Jun 19, 2017
WIP: Perpetual Nomads, a VR Production (2017 - 2018).
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Mexico
seen from United States
seen from Czechia
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seen from Netherlands
seen from Germany
seen from Germany
seen from France
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Netherlands
WIP: Perpetual Nomads, a VR Production (2017 - 2018).
My name is Alice. I'm 8 years old.
Inanimate Alice
Inanimate Alice
How can digital media become more than what it already is? Kate Pollinger and Chris Joseph answer that question by showing the world the true meaning of multimedia. They have created a digital novel, called Inanimate Alice and were able to combine literature with video games, in order to create such storyline. This fun, new and innovating way to enjoy the compelling story that follows the life of a girl named Alice. This child moves to many different places and countries due to her father’s work. She is homeschooled therefore she doesn’t have many friends. She only has her portable player in which she creates her imaginary companion called Brad. Many tense situations occur to Alice and these are presented with captivating music, vivid imagery and of course, interactivity. Episode one begins in China. Alice is only 8 years old and this episode only lasts 5 minutes. The story is told with fast “oriental” music in the background, accompanied by animations and text. There is not much interactivity in the story yet somehow the creators are able to show such an easy storyline, about a girl who lost her father, in a very intense way. The gamer/reader is able to go back and forth with the storyline and is even capable of having some interactive moments, such as taking pictures of flowers and using Alice’s player. At the end the reader can enjoy supper by completing a puzzle, making this episode a very interesting read. If you thought that things in episode one were interesting you can’t even begin to imagine Episode two. Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone, excuse me, I mean Alice from Inanimate Alice has strike again. She is able to lose her parents for the second time, but this time it’s not only her dad but her mom as well. Alice is in Italy and she is 10 years old. This story lasts 10 minutes and is accompanied by fast “opera” like music at the begging. Alice believes she has lost her parents yet she remembers that she was supposed to go to ski school and meet them there. The interactivity in this game has increased; the reader is able to dress Alice depending on what piece of clothing she wants to wear next. The sound effect in episode two create more intensity in the story, like the sounds of screams, heavy breathing and footsteps in the snow. At the end all is well; Alice is able to find her parents and enjoys some good pizza. Oh Mother Russia you’ve done it again. Yes you have been able to create a more intriguing and captivating storyline just by being yourself. As you can imagine Alice is in Russia in episode three of Inanimate Alice. This time the episode lasts 15 minutes and has a lot more of interactivity. Alice is now thirteen and the story begins with screams and the girl hiding in a closet. The family has been living in Moscow for a couple of years now and the father has gone into some trouble because of his job. Russian Dolls appear during the storyline creating some sort of distraction, but hey it’s your fault, the creators gave you the option at the begging to play and read, or read only. This time we get more of an insight of Alice’s social life. She wants to go to school but her father doesn’t permit her to go due to high kidnapping problems. The problems with her dad and his job, get so bad that the family decides to pack their bags and leave everything behind. Sadly, the guards won’t let you leave until you give them a bribe. That’s when Alice decides that she must give the dolls that you have been collecting through the whole story and must go back if you haven’t found them all. She gives the dolls to the guard and all is well again. She gets on a plane and wonders where she will go nex?. The same questions can be asked about digital literature, where can it go next? Kate Pollinger and Chris Joseph have set up a pretty high bar by creating this wonderful masterpiece. Episode four is already available and hopefully episode five will come soon. They are in a way hinting that as the story evolves and more episodes are made, the minutes will be longer and the interactivity will increase. In a way it makes it hard for the reader to focus on the storyline but still it is so much fun. I can’t wait to see, Alice’s next adventure.