Reality Ends Here

Overview

Reality Ends Here incorporates elements of alternate reality games for use in an educational context and uses game mechanics to foster collaboration within first-semester Freshmen at the School of Cinematic Arts.

Players are drawn in during the pre-semester welcome week by a series of mysterious communications from the "Reality Committee". After solving a series of environmental puzzles, players discover a secret office where they are initiated by swearing an oath of DIY-media making and receive a pack of collectible game cards.

By combining sets of cards, players generate creative prompts for media-making projects known as Deals. Players must then create a film, game, image-set, live-event, or any other piece of artwork that satisfies the cards used in the Deal, submit it to the Reality Committee and justify it for points, which are tallied up on an online leaderboard. Weekly leaders are invited to spontaneous mentorship adventures with industry leaders and other notable alumni. Additional cards can be acquired through scavenger-hunt like puzzles or reaching specific points milestones.

Development

Reality Ends Here was originally developed as Jeff Watson's Ph.D dissertation project, and was designed by Watson, Simon Wiscombe, and Tracy Fullerton. The project was commissioned by a committee led by professor Holly Willis at the behest of USC School of Cinematic Arts Dean Elizabeth Daley.

Reality Ends Here is run and operated by a committee of students working with Watson named the "Game Runners". 2011 was run by Anna Lotko, and 2012's Game Runners included Will Cherry, Michael Effenberger, and Sam Sandweiss. The game's 2013 run was operated by Simon Wiscombe, Kevin Wong, and Esteban Fajardo.

History

Season 1 of Reality Ends Here included 150 participants who submitted a total of 120 projects. Though there were instances of "severe competitiveness", the game was ultimately deemed a success, leading to a second season being run the following year. The game's second season, run in 2012, generated over 190 projects created by over 170 participants. The third season broke previous records with a final count of 251 projects created by 191 players, though unlike other years, 2013 was marked by a lack of teams and instead by a core group of highly prolific creators who periodically collaborated as a large group on projects like the UNI School of Bollywood Arts, a crowdfunded transmedia franchise that is "likely the largest and most complex project to have emerged from the game."

The winners of the first season were Will Merrick, Will Cherry, Margaret Admire and Dylan Visvikis. The winners of the second season were Amy Suto, Ilan Benjamin, Alex Tranquada, Ryan Lee and Austin Kilgore. The winners of the third season were David Kuhio Ahia II, Minnie Schedeen, Ben Kadie, Jack Flynn, Sarah Jones, and Kyle Hrabe.

Reception

Reality Ends Here was the recipient of the 2012 IndieCade Impact Award.

Cancellation

Reality Ends Here was cancelled in fall of 2014 amid concerns over the notoriety of the game itself. After knowledge of the game's existence became widely distributed, Jeff Watson and Simon Wiscombe departed the project. Without administration or faculty support, Reality End Here was officially shut down; however, on August 20th, a group of former Reality players going by "uncncld" (an abbreviation of "un-cancelled") started an unofficial version of the game, heavily modified from Jeff Watson's dissertation project and the game's initial rules.