Experimental Performance Games in the Making

In the 2020s, we have seen an unprecedented expansion of transmedia storytelling (a narrative technique in which a story is told across multiple platforms and formats). While the constellation of “Web 3.0” is arguably more of a buzzword than a present reality, new or expanded technologies and forms have emerged, including augmented reality, virtual reality, artistic applications of AI and machine learning, play-to-earn games, and more. 
 
This presentation turns to the case study of “Encounter” (2023-2024): a hybrid media performance piece, which was created by UChicago’s Fourcast Lab to explore the medium-specific qualities of and theories underlying live transmedia performance. “Encounter” is a storytelling platform and improvised multiplayer live-action performance. The replayable interactive experiences that make up this project combine the narrative improvisation of a tabletop roleplaying game with real-time and responsive performance via a live-streaming platform. Instead of telling stories that depend on preset branching trees ⁠— a common technique in interactive storytelling and video games ⁠— this experience offers a more open-ended premise that can adopt any genre, depending on the types of responses offered by the audience. This emergent artistic form questions how live performance changes when it brings together the transmedia, improvisational, and interactive dimensions of digital media aesthetics.