In part 1, we asked how we can play a game together when we don’t know the rules to the game yet. Wild Awake is an experiment in scene building. And while we don’t know the rules yet, we can delineate several things that determine how we play the game. First, there’s the idea of open-world game play, where the actions of users determine their own narrative. Second, there’s the notion of delight and surprise - meaning that players need unexpected elements to keep them active. Next up are more elements that trigger continued engagement.
Something learned
A key element in any open-world gameplay is that each time a player participates in the game, they learn something. Going back to the example of Legend of Zelda, often when you find an object you don’t yet know what to do with it. Yet, you know you’ll have to use it at some point and you’re eager to figure out what it is. In Wild Awake, this is a bit different in the sense that there’s no objects. Or perhaps we can use the NFTs here. The collectors get some perks with them - from a special artist mix to a bootleg to a cassette - but by virtue of it being an NFT, much more can be added to them over time.
More importantly, in Wild Awake, all participants see the musicians learn. It’s about the journey of five musicians getting to terms with NFTs, the blockchain, and bringing their art onchain. Because it’s an experiment in scene building, what we learn collectively is what it’s like to be there at the seedling moment of a scene. Often, in games and in the music industry, we play solo. Learning to play together creates a desire to come back to the group and thus to the game. Every time this happens, connections solidify.
Continuous engagement
A we near the end of the first season of Wild Awake, there’s a question about what’s next. So far, we haven’t engaged the tech as deeply as we could have. The focus has been on building connections and creating an expanse where people can figure things out together. A possible next step is that people in the scene of Wild Awake can suggest their own games, deploy their own ideas. Ideally, this would happen around the five artists involved. They, together with their collectors, could bring forward something they want to explore. This could be about creating something new like a music video, or it could be a collective engagement around a sample pack, or perhaps it’s something offline, like a concert. Whatever it is, it will extend the world of Wild Awake while giving a greater sense of ownership within the scene by the group involved.
Another example could be that of collaboration. Already, two of the artists within Wild Awake collaborate together, but others could join forces, too. Moreover, Wild Awake could connect to another scene. Since we see Wild Awake as a digital home, the community is by nature a place where people from different backgrounds and locations can come together. Through cooperation, both internally and with external communities, the scope of Wild Awake can expand. Currently, we know that any of these future ideas will not lead to linear progressions. Instead each will follow its own trajectory.
Who is the game for?
Before any project starts, people always ask: “who are you doing this for? Who will get excited by this? Who needs this?” This is mostly in relation to products and services and certainly something we would repeat ourselves as well. So what’s different about Wild Awake? It’s now a diverse group of creatives with a shared impetus to explore what the blockchain and its accompanying technologies can offer in the pursuit of creative exploration. Wild Awake, as a game, is for people who want to develop creative freedom and explore the unknown.
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