iMyth

Category: Entertainment

  • The Future of Interactive Storytelling: How iMyth is Redefining Immersion

    The Future of Interactive Storytelling: How iMyth is Redefining Immersion

    A New Era of Storytelling Has Arrived

    Imagine standing in your own living room, talking to your favorite hero—an interactive, fully immersive character that remembers your name, responds to your emotions, and invites you on a journey beyond your wildest dreams. This isn’t the future; this is iMyth Heroes, and it’s happening now.

    At iMyth, we are pushing the boundaries of storytelling by blending augmented reality, interactivity, and deep character engagement. Our mission is simple yet groundbreaking: to bring happiness and wonder to children of all ages by making their dreams come alive in the palm of their hands.

    Breaking the Barriers of Traditional Entertainment

    For decades, books, movies, and video games have transported us into incredible story worlds—but they have always remained static, unable to react to who we are as individuals. With iMyth Heroes, that changes. By integrating cutting-edge AI and augmented reality, we create dynamic, real-time experiences where:

    • You are the protagonist – Every child (or child-at-heart) is the hero of their own story.
    • Your choices matter – Conversations with iMyth Heroes aren’t scripted; they’re interactive and personal.
    • The world responds to you – Our characters learn, adapt, and grow alongside their users, making each experience unique.

    The Road Ahead: What’s Next for iMyth Heroes?

    Our journey is just beginning. We are actively refining our first commercial product and collaborating with partners who share our vision. Here’s what’s on the horizon:

    • More heroes, more adventures – New characters from beloved stories and original worlds are coming soon.
    • Expanded interactivity – Enhanced voice recognition and deeper storytelling mechanics.
    • Global reach – Bringing iMyth Heroes to children everywhere, in multiple languages and cultures.

    Join the iMyth Revolution

    We believe in the power of storytelling to inspire, uplift, and transform lives. And we want you to be part of this journey. Whether you’re a supporter, collaborator, or potential co-founder, your contributions help shape the next generation of interactive storytelling.

    ? Stay connected, explore opportunities, and help us bring magic to the world by following this link and registering with iMyth.

  • Disney Contributing to Location-Based Experiences

    Disney Contributing to Location-Based Experiences

    I like to stay abreast with technological developments which not only advance location-based entertainment but interactive storytelling as well. This new announcement from Disney sounds interesting. Disney research just filed a patent for a new head mounted display(HMD) and a gizmo which is referred to as an “Air Flow Generator”. I have no information about the HMD but the air-flow generator sounds interesting.

    This air-flow generator evidently generates gusts of directed airfields which can be used to simulate the haptic sensation of the movement of a virtual object such as sword swinging, animal moving etc. In addition, the generator can also manipulate the smell of the generated air gusts to simulate particular smells such as the smell of soil, smell of flower, etc.

    For sure there are many other air field generators, (fans), which can be actuated by trigger events within an experience. However, these have always been very “low frequency, high amplitude”, for lack of better terms, sensations. This generator sounds very localized and directed. There have also been other manufacturers of HMD attachments promising custom generated scents. This gizmo, as an external generator, promotes more of a collaborative, shared experience. The Void produces similar sensations in their experiences. I am unfamiliar with their technology.

    In a conversation with an Imagineer many years ago, I think Disney is on to a product which can really contribute to large scale experiences. He told me exactly how such a gizmo exactly like this could be implemented. Maybe he decided to have Disney research actually implement it?

    If this product is what I think it is then I believe it could make a significant contribution for the location-based entertainment market. An apparatus such as this could not be marketed for home use. If location-based immersive experiences are to be bigger, bolder and more fantastic than home based experiences, then this technology could aid in widening the gap between home and location-based. Of course there is a huge dependency on how reconfigurable this device is. However, if it fully reconfigurable and “dynamic”, then it will contribute to an experience that is physical, collaborative and highly memorable, (Always unique) – Just what the iMyth team ordered.

