Ken Eklund (born May 17, 1957) is an American game and experience designer known as Writerguy. He is perhaps most famous for World Without Oil, an early "
serious game" in the
alternate reality game genre[1] he created and ran in 2007.[2] His recent projects "explore the positive social effects of collaborative experiences and open-ended, creative play.[3] "
Philosophy
Eklund creates immersive games that intend to have a socially relevant, transformative effect[4] and to be informal learning experiences[5] and crowdsourcing for good.[6] Much of his recent
transmedia[7] work explores how contributing to 'authentic fictions' (real-seeming yet fictional stories) engages people directly in real-world issues by allowing them to have fun collaborating on storymaking, positive solutions and action.[8] By creating "barely fictional" gameful situations he creates a new kind of space for negotiating reality, where the candor afforded by interacting with fictional characters presenting the reality of social issues is seemingly more impactful than the realities themselves.[9]
As an artist, Eklund's emphasis on response plus respect for diversity "charges notions of the 'vox pop' with an appealing edge as a tool for transformation 'from the inside'.[10] He speaks on how to use alternate reality experiences and other playful "what if?" spaces in pursuit of serious goals[11] and the potential for gamelike activities to help solve global problems.[12]
Works
FutureCoast (2014-2016, director)
Rogue Squirrelbot (2015, director/producer)
Ruination: City of Dust (2014, designer)
Hiss Pop (2012, co-creator)
Ed Zed Omega (2012, director/lead producer)[13][14]