kidmapper at playful

I spent the afternoon at Playful yesterday, at Conway Hall. So did other people.

There was lots of good stuff. And I only have a few minutes, so I’m going to quickly mention Tim Wright’s Kidmapper. No, not a tool to track children. Something much more awesomer.

A fuller explanation has been blogged here and on Tim’s blog, but here’s the skinny:
Tim read Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Realising the story referenced real places and dates, he decided to live out the book in the real world, travelling in the footsteps of its characters as he re-read it. Youtube uploads, tweets and general audience interaction followed as he made his way across the coast.

It was an eccentric idea. And eccentric ideas are usually the best ones, because they’re things we wouldn’t have thought of or bothered to see through. Long-story short, Tim’s journey became a much richer, less predictable and less linear experience as online followers of his journey responded to his open invitations to join him. In more ways than one, they became characters in the story.

I can’t do the idea justice here, so do have a dig through his site and his videos to get the full picture.

I’m sure Faris would have a few clever things to say about the project’s transmedia properties. I’ll say it like this:
Tim’s approach to Kidnapped reminds me of Nine Inch Nail’s iPhone app. Trent Reznor knows only too well, that bands aren’t just for listening. And Tim Wright shows us that books aren’t just for reading. Not any more.