De:Void

Abstract

Games are perhaps as diverse in nature and outcome as humanity is in appearance and personality. The English word itself has a plethora of different definitions and colloquial uses: “quit playing games with me!” and “he has a game leg”. Additionally there are differing opinions on what things classify as a game and what do not. Puzzles and simulators, for example, are often debated in regards to this with strong cases on both sides. This varied quality and the negative associations often tied to them tend to leave games overlooked as activities deeper than leisure. For how could play lead to real impact? This project—an alternate reality game (ARG) titled De:Void—offers to shed some light on how we expect too little from games and play. It demonstrates how gameplay can naturally prompt collective intelligence (also referred to as “swarm thinking”), crowdsourced work, and social enrichment through shared participation. De:Void’s system and content is shaped by the essential concepts and principles discussed by many of the leading experts in the theories of games and play. Through careful inspection of these characteristics and reference of many precedents, this ARG directs its players toward collaborative, real hard work by employing gameful measures to generate strong motivation and player agency. It organically encourages the participants toward engaging in systems of thought, such as design thinking, and offers a development framework for future serious games to be made. De:Void illustrates how games are an under-utilized method of directing real change.