A Flash in the Pan

I understand the hypocrisy of saying we should "sleep on it" and suddenly posting an idea, but I fear if I don't post this now I may lose it to the æther.

I understand that recently I may have come across as a great bit demanding and as something of an asshole. While I do hope that I may be forgiven the latter trespass, I will not allow myself to apologize for incessantly striving for the optimal result for this project. In less floral language, I'm not going to let my sense of etiquette deny this project becoming the best thing it can be. We can safely assume that, with further work and development, we will all be able to leave the class with satisfactory A's and/or B's and the fact that we endured something of great scale together. This is minor in comparison to what could be accomplished by going beyond what is merely required to leave the class with high marks, and I am glad to be amongst company that agrees.

Now, then, to my recent (if reluctant!) brainstorming.

Upon returning to my room on the 8th floor I could not shake from my mind the ideas Mr. Slayton had presented regarding our project. With those in mind and our current established elements, I began to map them out, and included Joel's input:

• Repository of History, both distant past and immediate present
• Presented by fictional ghosts who have a first-person view of the past and therefore a more passionate and immersive connection with participants/players than mere presentation (as well as distancing ourselves from straight plagiarism of Joel's idea with mere information alone)
• SMS/Text-related interface (Possibly multi-media— if people have a photo or video of their exploits, should we account for that? Possibilities for abuse also remain, such as people posting genitalia or shock/terror images)
• Prioritized Event/History Choices (meaning, we pick from a select few important sites, i.e, the MOST important ones)

...and, yes, I struggled to put these into the context of a game. I understand that we have considered straying from this point, but I am firm in the notion that there is absolutely no equally immersive and stimulating form for this to exist. However, the project need not be strictly in the form of a game alone... this, I kept in mind as I explored the elements of this project out loud.

Then it hit me.

Joel had presented the idea of, by streamlining our history options, creating these 'essential networks' which would stem from those few events. By selecting a few elements that represent many more, we would create a large 'net' that would span the entire park without needing to spread ourselves too thin. These networks would consist, in our case, of the histories presented by these ghosts, differing by location/event.

...what if these ghosts had never met? What would they want to know from each other, with each being from a different time? Wouldn't these relationships be unique networks in and of themselves, representing what the two 'ghosts' have in common? What if the game were ABOUT these networks?

By visiting these spots and connecting them to each other, the network expands by that much more. Certain 'hot-item' networks/"chains" could be seen as an achievement or victory condition for something. Perhaps this is where we could reignite the flames for potential links with local businesses and bring back the game-specific coupon idea?

With this network idea, those familiar with the area's history may have a small incentive to make the connections if only for a mere couple bucks off food. Those who know it moderately have an interest to learn more (and leave their own history) as well as the monetary incentive. Those new to the area may be interested in discovering the area in which they're about to make their own history, and while a coupon may not be of immediate interest, it does nothing to reverse their intrigue.

In this, we retain a game mechanism without making it the 'point' of the project, we generate interest in what makes St. James Park what it is, we create an artistically compelling work, drive local business and ultimately have a system of concepts that I think would ignite a spark under St. James Park. By allowing for the personalized touch of leaving one's own history (which could be accessed on some sort of online database), we also tap into the ever-growing (and Silicon-Valley nurtured) world of user-driven material, placing the participant immediately in the work itself and therefore increasing their interest/investment in the park.

...I personally see little wrong with it, which has historically meant that there's a flaw in the mix SOMEWHERE. I welcome and encourage your critiques.