January 24, 2007 8 Comments

Forget Fourth Wall Make it Fourth Actor

Deus ex Machina MTV is launching a “me-too” virtual world experience, but here’s why I think their model is better: it’s a targeted, shared experience versus Second Life’s “wild frontier” experience.

MTV has a version of their popular (cough cough) Laguna Beach show brought to a virtual world, such that you can play good looking avatars with tans and tattoos. They feature a unified experience with all kinds of social hooks, like popularity and cliques (great- I wouldn’t fit in THEIR either?), and from what I could tell from the article, I think they’ve got a perfect recipe: make the audience the actor.

Imagine New Entertainment

There’s a reason video games are kicking the traditional movie’s ass: interaction. When I play Halo 2, I’m running around as the Sarge. It’s up to ME to save the other marines. If I stop playing, they’ll never be saved. I’m playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but I’m not watching Heroes.

I’m not saying it’s the digital that makes this cool. I’m saying that involving your audience AS ACTORS is the story is the secret sauce. And if I’m saying that, I’m also asking YOU how your show lends itself to involving the audience. What could you do different? Is a wiki enough? Is there a way you can build other people into the storyline or the experience? And if you already ARE doing that, how’s it working for you?

Sure not everyone participates, but how can you make it all the easier to be part of the show?

Related posts:

  1. Rant: Wall Street Journal on New Media
  2. Make Your 2007 Goals Work

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  • http://www.ldpodcast.com Whitney

    I agree with you on this- it is the interactive experience that causes those neurons to fire- this is why the Wii is such a run-away hit- a truly interactive set of games in the true sense of the word- body movement and everything!

    I know that the reasons I find certain shows or certain forms of entertainment compelling are those that involve an element of personal story telling- and I am really turned off, strongly, to stuff that doesn’t resonate on a personal level. It’s a cliche to say there has to be some there there, but that’s the essence. I want authentic. I want personal. Like Meg Ryan said in “You’ve Got Mail”- “Why does everyone say “it’s not personal- at the very least everything should begin by being personal.” (or something to that effect.) I can only care if there’s some investment of self into a project, and it’s amazing how easy it is to tell if there’s not that piece of personal essence in a project.- That is what is really shocking. It is so easy to tell when it’s being phoned in.

  • http://www.ldpodcast.com Whitney

    I agree with you on this- it is the interactive experience that causes those neurons to fire- this is why the Wii is such a run-away hit- a truly interactive set of games in the true sense of the word- body movement and everything!

    I know that the reasons I find certain shows or certain forms of entertainment compelling are those that involve an element of personal story telling- and I am really turned off, strongly, to stuff that doesn’t resonate on a personal level. It’s a cliche to say there has to be some there there, but that’s the essence. I want authentic. I want personal. Like Meg Ryan said in “You’ve Got Mail”- “Why does everyone say “it’s not personal- at the very least everything should begin by being personal.” (or something to that effect.) I can only care if there’s some investment of self into a project, and it’s amazing how easy it is to tell if there’s not that piece of personal essence in a project.- That is what is really shocking. It is so easy to tell when it’s being phoned in.

  • http://blog.pluggd.com drew olanoff

    dude, i suck at Halo so bad that I almost got kicked out of the “House that Geek Built” during a tournament.

  • http://blog.pluggd.com drew olanoff

    dude, i suck at Halo so bad that I almost got kicked out of the “House that Geek Built” during a tournament.

  • Stein

    Dude, don’t pick on Laguna Beach. You have no right. Those kids are too pretty to suffer your harsh criticisms.

    Just leave those well tanned kids alone you pale techno bully.

  • Stein

    Dude, don’t pick on Laguna Beach. You have no right. Those kids are too pretty to suffer your harsh criticisms.

    Just leave those well tanned kids alone you pale techno bully.

  • Tim

    I think that you’ve pointed out the new frontier for porn! Interactivity! I think we’ve all wanted to be (or have been) that kind of actor. Build a web site with that kind of interaction and I’ll bet you could even make a little bit of money!

    P.S. Your picture really creeps me out. It’s all kinds of dark and mysterious. What’s in that picture in the background? It looks like some kind of ink blot test.

  • Tim

    I think that you’ve pointed out the new frontier for porn! Interactivity! I think we’ve all wanted to be (or have been) that kind of actor. Build a web site with that kind of interaction and I’ll bet you could even make a little bit of money!

    P.S. Your picture really creeps me out. It’s all kinds of dark and mysterious. What’s in that picture in the background? It looks like some kind of ink blot test.