With the wide world of the Internet, it is easy to find other people in the world and have a chat with them. Some services, such as Chatroulette, even let you video chat with random strangers. As anyone who has used this app can tell you, it is not always the most pleasant of experiences. Skipping through random people on the Internet can lead to some very odd encounters that many of us wish we could take back. There have been a few people who have used this service for some interesting pranks. Ben Folds, for example, would use Chatroulette during a show and would sing lyrics about the people he was video chatting with while playing the piano. Realm Pictures, however, has decided to use it to change the gaming world as we know it.
Imagine being on a video chatting website or application and with a click to the next person, instead of seeing a face, you see only hands and the world from someone else’s perspective. And then imagine being told that you have complete control over that person’s actions. Almost as if you were controlling a video game, but with real people in a real world. That’s exactly what Realm Pictures did to unsuspecting people who were just looking to chat on the Internet. Instead of a conversation, they got an adventure they would never forget.
With the use of clever camera work, some realistic toy guns, great actors, and brilliant set design, Realm Pictures was able to take people through a real life video game level with zombies running around trying to kill the player. Luckily, some weapons were laying around to help them get through to the final boss of the stage. Yes, that’s right. There was even a boss battle. Because no one could actually use a controller to guide the man behind the scenes, general voice commands were used. People said things like, “Pick up the gun” or “Run away!” Because there was an actual human on the other side, these commands were heard loud and clear. The game almost played like a text-based role playing game, but instead of typing in specific actions, players can simply yell them out to a human on the other end.
Two months after Realm Pictures had success with Level 1, they went ahead and pushed even more for Level 2. At the end of Level 1, the player’s last act was walking into what looked like a portal of some kind. Level 2 begins with what was at the other end of that portal, which was an alien space station! This time every part of the production has been amped up. More great acting, more amazing set design, and an even bigger and badder boss battle. This boss battle is also fully equipped with one of the best references to James Cameron’s Aliens I have ever seen.
With 90,000 subscribers and over 20 million views later, Realm Pictures is looking to expand even more on this super creative twist on gameplay. Making an entirely new genre of video games, however, is no easy task. That’s why they’re looking for a little bit of help from other gamers and fans of their work to make things even bigger and better. By going to their Kickstarter or the official website for the cause, you can make a small donation of only £1, or about a $1.50, and you’ll have access to live streams soon to come and also will be entered to possibly be one of 50 backers chosen to get to play Level 3 yourself. Check out the video with the Creative Director of Realm Pictures, David M Reynolds, for more details on the real life first person shooter.
https://youtu.be/eUsHiBS15Zc
Think of the possibilities if this genre should take off more than it already has. The levels we’ve seen from Realm Pictures have already been fantastic, with Level 2 being a significant increase from Level 1. Now imagine what could be if their budget doubled, or even tripled. I’d say this genre has a long future ahead of itself.