What is going to be projected onto our retinas via Focals, Google Glass, the Apple Glass
or one the smart-lenses already in development?
Description:
This paper gives you the opportunity to apply a number of the theoretical concepts
addressed throughout the semester to a real-world situation/problem. By critically
assessing the central question posed by the Madrigal reading, it asks you to critically
reflect upon the putative potential(s) of Augmented Reality (AR) & Ubiquitous Computing.
According to the reading by Alexis Madrigal, one the most pressing concerns for
technology companies and developers working on AR platforms is the question of content.
What is going to be projected onto our retinas via Focals, Google Glass, the Apple Glass
or one the smart-lenses already in development? Address this question via reference to
course content and materials by approaching it from one of the perspectives provided
below.
Imagine that you are a(n)…
I. … game developer who has designed a game that takes place not in some virtual
world like Azeroth, but on the streets of New York (or Rotterdam, Prague, Shenzhen,
Windsor, etc.). The point of the game is up to you. Describe the game, its rules, its
players, its user-interface, its duration (always playing, start & stop times, how it
ends, does it end?), and the ways in which the game makes use of the hardware
and software associated with ubiquitous computing and Augmented Reality so as to
create as immersive a playing environment as possible. What challenges (legal,
social, cultural, professional, or otherwise) might you encounter and why? Is the
game meant to be profitable? If so, how might you go about turning a profit? If not,
to what other purpose(s) might you dedicate all of the required time and attention?