How do you start a post on these 3 massive subjects: crowdsourcing, forecasting the future, and then to add a little spice to this, human evolution. Play an online game with people all around the world and solve the problems of the world of tomorrow. It turns out crowdcourcing is not only a buzzword used for creative and commercial purposes. Meet Superstruct.
"Superstruct is the world's first massively multiplayer forecasting game. By playing the game, you'll help us chronicle the world of 2019--and imagine how we might solve the problems we'll face. Because this is about more than just envisioning the future. It's about making the future, inventing new ways to organize the human race and augment our collective human potential."
Very powerful concept indeed. Using the wisdom of the masses, this experiment leverages the insight and creative power of ever type of person to solve problems we will be facing in 2019. Some guidelines for the game include:
Be Unique. Superstruct is a collaborative community. Everyone is encouraged to contribute his or her unique skills, ideas, and talents! What do you know a lot about? What do you care a lot about? Where do you live? Who do you know? What are you good at? What unusual experiences have you had? Whoever you are, there are ideas only YOU could have, and there are thoughts only YOU could think. Please share them with us!
In Superstruct, players will bring their own personal knowledge and experiences to the table. "We don't need everybody to be experts on how climate might change and how the economy might be impacted," says McGonigal. "If you're a teenaged girl, tell us how a teenaged girl would respond to this crisis. We need that personal intelligence from everybody." The players will help imagine and document the world of 2019, and will work together to come up with solutions to the challenges that are presented throughout the six-week game. Cascio says that his highest hope is that the collaborating players will come up with innovative ideas that have applications here, in the real world of 2008. "The mass of ideas can become almost an epiphany engine," he says. (from discover magazine)
Ok, now what about the evolution part?
A lot of the challenges we're dealing with this century have a very long lag time. "Even if we were to stop putting out greenhouse gases right now, we'd still face decades of warming." Most humans aren't in the habit of acting on consequences they can't see; they have to be coaxed into saving money for retirement or into supporting climate change legislation that will raise energy prices.
"According to some neuroscientists, our capacity for long-term thinking emerged in the parts of the brain that were initially involved with throwing rocks at moving objects," a skill first developed further during harsh ice ages, Cascio says. "If you look at the major advances in the Hominid line—advances in tool use, language, and art—most of these were triggered by environmental changes," he says. "Foresight turns out to be a critical adaptive strategy for times of great stress."
Check out Superstruct on Youtube
An inspiring example of collaborative culture and technology used to leverage creativity and problem solving. Thanks John for sharing this with me!
