The Challenge
In 2006, Hewlett-Packard was looking for a new way to introduce the new field of augmented and virtual reality.
The Story
Imagine you hold your device up to a landmark where a battle happened. With AR, you might see in front of it a scene from the battle that took place there. Now imagine playing a video game, where you’re interacting with your environment, and clues are attached to the environment. You’re on a scavenger hunt that’s taking you through San Francisco, and you’re gaining points and gaining information as you go from place to place. As you point your device up at the buildings, you get more information.
The Project
The team literally had to devise a game with little knowledge, and think about what the rules of the game would be, how the game was played, and how you gain points, So we had to develop the game idea and create a compelling storyline.
The video depicts a teenage boy physically running around San Francisco with a small gaming device that he uses to point at real buildings, streets, and landmarks, and to put himself visually into a virtual 3D gaming space. He collects points and bonuses and competes against other gamers, also speeding through the streets of the City.
HP’s interest was in publicizing their “back end” telecommunications products and support services, not making video games. But this concept video had legs.
When the video was posted online, it immediately attracted +200,000 hits. Every time when I give a talk, people ask, ‘Oh, I saw that video. Is HP actually making that game? When’s it coming out?’” I have to remind them the film came out in 2006.
Innovation Storytelling
If you’re looking for a company that can help you with your innovation storytelling in a powerful and impactful way, contact Techtrend Group at hello@techtrend.com. They would be happy to discuss your specific needs and see how they can help.
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