Douglas Rushkoff
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Why humans must band together to fight the tyranny of tech
It might seem like there's no winning against Facebook and Google, tech companies whose reach and influence are now practically inescapable. Facebook's inability to police its own platform led to widespread misinformation ahead of the 2016 election. Google still can't keep YouTube safe for kids. Meanwhile we're addicted to our phones and social networks, even if they make us miserable. So where do we go from here? Douglas Rushkoff, the renowned media theorist who's popularized concepts like viral media, suggests one way: Banding together and fighting for our collective humanity.
Smoking Gun teases original IP with preview of 'X' graphic novel, ARG
It's been two years since Relic staffers John Johnson and Drew Dunlop (producer and lead programmer on Company of Heroes, respectively) left the company to set up their own, Smoking Gun Interactive. As we reported back in May, the studio has teamed with cyberpunk trailblazer and author Douglas Rushkoff to create an array of multimedia products based on its yet-to-be-revealed premiere franchise. This week, we get a look at what they've been up to with the first of four sneak previews of X, a graphic novel launching next year that lays the foundation for Smoking Gun's new IP.Hidden within the preview (on page 13, actually) is a link to a tie-in ARG that borrows the opening of the classic text adventure, Zork. This Easter egg is actually pretty appropriate, given that Rushkoff coined the term "viral media." We've gotten as far as "decoding" the Declaration of Independence, which, at least in the conspiracy-filled universe of X, contains warnings of aliens among us and a coming global tyranny. (As opposed to more modern government documents, which warn of a steep fine for filing your taxes late.)
Smoking Gun, Cyberia author Rushkoff partner for games, books
Smoking Gun, an independent studio formed in 2007 by Relic Entertainment vets, has landed a new deal with tech evangelist Douglas Rushkoff, with the award-winning author set to pen the story for an as-yet-unannounced property. Details remain light, though Rushkoff notes his narrative will be used in multiple games as well as related books.If that's not enough to interest you, consider that Rushkoff, whose works include cyber culture novel Cyberia and the DC comic series Testament, is set to lend words to an entire range of titles "across a range of media formats that can feed off one another and exist concurrently." Honestly, we're just as confused as you are, but once the headache stops and the Advil kicks in we'll reach out to Smoking Gun for more.
