USC Film Students Learn Storytelling Through Alternate Reality Game
By Rob Scott
January 6, 2012
January 6, 2012
- “Freshmen at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts spent the past semester playing an immersive card game, ‘Reality.’ Participants collected cards hidden across campus that were used as prompts for collaborative storytelling projects,” according to Wired. The school partnered with Ph.D. candidate Jeff Watson to produce the alternate reality game with a focus on media creation.
- The game is described as “one part trading card game, one part media creation tool, and one part Web portal.”
- “When USC pulled together a team to design ‘Reality,’ they had one goal in mind: to give incoming freshmen the opportunity to collaborate with other students and sharpen their skills before their sophomore year,” explains the article.
- Prizes included class recognition, meetings with professionals such as Robert Zemeckis, internship possibilities and more.
- A number of students stated the game was a highlight of their freshman year and they are sad to see it go. “I think the game was brilliant because it created an incredible space for experimentation and growth,” explains Allison Tate-Cortese, a Film & Television Production major. “It was brilliant because you felt safe because you can try things that were outside of your comfort zone, but you didn’t have to worry about a grade accompanied with it.”
- For those interested in the results, visit the game’s archive of deals, where students explain each project. “Highlights include a special effects-ridden science fiction trailer, a satiric dramatization of students’ experiences with the project, and a game of live-action Minesweeper at IndieCade,” reports Wired.
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