Proposal: I propose that the advent of ubiquitous (pervasive) play goes hand in hand with transmedial discourses, as both have real world distinctions. Though ubiquitous gaming is still continuously being defined, it harbors a blurred line between created reality and actuality, often incorporating a mix of both to sufficiently and mimetically create the most interactive game possible. However, this hybrid play has fueled modern escapism, and the potentially undefined boundaries this genre could parallel the likes of recent sci-fi horror (I, Robot, The Terminator series, Ex Machina, etc). Though real world consequences might not currently be so exaggerated, the lack of cemented lines has already influenced contemporary society, and therein a game becomes reality. The network that this dual united front creates eradicates the tacit understanding of play being a gateway leading to an anti-ordinary life, and therefore creates a paradox between the codes of play, and the necessity of reality. Using examples of well known transmedial and ubiquitous games, I will investigate this ongoing complexity and its potential consequences.
Overview: This investigation will involve free roaming games such as Pokemon Go, along with inter-medial texts such as the Hive Propolis Transmedia Project, to goal oriented traveling interactions such as Geocaching. The break between the ‘false’ and the ‘real’ with be the main focus of this piece, with not just the potential consequences of each discourse being highlighted, but also the role that the player themselves take within said gameplays. When a concrete divisions is purposely muddled, how do said blurred lines exist both negatively and positively. Contemporary peer reviews and academic papers alike both feature aspects of ubiquitous play that add to the ever growing influence this game culture is amassing. Therein, transmedia acts as a tool, one that allows ubiquitous play’s effect to be further heightened. However, this hyper mimetic atmosphere could create a sense of lost self within the universally given avatar construct; when one is their own chess piece, how does that impact the player and the gameplay. Are these games and cultures the future of digestible media? What will even be considered a game in the future? How will media alter, and the digestion and creation thereof evolve alongside? How will this two constructs connect- will they one day be irrevocably intertwined?
Thesis: The culture surrounding video games has been heavily altered and continues to evolve with the inter-connectivity of transmedial discourses and ubiquitous play. Along with the boundaries of what play even is, I will further discuss the role the player themselves enacts within said gameplay. The thin membrane between the virtual and the non-fictitious is ever thinning, and this membrane continues to be punctured via cross referencing literature that adds to the mimetic aspect of modern games. Along with the loss of a singularly anomalous avatar, how do the constructs of gaming currently exists and influence.
This is an incredibly interesting idea for further research. I am curious what you may find to be the future of ubiquitous play, because as of right now, the ARG genre seems incredibly underdeveloped. I wonder if this is a technology issue or a market issue. Have we just not reached seamlessly entertaining ubiquitous play, or is true constant play unattainable? I became interested in this these questions when you said, “when one is their own chess piece, how does that impact the player and the gameplay”. I this this aspect of ubiquitous play is where many of its quirks start.
I think you have a really solid thesis and a well developed idea of where to go. I look forward to reading the final project.
Very, Very thorough! I think you have an excellent base for your project at the present moment. Looking at the evolution of video games and how they push the boundaries of play is a very worthy subject. I think you’re heading in a great direction!