman) visit the link posted below on Monday, October 20 at 5:30 PM Pacific Time:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/arg-netcast

Gemini Division Preview

I was privileged to be invited to a prescreening of Gemini Division both as a fan and to represent the blog Prime Time For Change. What an exciting and novel experience. Electric Farm truly does emulate the best of what we write about here. While there are other factors that contributed to starting up this blog, the number one influence is Electric Farm Entertainment (EFE). They are truly pioneering the way to rethink media in a digital media age.

First off, we (the invited participants) were treated with the opportunity to view the first two episodes of Gemini Division. I must say, I was very pleased with what I saw. The first two episodes were a stark contrast to the trailer. The trailer felt disconnected (to me at least). However, with the episodes there was an almost immediate emotional connection. Anna (Rosario Dawson) shares who she is and holds nothing back. Wrapped up in this are her emotions and the events that stir them up.

She pours out her heart on her PDA and it is just like she is talking to you personally. The episodes appear to be a video diary of sorts shared with a very close friend who she absolutely trusts. Over time we will find out more about the person that Anna is talking too. It would be interesting if Electric Farm Entertainment tied us into the story and revealed how we (the viewer) happened to stumble upon someone else’s very personal mail.

It was interesting to see EFE seamlessly incorporate brand ads into the content. Even if I had something to selectively filter out the brands, I wouldn't want to. It really added to the show and made it that much more real. Rather than interrupting the viewing experience, it actually added realism and immersion to the show. Very nice. A pleasant experience.

After the videos, we (other bloggers/media) had the opportunity to talk and interact directly with Brent Friedman. The following is a summary of that discussion.

When asked whether personalized narrative is a key device for web distributed content, Brent responded that this was a key question. He noted that personalized narrative is a great tool for maintaining a one to one connection.

TV often maintains a one to many ratio while viewers of web/mobile distributed content are more likely to consume their media in a one-to-one relationship. Brent indicated that personalized narrative really highlights the power of this type of medium.

He continued by saying that personalized narrative maintains a very subjective viewpoint or portal into the alternate world that the story takes place in. It is only one person’s view, a small window into that world allowing a big and epic story to be told through a little, tiny window.

Brent was asked how far into the future the story was set. He replied that it is set five minutes in the future. This helps keep the content from being dated. When the show is viewed three years from now, Gemini Division will still be set five minutes in the future.

Upon being asked to state a more definitive time, Brent said he felt that the technology portrayed in the show could be available within three years (Not sure that he was referring to the biotechnological aspect here).

Brent mentioned that some of the functionality of Anna’s (Rosario Dawson) PDA do not currently exist as a PDA function, but do exist in other real world technology. For instance Anna’s (Rosario Dawson) PDA can zoom in and track the user. While this technology doesn’t exist for current PDA’s (that I know of), it was found to exist for some web cams.

Some features of Anna’s PDA are truly futuristic. These features of the PDA are attributed to being the product of a high-level government agency with access to technology beyond the bleeding edge. As Anna becomes associated with Gemini Division her PDA may actually be upgraded by Gemini Division. This lends further credibility to the idea that the technology of the show could be set in the immediate to near future.

Next up was a discussion of interaction. This was a particularly interesting segment.

Brent noted that with EFE’s first show Afterworld they were able to create crude levels of interaction. Intially they wanted to do much more but those plans were hampered by cost as well as just trying to keep up with the hectic bleeding edge and ground breaking production schedule.

With Gemini Division EFE wanted to set the bar higher and provide an even more interesting web experience. This time they designed the interactive experience into the show from the very beginning, armed with the knowledge they gained from their previous web production.

It sounds like Gemini division’s interactive ARG-like experience is similar in a lot of ways to NBC Heroes Evolutions. However, what is particularly striking about Gemini Division and what really sounds like it will set it apart from the Heroes interactive experience is the inclusion of an alternate storyline. A storyline that converges with and parallels with the main story. An alternate story line that includes mainstream video content and that was planned out from the beginning.

For mobile devices, Gemini Division will include light versions of their episodes. Also, graphic novels (comics) will be released exclusively for the mobile platform. These graphic novels will provide additional background depth to the story helping to create an even richer experience. This again sounds reminiscent of Heroes.

Gemini Division will also feature a story based mobile game. Afterworld’s mobile game was exclusive to Verizon. Hopefully, Gemini Division’s mobile game will not be exclusive to one provider.

Viewers will have the opportunity to be recruited by Gemini Division. Choices players make in the interactive experience will parallel the choices of characters within the main story. In this way viewers will actually have the opportunity to influence the story (though not significantly as this would be too costly). Also, at some point participants will have to make an irrevocable choice, essentially shutting them out from other sources of information.

It is good to hear that all the video has been shot for Gemini Division and that it is in absolutely no danger of cancellation. I won’t have to worry about having the rug pulled out from under me. Brent mentioned that they were producing Gemini Division in much the same way video games are and that they are seeking to integrate TV and video games into a converged, truly interactive experience. This really is the best of what we talk about here on Prime Time For Change.

Rosario Dawson has committed to at least two productions (sounds like a better word than season) of Gemini Division. Depending on the success and response to the first story, a second story may be produced. Brent commented on this saying that the first story will focus on the mystery of what has happened.

It sounds like Gemini Division will be a quest for the truth. A quest that will change Anna and characters around her. A quest that examines the extent that people will go to uncover the truth, and how that journey can transform them. The first story will satisfy Anna’s intellectual and emotional journey for answers. She will find the truth and a lot of those elements will be tied up. However, upon that journey her actions become the catalyst for a cascade chain of events.

Brent said that the conclusion of the first story ends in a very enigmatic place. Rosario’s quest is resolved, but the larger problem in the world is still at large.

Gemini Division will be released globally in much the same way that Afterworld was and will roll out to different territories at different times. Each rollout will have its own replicate ARG like experience.

The release schedule for Gemini Division is:

First Week: Monday (Episode 1); Tuesday (Episode 2); Wednesday-Friday (Extra content, no episodes).

Second Week: Monday (Episode 3); Tuesday (Episode 4); Wednesday-Thursday (Extra content, Friday the start of the ARG).

Third week: Monday (Episode 5); Tuesday (Episode 6); Wednesday (Episode 7); Thursday (Episode 8); Friday (Advance of ARG);

Fourth week and on: Same as the third week. Each Friday sees an advance of the ARG.

I can’t wait. It is a prime time for change and EFE looks to be one of the leaders.

Related links:

Special Preview of Episodes One and Two
Gemini Division Preview
Dawson engages viewers in 'Gemini Division' on Web
Five Minutes Into the Future
When ARGs Take Over Movies And TV, Gemini Division Is Born
Gemini Division a Litmus Test for Old Media, New Media
Web series review/recap: Gemini Division (2008)