$IGNAL$ 018: WHO GETS TO SHAPE IT?
At Lincoln Center, the crowd becomes part of the work. On Facebook, people can tell a feed what they want. In New York’s game community, three small teams have received funding to pursue ideas of their own.
THE PLAZA NEEDS PEOPLE
Andrew Schneider’s PLAZA begins October 14 at Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza. The interactive work draws on the crowd, the noise and the chance encounters already happening there. Visitors can bring a charged phone and headphones to participate fully; admission is free.
The plaza is not simply a setting for a finished performance. The people who arrive change what there is to see.
THE FEED TAKES INSTRUCTIONS
Facebook is rolling out a way for people to describe the topics they want in Feed and Reels using their own words. They can also explain what they liked or disliked about a post, with recommendations adjusting in response.
That gives users a more direct role in shaping the stream. It also makes the surrounding context of any piece of creative less predictable.
THREE GAMES GET ROOM TO GROW
Game Devs of Color Expo has awarded $21,000 in no-strings-attached grants to six creators across three projects. Fishbowl explores memory and grief. coalescent || tidal rapture is an underwater game about connection and separation. Bloomsome uses a makeover puzzle to examine beauty standards.
There is no single “gaming audience” to address here. These teams are making different worlds for different reasons. Anyone hoping to work with game creators should begin by understanding the work they already want to make.
READ: GAME DEVS OF COLOR GRANTS
THE SIGNAL
Each story changes who can influence the finished experience. The useful design question is not whether to invite participation. It is what people will actually be allowed to change.
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