European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Superstruct: Gaming the Future

by gmoke
Mon Sep 22nd, 2008 at 09:02:10 PM EST

Superstruct is a web-based massive multiplayer game produced by the Institute for the Future to think through some of the possible challenges of the future. It's your chance to participate in a scenario planning exercise on a global level. Should be an interesting experiment.

Below are directions to the preview.

From: superstruct@iftf.org
What does the world of 2019 look like?
Find out now.
The full report from the Global Extinction Awareness System is LIVE. Find out exactly why the human species may face extinction by the year 2042 and what we can do about it.
You can also watch the first five Superthreat videos! See with your own eyes the challenges we face in 2019 and hear from people across the globe who are already facing down the Superthreats.
READ THE GEAS REPORT: http://www.iftf.org/node/2317
WATCH THE SUPERTHREAT VIDEOS: http://www.superstructgame.org
And the Superstruct Story is just beginning. Two weeks from today, we will flip the game switch on. Then it is YOUR turn to tell the story of 2019 and to help invent the future.
So watch the videos now,check out the report, and get ready to start superstructing!
Superstruct Creators
http://www.superstructgame.org
P.S. We will write you one more time on Monday October 6, 2008 when the game officially launches. If you register and complete your survival profile within the first 24 hours of launch, you will officially become one of the Founding Players of Superstruct! (an honor that will be forever noted in your Superstruct profile) So plan to get there early and become the first to make your mark in 2019.

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Votes: 5
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Superstruct: Gaming the Future | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Superstruct: Gaming the Future (none / 0)

A couple of years ago, I was only dimly aware of the acronym MMOG, the notion of 'persistent games' and the tediousness of grinding. But since user generated content was supposed to be one of my 'things', and there were potential insights into online communities, I decided to investigate further.

I was not impressed with the offerings then, but the phenomenon still intrigued - what is democracy, if not massively multiplayer?

Then recently I was asked to help out on the forthcoming launch of a new Finnish strategy game, and had to revisit my earlier superficial research. Things have moved forward. Flash Lite has made game play on mobile devices possible. The engines that drive these games are far more sophisticated. Servers are cheaper.

Personally I remain uninterested in devoting 2 - 4 weeks to a game that offers only entertainment, without insight. But if the structure and technology of MMO could be used for RW problem solving....?

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 12:00:31 AM EST

Re: Superstruct: Gaming the Future (none / 0)

ET as MMO RT problem solving?

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 04:07:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Superstruct: Gaming the Future (none / 0)

We are not exactly massively multiplayer ;-)

And we have no technical engine - which is an advantage. The engine, and its rules, are in our heads, apart from a few simple conditional interactions that are part of scoop.

But these 'games' relate to some conversations I have had over the years concerning mass involvement in governance. What we envisioned was a 'game' that would be an entire state budget, with you as Chancellor. If an entire state budget and its interactions were made into an engine, then it would be possible to play 'what-if'. Need more money for education? What do you do? Cut something else? Raise taxes? Borrow?

The Mother of all spread sheets.

At the least it could reveal to people just how complex and interactive a state budget is.

With XBRL, it is not impossible to envision.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 04:41:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Superstruct: Gaming the Future (none / 0)

Well we can distract ourselves from the present and the future pretty well. I've just gotten back into go, so far just with a computer program. Yeah, I know they suck, but I'm worse.

by MarekNYC on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 01:06:55 AM EST

Superstruct: Gaming the Future | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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