  • Boom Town: The Ultimate Immersive Experience?

    Boom Town: The Ultimate Immersive Experience?

    I recently came upon this Facebook article from the UK about, what they claim, the world’s most immersive experience: Boom Town.

    https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedUK/videos/2330089977077212/

    Before this posting I have never seen or heard of Boom Town before. It sounds a bit like an English variation of Burning Man mixed in with a music Festival. Music Festivals are wonderful immersive experiences. I love how Boom Town is a theme world integrated with the festival. I wonder if the theme world changes each year they put this festival together.

    As far as iMyth is concerned, I think it would be awesome to empower participants to participate in an immersive theme world, such as Boom Town. With the magic of the internet, participants may choose how they interact with the theme world; actively, semi-actively or passively.

    The most dramatic method would be active. Participants would be required to go to an immersive theme world arena, such as iMyth, put on the immersive equipment and jump into the fun. They would be able to physically act and react and participate with all of the sensory stimuli the theme world has to offer. Folks who participate in this method are the most adventurous and crave the most interactive of all experiences.

    Semi-actively, participants could join in the fun from their mobile devices or from their home computers. They will be able to experience the theme world from personal based HMDs such as Oculus, Vive, or even Magic Leap. The important aspect is that the participants would not be required to participate from an immersive theme world arena. However, they will not be able to Physically participate. They will contribute to the experience as interactors or non-physical participants. Folks who participate at this level may not be able to physically participate in an iMyth arena. They may simply wish to not interact as deeply; metaphorically wading into the water instead of diving in.

    The third option is to participate passively. Restricted once again to a mobile device or home computer, the participant will not be required to employ a visualization device, (HMD), but could view the activities of the theme world from their phone screen or monitor. The view options of this passive perspective are unlimited. However, the amount of interactivity and immersion are also the least. This perspective is for folks who wish to watch on the sidelines and sample the experience before venturing in deeper.

    Festivals such as Boom Town are an inspiring goal of where immersive theme worlds can get to. Since iMyth experience can exist on all three levels of interactivity and immersion, they might actually be able to become something even larger. This of course will need to be explored further once immersive theme worlds start gaining traction.

  • Physical Experience

    Physical Experience

    Wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve contributed to the iMyth Blog site. It’s time to fire up the Furnace and get cooking again! This time it’s not about reporting about another article or another development but to support a concept that has pushed iMyth from the very beginning.

    iMyth is built on three tenets; Physical, Social and unrepeatable. I’m writing this article to support the first and third tenets, phsyicality and non-repeatability. The support for this comes from an article written by Harry Baker for UploadVR, Two-Bit Circus Maze.

    In Harry’s article, he talks about the Maze created by Treyarch/Ubisoft for the indoor amusement park of the future, Two Bit Circus. While this maze is nothing new or revolutionary, I really am drawn to two aspects about the article. The first aspect is that the maze was created with two facades; the mine/maze filled with skeletons and minotaurs and the second filled with iconic Rabids. The experience is basically the same except the experience can be a little more tame or less frightening, depending on the demeanor of the participant. iMyth has always supported an experience that changes dynamically in order to conform to the individual in order to provide them with a “rewarding” immersive experience. This will continue to be something iMyth focuses on. It is confirming to know that a funded immersive experience, Two Bit circus, also stands for the same concept.

    The second tenet, physicality, seems like an unintentional element at Two Bit but really seemed to capture the attention of the article writer, Harry Baker. To quote his article, “For me, I find VR experiences that intersect with physical space and location really interesting. When I’m playing VR, immersion is everything for me. The more immersed I am, the more I enjoy the experience. To be able to walk through a physical space and feel the walls, the wind and feel like I’m in an elevator made the experience notably better. Had I completed the maze in an open-plan room with no walls or physical alterations, it just wouldn’t have been the same.“

    I see this inclusion as further conformation that physicality is and will continue to be a significant contribution to the overall quality of an immersive experience. While I myself would not call the sensation ‘immersion’ but rather ‘presence’. Presence, as defined by philosopher Mel Slater, is the willful suspension of disbelief in the presence of an understood pretentious situation. Presence will continue to be an iMyth objective and physicalness will continue to be one of its primary focuses.

