Everything Immersive This Week (5/18/2019)
Because immersive is a marathon, not a sprint
It’s that time again—our look back at the immersive week that was. What all happened?
Well, Microsoft announced Minecraft Earth, a new social augmented reality mobile gaming experience in the spirit of Pokémon Go; Minecraft Earth will be in beta this summer on iOS and Android. Stanford’s Jeremy Bailenson and other researchers released a report about how interacting with a virtual person in augmented reality changes people’s behaviors, even after the goggles are removed. Nomadic VR announced it will be coming to AREA 15 in Las Vegas, alongside the upcoming new Meow Wolf location…and speaking of Meow Wolf, they have announced that they’ve raised a whopping $150 million for their expansion. Sundance Institute announced this year’s New Frontier Story Lab Fellows for 2019. The BBC released The Runaway, a free VR adventure starring Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who; the experience is available on the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Polyarc announced a free story expansion for their hit VR game Moss in celebration of its release for Oculus Quest (which comes out May 21). Disney CEO Robert Iger stated that the company won’t use virtual reality at its theme parks, preferring real-world immersive experiences instead. And The Guardian asked if interactive mixed reality was the future of storytelling.
As for us? NoPro went to a science fiction dystopian future, visited a spooky escape room-theatre hybrid, and spent some time in a LARP with Frankenstein vibes.
And looking at the horizon, there’s even more good stuff on the way.
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ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK
NoPro Managing Editor Kathryn Yu sits down with Evan Neiden, the creator behind Candle House Collective. The group has been creating ephemeral immersive experiences — usually for an audience of one — both in-person and remotely.
OUR GUIDE TO HOLLYWOOD FRINGE IMMERSIVE
FROM THE WIRE: SHOWS, EVENTS, & EXPERIENCES
Boston: Carneval di Obscurità
Charleston, SC: The Fever
Chicago: Alice
Denver: Denver Public Library Immersive Theatre Sprint
NYC: Surrounds; Reich Richter Pärt; The Unbrunch (Remount/Revamp)
Kansas City, MO: Reflecting Motion
Pittsburgh, PA: King Lear
SF: The Liminal House of the Adjudicate
Toronto: The Funhouse; The Tape Escape
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REVIEWS
From No Proscenium:
From David & Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist:
“These two games from our recent trip Montreal were outstanding. They both had especially impressive sets, in different ways.”
STORIES
From NoProscenium.com and our Twitter feed:
From David & Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist:
“Manda Whitney of the Room Escape Divas podcast is blogging about her experiences in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houston this week!”
From Laura E. Hall of Timberview Productions:
“Jane McGonigal is seeking parents to answer a 2-minute research survey. The work ‘will help develop the next generation of tools for parents to maximize the benefits of games and minimize the potential risks or harms for their kids’”:
From Kent Bye of the Voices of VR podcast:
“I talked with Anagram, the creators of The Collider at Tribeca, and they’ve got a ton of experiential design insights for how to use your body & memories as a platform for cultivating narrative tension & exploring your relationship to power through embodied actions that are unpacked through conversation.”
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