Time is a medium. Real-time is an environment. Interactive media has created a means for us to comprehensively display time as an environment. As a result time is a used as a medium in “Ground Zero”.
“Ground Zero” is a web-based project that presents a narrative in real-time. It has a movie-like appearance based on current game design. “Ground Zero” features characters and environments in 24-hour cycle. “Ground Zero” employs web user habits as a basis for exploration and repeated interaction.
History
The history of this work is based on a book by Brazilian author Ignacio de loyola Brandao entitled “Zero”. The story of “Zero” is a journey through a world of contradiction and parody. Throughout this world Zero encounters a series of characters whose actions are dependent upon their environment, and whose lives are the repetition of their mundane situations. The book was written in journal format, with entries documented by date and location. The theme of time, repetition and pattern is explored and interpreted in “Ground Zero”.
Narrative
The narrative is interpreted into a game design. It contains a series of levels sequenced in time. Each level is a self-contained 24-hour 3d environment. All levels contain “clue text” which are keys that enable users to move between levels. Users can advance the narrative by moving from level to level. The focus on an advancing narrative is a distinguishing feature of “Ground Zero”. This is a departure from traditional game design which is goal oriented.
Game Design
“Ground Zero” is narrative oriented. The introduction of RPG (role playing games) has introduced rich story lines and shaped the world of gaming into a more comprehensive movie-like experience. Ground Zero will follow in this evolution and further de-emphasize score-orientation to focus primarily on the narrative.
Real-Time
Ground Zero comes equipped with an interanl clock that begins when you start playing the game. Set the clock and day will will change into night in real time as you progress through the story. Characters have daily patterns and can only be reveal keys unique times of day. In order to find all the keys, you may have to stay up past your bedtime.
Characters
Credits
John Cabral was born in Fall River Massachusetts in 1970. He is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art’s Studio for Interrelated Media program. From 1996-7 he was a member of [Do While] an art technology studio located in Boston. From 1997 he was the Interface Director for award-winning website SonicNet (Webby’97,’99). He created FlashRadio the web’s first visual Internet radio (ID-Magazine new media review, Silver 1999). In 1999 Cabral founded Peabodies, an experimental art and interface studio, that creates original ideas.