  • “Chained” Keeps the iMyth dream Alive!

    “Chained” Keeps the iMyth dream Alive!

    It’s been over two years since iMyth performed it’s last presentation of “The Courier,” and I have not scene a location based theme world experience like it since, until now. The folks at Madison Wells Media have created a location-based, Mixed Reality  amazing interpretation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol called Chained. I have not been able to participate in Chained myself. Unless MWM Media decides to come to Orlando to give a few performances I don’ think I’l be able to partake. None the less. I understand exactly what they are doing. I found out about the experience through the Verge Article, “Chained mixes virtual reality and live actors to tell a dark Christmas tale.”

    Created by Justin Denton, Chained seems to be doing everything correct. The experience takes place on a motion capture stage complete with props and set pieces. Actors and actress from immersive theatre done Motion Capture suites and become interactors in the 20-minute-ish. experience. I have to use the term “around 20 minutes” since each performance is an improvisation and every experience is unique, co-authored with each participant. “Combining a scripted show with on-the-fly moments of improvisation and customization allows the story to remain fixed, while still ensuring each participant’s individual experience will be unique. That approach also extends to the show’s pacing and structure. Rather than having the entire piece run on a timed loop, some individual scenes and transitions are triggered by an on-site stage manager, while others are activated by the way the participant handles certain props. When meeting the Spirit of Christmas Present, for example, I was handed an apple; placing that item on a table in the room triggered the next beat in the scene.”

    Within the experience, bony arms and hands reach out and touch the participant, pulling them into the experience, amplifying their presence. “Chained demonstrates how live performers can allow virtual experiences to become more personalized than they would if an audience member was just watching an automated digital character moving along programmed rails. The actors can change their performance, cadence, and approach based on participants’ behavior.”

    “Chained” is seen as a prototype event, very much like “The Courier.” The experience, which is to be expected, did have its flaws, “As with any production that’s experimenting and pushing boundaries, some moments that work better than others. At one point, I’m pretty sure I nearly stepped on Bates as he tried to secretly crawl away during a scene transition. At other points, it appeared a character was looking down at my chest rather than meeting my eyes.” As the iMyth experience demonstrated that these early immersive experiences do have their mistakes. However, having live interactors does an amazing job anchoring the participant’s presence in spite of the goofs and less than perfect executed sequences.

    The one key factor that “Chained” has that “Courier” didn’t is multiple performances with multiple participants. Running the experience through with hundreds of willing participants really helps iron the wrinkles of a new concept, “When you run lots and lots of audience members through, you really learn a lot, and we’ll make it better and more seamless and more comfortable for people throughout the process.”

    I’m very excited for Chained and I hope it creates a strong media buzz. The more positive attention it bring the more likely iMyth will be able to create more immersive theme world experiences!

    Update: 12/12/18

    I just found this CNET web article about Chained.

    From the web article it is a bit difficult to tell just what the journalist’s perspective of the entire experience is. She does seem impressed however with the feeling of presence and Being There when she knows it is not real.

