Echoes of the Past

Client: The Bostonian Society

Date: August 2015, 2016 & 2017

Type: Immersive Game

DESCRIPTION
This educational immersive game was designed to put players into the events that lead to the American Revolution in the very streets where the events occurred. Launched in 2015, the program was repeated in 2016 and 2017. Each single-day event attracted around 100 active participants and entertained many more with its spectacle.

Participants were assigned to use a guidebook to locate interpreters on the streets of downtown Boston. Once located, the interpreters, playing 18th-century characters, drew the players into the political intrigues of 1765 with riddles, ciphers and secret plots. Players undertook a series of challenges, culminating in a participatory reenactment of a colonial protest march through the modern, urban streets.

EVOLUTION
In the first year, players assumed the role of paranormal investigators watching a ghostly “echo” of past events. To play this up, the fictional “Back Bay Paranormal Society” was given a convincing logo, website and twitter account.

After the first year, a “colonial marketplace” was added that served as a focal point to attract players to the game. This addition not only increased visibility but gave players and spectators another way to interact with characters and learn about colonial history.

The Bostonian Society was largely responsible for supporting the program, however, logistical support was provided by the Boston BID and the program was funded in 2016 by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council.