Is There a Place for Immersion and Imagination in Community?
First…a little background:
I loved Lost. Watched every episode and many of them more than once. Even watched the commercials looking for clues. And I wasn’t alone. Millions watched it with me. Immersed in the story.
In early 2011 Ben Arment recommended a book; The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories. Fascinating. In it, author Frank Rose detailed the rising popularity of the use of games to pull in consumers, immersing them in the story.
Last Monday night, Alcatraz, a new television series produced by J.J. Abrams, debuted on Fox. It was accompanied by an immersive game (LegendsofAlcatraz.com). The Los Angeles Times ran an interesting story about the elaborate alternate reality game that launched as Alcatraz approached its premiere.
So…Now the Question: Is there a place for immersion and imagination in community? Or, even in formation or discipleship? You might think I’m crazy. Maybe I am a sucker for mystery…but I think there might be a way to use imagination, immersion, games and story to engage at crowd’s edge.
Can you see it happening? Why? Or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can click here to jump into the conversation.
More from Mark Howell or visit Mark at www.MarkHowellLive.com/about/
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