  • IAPPA 2018 Review – The Year of the VR Escape Games

    I just got back from a grueling seven hours on my feet after checking out this years’ IAPPA Expo. While the size of the expor only grew, I have a hunch, I honestly was only focused on the evolving state of the immersive experience industry. More specifically I was looking at attractions which focused on interactive and non-linear storytelling. In a nutshell, I would have to say this is the year of the VR escape games. VR escape games are different form the other VR games in that they are usually longer, ranging from 25 minutes to an entire hour and they are not focused on distribution through typical platforms such as Steam. Moreover, all of the development companies I talked with not only produce their own escape games but they also produce their own “Turnkey” operations. A Turnkey operation is a VR setup including all of the equipment needed for a VR arcade to install into their location and immediately start charging per use for their experience. All of the companies I talked with offered their own turnkey solution except for Breakscape games. Ironically almost all of the experience companies are anchored outside of the US; mostly Canada. Here is a list of the Companies I talked with:

    • Breakscape Games – Sells their product for $1500 per player. For a four person game the company would need to pay $6K for the license. Sit down experience, non free-roaming.
    • VR Cave – From Alberta, Four available titles.Up to six players and up to 30’X30′ play space with new Steam VR 2  Lighthouses.
    • Back Light – From France, Offers a haptic floor which is an extra nice touch and utilize 6 Point tracking for full body avatars – Super Nice! First game is called Eclipse.
    • Hollow Zone – From LA Area. VR arm of visual effects studio, Hollow Studios. One available title, Jack the Ripper, Three more on the way.

    Good luck Teams!

  • The Void to Add New Titles to Their Lineup

    The Void to Add New Titles to Their Lineup

    Just as a quick announcement about the state of location-based immersive theme world experiences, The Void recently announced it would be adding five new titles to its expanding catalog. As of the moment there are three Void experiences to choose from:

    • Ghostbusters Dimension
    • Star Wars Secrets of the Empire
    • Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment.

    Regretfully you will need to travel to different parts of the globe to experience each of these titles. However, for the savvy immersive experience aficionado, the number of opportunities is growing.

    The first of the new five will be based on the Disney Wreck-It-Ralph theme world and will be released near the end of the year to coincide with the release of the new Disney film, Ralph Breaks the Internet. Keeping in line with the theme, the new experience will be called Ralph Breaks VR. The Void partnered with ILMxLab to create the Star Wars experience. ILMxLab will be partnering again to actually produce the virtual worlds for these five new titles.

    The identity of the second experience has not yet been released but will be based on an undisclosed Marvel theme world to coincide with the release of a Marvel film in 2019. The Marvel films slated for release in 2019 will include Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far from Home, and a still untitled Avengers film. The identities of the remaining three experiences has yet to be released. Possibly the new experiences will be based on the Frozen  sequel and the up and coming Star Wars film.

  • ‘Jack Ryan’ Most Immersive Theme World Experience Ever?

    ‘Jack Ryan’ Most Immersive Theme World Experience Ever?

    Although I did not attend, this year at San Diego’s Comic-Con is an attraction like no others. In conjunction with the Amazon Series, ‘Jack Ryan’, is a 60,000 square foot immersive VR Themeworld experience. This thing is huge. A crew from Media Monks, an immersive marketing firm from Holland,  worked for months to create this outrageous, location-based experience. You Go Guys!

    As mentioned before, the experience takes place over a 60,000 square foot lot at the San Diego Comic-con. Participants done a backpack computer complete with Oculus VR headset, a climbing harness and motion control markers for hand and feet. During the experience, participants engage in gun fights, duck and cover to avoid fire, Get dropped in from a helicopter (Something I never thought of), escape from a zip line, walk a plank and drive a motion controlled vehicle. These guys pulled out all the stops! This is fantastic and I’m glad someone was able to pull it off if anything as a proof of concept.

    I don’t know much about Media Monks. However, their headquarters are in Amsterdam and they have offices around the world. The realm of immersive marketing is so big I have trouble wrapping my head around the scale and it is only getting bigger. If there any ambitious young people not certain to place all their eggs in the film or games basket may want to consider going into this growing field.

    Business-wise I see this as a marketing event sponsored by Amazon. Such practices are often employed by other production companies such as Lion’s Gate. So this experience is tied in with a major IP, taking place at the world’s largest geek’s fair. I’m sure this experience will do a great job demonstrating what could be done with VR immersive experience and hopefully open the floodgates for other future location-based attractions.

