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Submission Type
Virtual Engagement Session
Start Date
18-7-2020 10:00 AM
End Date
18-7-2020 11:00 AM
Abstract
A Labyrinth was an alternate reality game developed at the University of Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic. The game was created to spur creativity and build community online under the unprecedented and emergent conditions of the pandemic.
On April 6, 2020, A Labyrinth began with an opening puzzle that unlocked the game and attracted approximately 3,500 players. A week later, on April 13, the Fourcasters (the designers) welcomed 73 core teams to compete by completing 140 quests. Alongside the competitive aspect, the game had a parallel collaborative dimension. Via the Twitch live streaming platform, players were invited to explore the alternative space-time known as Labyrinth. Once a week, via a live and collectively adjudicated interactive narrative format, players helped the Taur locate key hubs and hidden objects as they tried to make it back to the center of Labyrinth. They succeeded in this objective and saw the Labyrinth transform in an unprecedented way. On May 13, the game concluded with over 800 quests being submitted by participating teams.
This panel will screen a short documentary that includes footage from gameplay on Twitch, instances of quests, and interviews with players. Following this short screening, the five core designers will discuss the challenges and affordances of designing a transmedia narrative and improvised game during a pandemic. We will begin with the question: What does it mean to grapple with the unfolding historical present through a participatory networked artwork?
A Labyrinth: Designing and Playing a Collaborative Game During COVID-19
A Labyrinth was an alternate reality game developed at the University of Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic. The game was created to spur creativity and build community online under the unprecedented and emergent conditions of the pandemic.
On April 6, 2020, A Labyrinth began with an opening puzzle that unlocked the game and attracted approximately 3,500 players. A week later, on April 13, the Fourcasters (the designers) welcomed 73 core teams to compete by completing 140 quests. Alongside the competitive aspect, the game had a parallel collaborative dimension. Via the Twitch live streaming platform, players were invited to explore the alternative space-time known as Labyrinth. Once a week, via a live and collectively adjudicated interactive narrative format, players helped the Taur locate key hubs and hidden objects as they tried to make it back to the center of Labyrinth. They succeeded in this objective and saw the Labyrinth transform in an unprecedented way. On May 13, the game concluded with over 800 quests being submitted by participating teams.
This panel will screen a short documentary that includes footage from gameplay on Twitch, instances of quests, and interviews with players. Following this short screening, the five core designers will discuss the challenges and affordances of designing a transmedia narrative and improvised game during a pandemic. We will begin with the question: What does it mean to grapple with the unfolding historical present through a participatory networked artwork?
Bio
A Labyrinth was developed by a team of University of Chicago faculty and staff under the umbrella of Fourcast Lab. This team included 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Patrick Jagoda, Professor of English and Cinema & Media Studies and director of the Weston Game Lab; Heidi Coleman, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Theater and Performance Studies and Senior Lecturer in the Humanities Collegiate Division; Marc Downie, Lecturer in Cinema and Media Studies and member of the OpenEndedGroup; Ashlyn Sparrow, Learning Technology Director and Lead Game Designer at the Game Changer Chicago Design Lab; and Kristen Schilt, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality.