Along with following the latest trends in digital printing, we at the Digital Printing Council also keep our eyes on innovative developments in social media and marketing technologies. When we heard about an upcoming event at the New York Public Library (NYPL) called Find the Future: The Game we were so intrigued that we knew we had to share it.
Find the Future is a combination interactive online game/real-world scavenger hunt that will coincide with NYPL’s Centennial Festival weekend, which begins on May 20. The custom designed game will have players collaborating and solving clues with the aid of laptops and smartphones. The goal is to locate 100 significant artifacts from NYPL’s collection—and to write about them.
Before the game opens to the public, a group of 500 players will have the chance to participate in a “Write All Night” lock–in event. These selected players will be assembled into groups to search for the hidden artifacts among 70 miles of books—including 40 miles of underground stacks not normally accessible to the public—at NYPL’s landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. After finding each artifact, participants will record their discoveries using smartphones and a custom built iPhone/Android QR code App.
Furthermore, each hidden artifact will present players with a specific writing prompt. Then, players’ responses to these prompts will help to create a collaborative book that will be published and added to the Library’s public archives. As stated in the FAQ section of the game’s website “It is the first game in the world in which winning the game means writing a book together—a collection of 100 ways to make history and change the future, inspired by 100 of the most intriguing works of the past.”
To be considered for a chance to participate in the “Write All Night” event, prospective players (18 years or older only) must register on the game’s website (http://game.nypl.org/) and respond to the following prompt: “Just imagine who you are ten years from now. What do you want for the world? What extraordinary goal do you want to achieve? When you have a vivid picture of your future, just fill in the blank: In the year 2021, I will become the first person to_______________.” The responses to this prompt will be judged based on creativity, originality, and determination.
The game will also contain a unique social component. Right now, you can visit the game’s website and read and vote on entrants’ responses to the initial query about where they see themselves in ten years. Then, once the game has been “unlocked” by the participants in the overnight event, players’ responses to the writing prompts for each artifact will appear online as well.
Understandably, few details are available about the identity of the 100 hidden artifacts. Information on NYPL’s website does identify one of the artifacts: a copy of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s handwriting. Another rumored artifact is a cat-paw adorned letter opener originally owned by Charles Dickens.
Find the Future: The Game was designed for NYPL by renowned game designer Jane McGonical, author of Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. McGonical created the game along with Natron Baxter and Playmatics. To learn more about Jane McGonical and other games she has created, visit http://janemcgonical.com.
The initial “Write All Night” event for Find the Future: The Game will begin on May 20, 2011 at 8 p.m and continue until 6 a.m. the next day. Beginning on May 21, people in New York City and worldwide will have the opportunity to play the game on their smartphones, computers, or in person at the Schwarzman Building or other NYPL branches. Players have until April 21 to register for a chance to be one of the 500 participants selected for the initial over-night event. The online game will continue until the end of 2011 and will be free to play. To register and learn more, visit NYPL’s Find the Future website at http://game.nypl.org/.