Superstruct – phase 1 completed

Superstruct – phase 1 completed

On Monday the six-week first phase of the Superstruct experiment came to its conclusion. The Superstruct game website remains open to visitors, but will no longer be updated with new plot points, missions, weekly updates etc. During phase 1 the site received over 50,000 visitors, with almost 7,000 players registering on the site, who between them told over 1,250 stories of their lives in 2019 and created over 500 superstructures in response to the challenges they were facing. Below the cut more details of events in 2019 so far, and a video of the Superstruct awards ceremony. If you want to catch up with the events in 2019, the easiest way is to visit the page for the Superthreat(s) you are most interested in - Power Struggle, Quarantine, Ravenous, Outlaw Planet or Generation Exile - and take a look at the five weekly updates submitted by the Superthreat Guides (me in the case of Power Struggle). These provide link-rich updates on the main happenings around the world of 2019 in each week of phase 1. If you've been following or contributing to Superstruct you might also be interested in the below video presentation of the Superstruct awards and honours, given to some of the most inspirational or astonishing participants in the game to date, and awarded by such luminaries as Tim Kring (creator of the TV series "Heroes"), Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia), Warren Ellis (comic book writer) and Tim O'Reilly (originator of the Web 2.0 concept), among others. In actual fact the game is still continuing, and a number of participants have 'escaped' from the main site, creating spin-off sites like Reconstruct and the Foundation of Hope, where they plan to continue shaping our future. In addition, the Ten Year Forecast team at the Institute for the Future will now analyse the player-created game content and prepare an official Superstruct Report featuring the most important collective insights about the year 2019, and the best tactics for superstructing society. Highlights from this report will be emailed to all registered Superstruct players in April 2009.
Superstruct

Superstruct

Superstruct is a new massively-multiplayer online game in which players like you will invent the future of our world. In 2019 the Global Extinction Awareness System (GEAS) has just reported that humanity may face extinction by the year 2042 and people around the world are mobilising to respond (GEAS report available here). There are five intersecting 'Superthreats' which are the main drivers behind this projection, and I will be guiding the community focusing on ameliorating the 'Power Struggle' Superthreat (our post-peak oil energy troubles). Join us.
The first videos from each of the five Superthreats are now live on the Superstruct website, so go hear from people across the globe in 2019 who are already facing down the Superthreats that may haunt all our futures. Two weeks from today the game will be launched by the Institute for the Future. Then it is YOUR turn to tell the story of 2019 and to help invent the future. PS. You can register on the Superstruct website for a reminder on Monday October 6, 2008 when the game officially launches. The game will run for six weeks, but if you register and complete your survival profile within the first 24 hours of launch, you will officially become one of the Founding Players of Superstruct (an honour that will be forever noted in your Superstruct profile)! So plan to get there early and become the first to make your mark in 2019.
Climate Camp 2008 – Kingsnorth

Climate Camp 2008 – Kingsnorth

The Camp for Climate Action starts this Sunday and runs for just over a week, until Monday 11th August. I will be there giving a workshop in partnership with the Zero Carbon Britain team (on the Wednesday - full workshop list here), and I urge all of you in the UK to come along too, whether for the whole week, for the weekend, or just for a day. This is the gathering of the wonderfully diverse mass-movement building against the collective suicide pact that is Business As Usual. There will be talks and workshops with some of the best-informed experts, friendly warm hospitality, passionate activists, music, laughter and perhaps most importantly of all, the chance to have fun with masses of people and realise that we are very far from alone with our fears. I can't wait. For those in London trains run every few minutes and take less than an hour, and of course it's well organised yet free (I'm told even the food is good, cheap and locally sourced!) Full details at the Climate Camp website. I hope to see all of you there. Headstands
Speaking of dancing…

Speaking of dancing…

In thinking about the significance of dancing, I am also reminded of Dance United, an innovative organisation who recognise the powerful force that dance can represent in unlocking the potential of individuals and communities. I met some members of their team when speaking at the recent 2gether08 event, and was deeply impressed with their work with the same kinds of marginalised individuals I used to meet in my earlier teaching work. For more information on their projects click through to their website. The above photo was taken at one of their performances in Bradford.