@Houkime on itch.io has recently started organizing Gamejams on the Fediverse. This is a great idea to get some real creative hackathons going that drive fedi forwards at the same time.
This brainstorming thread is for posting game ideas that might be picked up in these sessions.
🎇 Federated Alternative Reality Game (and Gamification)
🧙 Challenge: Warming people for the Fediverse
On Fediverse we often talk how we’d like to entice other people, our friends and family, to join and sign up to fedi instances. We sigh and despair about so many too-technical descriptions of what Fedi is and does. And we see with frustration how we are mostly unsuccessful in bringing new folks in. Then, with other fedizens, we discuss on all kinds of campaigns we may start to make more people aware of what they miss out on. Only to see those peter out, as - with grassroots community and “herding cats” - no one picks up the glove and no real initiative comes from the ground.
✨ Solution: ARG + Gamficiation from fedi to the real world
So how can we change that? Simple: By turning dilligent and grinding, disciplined (and boring) campaign tasks into a form of collective game building, an entirely fun and creative experience. It may become an art project even, if we’d like it to. There can be an entire series of Gamejams dedicated to this fediworld-building theme.
What it consists of is setting out ‘teases’ into the real world and other online channels, that are actually entry points to ARG gameplay, where still unwitting potential players may be attracted to. We offer genuine and honest stuff that makes them learn about the fediverse, and something more besides to attract them to do a deeper-dive. Become part of the game. Dive in as deep as they like. The “Da Vinci Code” of the Fediverse will drive them on.
🚀 Method: Fediverse as Game Development Environment
So besides the fact that actual federated gameplay is designed and launched, the process of gameplay design can be streamlined using the Fediverse as well. How do we crowdsource ideation, storytelling, graphics design, human- or bot-driven NPG’s that interact with outsiders? Etceteray. Thinking of fedi as Gameplay development platform can brin the Gamejam concept to a whole different level.