Hi all,

Thanks for coming out to THATCamp IMMERSe this past weekend. Although our attendance ended up being a bit lower than expected, those of you who were there helped to make the Games Institute’s first THATCamp a great success! One final thing I’d like to ask you to do is fill out this brief evaluation survey put together by THATCamp HQ: www.surveymonkey.com/s/thatcampeval. Only two answers are required, and you can include as much or little detail as possible. Your responses will be anonymized and made publicly available on thatcamp.org for past, present and future THATCamp organizers so that we can continue to make THATCamp more fun, productive and collegial for all!

Thanks again and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Lauren

Today’s unconference schedule is up over on the Schedule page. We had a lower turnout for scheduling this morning, so stay tuned for possible changes and/or additions as people join us throughout the day!

Step 1: Connect to the following Wireless Network Connection (SSID): Campus_Guest

Network Security Key: CIGIP0wer

Step 2: Open your Internet browser and expect the Web authentication page. Use the following credentials:

User Name: cigiguest

Password: thinktank

Game design isn’t just about creating games for other people – it can also be about creating games to make your own life more interesting and to encourage personal behavior change. This can be as simple as providing incentives to do activities you would normally put off, or it can involve creating a rich storyline around your own experiences. Implementation can range from full web/smartphone applications to a few sticknotes on your door. A famous example of self-gamification is the initial prototype of SuperBetter, the game originally invented by Jane McGonigal to help her maintain optimism and purpose as she recovered from a debilitating concussion.

In this session, we will have a brief discussion on what is involved in self-gamification, then split into groups to explore self-gamification design ideas.

Related resources:
www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life.html
habitrpg.com/static/front
www.livingforimprovement.com/
techcrunch.com/2010/08/25/scvngr-game-mechanics/

How can libraries incorporate gaming and gamification into their services? Join this talkathon, brainstorming session, scrum to generate ideas. The Library as Hackerspace has gaming as a core component. And how do we follow the lead of social networks like Steam, Foursquare, Untappd, GetGlue, and Fitocracy by implementing game mechanics such as Achievements, User Points, and Badges to increase user engagement, quality, and ROI? Help plan the library of the future!

The concept of immersion is fast becoming the key topic of interest in the study and practice of digital performance. With the reconfiguration of traditional performance spaces into experimental sites that place the viewer in the midst of the dramatic action, a sense of embodied immersion has emerged in what Steve Dixon calls’Digital Performance’.

The English word immersion is derived from the original Latin, immergere, which means to plunge or dip into (OLD). As such, it is possible to characterize the experience of immersion in digital performance as the sensory perception of submerging one’s body into a digitally mediated environment that is either a fully virtual or a hybrid (part virtual and part physical) space.

In recent years, the scope of performance studies has expanded beyond the confines of the theatre to include locative media performances in city streets and interactive drama games such as Facade and Prom Week, both of which are readily accessible online. Building on the performative potential of new media environments that incorporate the use of digital technologies and performance (broadly construed), this forum is open to anyone who is interested in the intersection of drama, performance, and digital media.

We hope you will join us in an exciting discussion on the significance of embodiment and immersion in digital performance, as well as the creative possibilities and limitations in designing an intermedial performance event.

A few of us at Waterloo are starting our own Women/gamers group, where we want to foster a community of women who play games throughout the university, and eventually the city (and eventually the GTA, and then all of Canada, and so on, until we rule the world, of course). We know what we want out of a community like this, but we would like some feedback and input from other people.

What kinds of events do you wish were held? What kind of atmosphere would make you want to come, or would make you avoid the group? Have you seen something like this fail dramatically/succeed beyond anyone’s wildest expectations? What have you seen work in the past? What kinds of awesome things could we set up?  What would you look for in an online community associated with something like this?

Essentially, we’re looking to steal your brain power so that we can make our community as awesome as possible!

All the World Wide Web’s a stage.

At the end of a busy unconference day, it’s time for some entertainment…a trip to the theatre!

Shakespeareoke is a fun way to experience live theatre with your friends no matter where you are.

Participants in this “Play” session perform scenes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

About Shakespeareoke

Shakespeareoke lets you meet your friends and read great scripts in a Google Hangout App.

• The script progresses Karaoke-style, with a reading highlight and helpful cues. Sound effects bring you into the world of the play.
• Applaud talented performers with the click of a button, and their worldwide ranking improves.
• The director invites the company and casts the show using drag-n-drop.

Remember reading scenes from Shakespeare in front of the class? Now you can get the same learning experience from home, in your pyjamas.

Technical requirements: participants need a desktop/laptop with audio hardware (webcam is very helpful, headset is ideal) and network connection. An up-to-date browser (Chrome or Firefox) and the Google Talk plugin are necessary. Participants use their Google (G+) account to sign into Hangouts.

Shakespeareoke is one of those “cannot be unthought” applications of video/audio chat, especially Hangouts. It’s a project of kirk.zurell.name begun in January 2013.

The brochure site is at shakespeareoke.kirk.zurell.name.

About the session

Take a “backstage tour” of the app’s architecture, and share (hard-won) experience using Hangouts as a collaboration and casual game design platform. The possibilities for your art, communication, and game inspirations are virtually endless, but there are a few surprises along the way.

In any creative challenge, the creator can lose sight of fresh perspectives. I need lots of first impressions to make this product meet people’s expectations.

And it’s just plain fun! Chew up the scenery as Macbeth or Puck! Woo your sweetie as Hermia or Lysander…or Helena! Be the Weird Sister you always knew you were!

Looking forward to sharing my labour of love/obsession in its first public appearance.
Kirk

The schedule for THATCamp IMMERSe 2013 has been posted as of July 1st. We’ll be filling in the TBAs and updating it with more information before we kick things off on the 12th, so keep an eye on the schedule (or our Twitter feed!) for updates!

Registration has been extended till July 1st. (Tell your friends!) We’ll be posting a tentative (un)schedule in the next couple of weeks, so check back soon for some exciting announcements!