ARIS: The Forbin Project

Oh man, it's really cold outside! I live at Elizabeth Waters so tonight I attempted the "Elf Hunting on Bascom Hill" game. In it you (I think) are supposed to run around Bascom to capture Elves using "energy scrolls". They appear and disappear quickly (as well as in buildings), so you have to run quickly to get to an elf before it disappears. The game is intended to be played with friends, so you can see how many you can catch. I'm going to be upfront: After talking to "Bob" at the Lincoln statue, and trying to find the first "elf" (which was inside a locked building) I more or less gave up. This was more or less a function of a lack of clarity in the games instructions and the freezing weather.

However, as most people discussing internet technology do, I'm going to discuss the possibilities of this game and ARIS in general. A big point that Lawrence Lessig makes about remix content and culture in his TED Talk from 2007 is that we are able to experience and create culture similarly to how we could when we were children. I see a lot of a similar appeal with ARIS, specifically this here "elf" game, where I'm reminded a lot of the imaginary games I would play when I six (+/- 2 years) and how it would combine physical activity/other people/made up worlds that I needed to understand and conquer. Obviously, inherently, there's someone telling me what I need to do/the world is explained, however I feel some of the basic principles remain the same.

I can see how this gamification can have negative repercussions, as seen in the readings (specifically relating to education and war), however I here I can see it as a positive in as much as its a conduit for doing bigger, greater, things.