The creator of NBC's "Heroes" hopes he has another hit on his hands.
His latest project: A partnership with Nokia to produce "Conspiracy of Good," a 7-week alternate reality game in which participants follow and interact with a tale of good vs. evil as it develops in real-time across the Web, mobile devices and staged, real-world events.
The kicker: Beyond immersion in a transmedia narrative, the user becomes involved in a fight against an evil corporation, and in the act of being part of staged events for doing good, will actually promote and support a social cause in real life.
“The story is not a $4 million per episode television show that comes to your screen,” Kring tells the LA Times. “It’s a narrative that comes at you from multiple directions and allows you to stand at the center and be a part of it.”
Just today, Room to Read and the Pearson Foundation, global organizations dedicated to promoting and enabling education in developing countries, have announced their involvement in the experience - presumably becoming ways in which participants of the adventure create good in the real world as part of the game.
In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at such alternate reality game (ARGs) as a way for entertainment and even consumer product brands to extend narratives into multiple media platforms and engage consumers in amazing new ways.
As a seminal example, I look at ABC-TV's massive "Lost Experience," which had several elements similar to "Conspiracy of Good," with this new adventure layering in what I think is a brilliant, cause-related angle that may actually produce some good.
Look for more such adventures in the future - which in and of itself ain't bad.
Read more about "Good," here and here.
And check it all out yourself here.
