Last week TIFF Nexus brought together a group of people to create a panel that would get a glimpse of the future of cinema and gaming. The crowd was seated in a theater where they would watch Renga; an interactive cinema experience developed by the British company wallFour. Renga allows 100 people to participate collectively as they watch and interact with the presentation.
Adam Russell and John Sear, both former game developers and founders of wallFour, have developed an experience that is like no other available in the market today. The panel that was put together by TIFF Nexus showcased a 70-minute Renga show. The audience members were given a laser pointer through which they interacted with a single screen that everyone is watching. The participants were given a mission and the group was required to collaborate and finish tasks to move forward. The TIFF Nexus demonstration had the audience protect a square in the middle of the screen which was being attached by aliens in ships. Action was prompted by lines of text that appeared on the screen and was positive or negative depending on progress.
According to Renga’s creators the experience is equal parts theater and game but cannot be classified as either one exclusively. They point out that similar to today’s movies, Renga audiences sit in a theater and watch the same screen. However, unlike cinema they are expected to participate and interact with the story, a lot like video games. Another major factor is that unlike video game which follows unpredictable paths based on a players action, the Renga experience is guided and it follows a structure and a set time limit. The collaboration and communication between the audiences is what helps the story unfold.
Renga is also designed so that audience members have to communicate with each other and collaborate. Action will not take place unless a group of people are pointing at the same thing. Even if one player decided that he wants to be a loner and do something completely different, it will not have any effect on the game. As can be expected, the format of Renga causes the creation of factions and groups that end up working against each other.
The Renga experience is still in its infancy but the demonstration makes it quite clear that the technology can be improved drastically and applied in a number of different setting to create another medium of entertainment for the masses.
Source: TechVibes
Photo: wallFour
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