    As a foundation upon which to create a business model from I have my doubts. This is a very linear experience. Very few people, except for the die-hard Jack Ryan lovers, will want to go through this experience more than once. This is also a solo experience. The future of immersive experiences is dependent on collaborative experiences. Until the opportunity is given for participants to share the experience with others it will be a hard sell. Folks may argue that there is an interactor helping the participant through the experience. However, this interactor has no digital presence and is only concerned for getting the participant through the experience in the safest, fastest way while still adhering to the context of the themeworld. If the interactor had a digital presence and collaborated with the participant in fleshing out a unique story then folks would really fall in love with the adventure. Then of course there is the evil specter of throughput preventing this from being a commercially viable experience. I don’t know how many participants can be in the experience at one time but it does not look like many. The involvement of an interactor for each participant also drives up the cost of the experience itself. If an attraction such as this were in a for-profit facility then the throughput would have to be increased at least by tenfold or the cost of there experience would need to be staggering. This looks like a fantastic experience. However, would it warrant a $100 admission price?

    Overall, this is a very exciting and promising prototype. I wish I could be in San Diego to give this experience a try! Hopefully events such as this will continue to keep attracting the attention of the world and make immersive themeworld experience an expected component of our every day media.

  • The Void Debuts Nicodemus

    The Void Debuts Nicodemus

    Hallelujah!Now we are talking! Although there has been little to no press about this I believe the Void has started to realize their own potential in the location-based immersive experience realm. Instead of creating another linear, shoot-em up gallery, the Void teamed with Ninja Theory up to create a true immersive experience, Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment. Instead of rescuing or liberating a particular objective, the goal for Nicodemus is simple, explore an old 1893 Chicago World’s fair exhibit and don’t get caught by the demon … Nicodemus. Check out this video!

    Very little is known about this attraction except that participants will explore, touch and interact with the decaying ruins of the once-hopeful fair. Participants may choose to adapt one of six possible avatars and are encouraged to discover frights, trials, and adventures around every corner.

    The video shows participants interacting with physical props and sets which are integrated with the story. This is really exciting. If this is a true free roam experience then the Void has made collaborative storytelling a reality! The participants will interact with themselves and have a physical adventure inside an immersive, interactive theme world which is guaranteed to never reproduce the exact same experience twice. I really want to give this experience a try, now! When can I get to Las Vegas?

  • Is “Spaces” Going To Do It correctly?

    Is “Spaces” Going To Do It correctly?

    I was nutso when I first heard about The Void. When Dreamscape Immersive formed I really got excited. I thought The Void broke new ground but are wasting their time with immersive shoot-em-up experiences. Dreamscape Immersive launched into an impressive prototype with Alien Petting Zoo. These guys are creating immersive experiences and not just new shooting galleries. Regretfully I have not heard much from them since their initial trial run. There have been other attempts at creating immersive experiences such as Zero Latency. However, in my humble opinion, all have fallen short due to one factor or another. Now, please let me introduce “Spaces” the newest entry in the location based immersive experience arena. If the public is encouraged and with a bit of luck, these guys will make it. I think they are doing a lot of things correct. You can check out a video of their experience by following this link: Spaces: Terminator-Salvation.

    Similar to The Void, Spaces seems at first to be a Terminator themed Shoot-em-up. No big deal. However there are hints of other more important components. In much of the promotional material, the participants are interacting with physical props on physical sets. Physical immersion is essential for maintaining presence in immersive experiences. Participants are running around with props, they are using tools against physical sets and they seem to be interacting with the world with motion control devices. Now you are talking! Dreamscape immersive gave hints of these components. “Guys, what are you up to?”

    From the looks of the video and some of their promotional material, the participants seem to be equipped with HTC Vive Prop HMDs. They also appear to be decked out with 7 point tracking. 5 point is the minimum needed to track participant arms, legs, body position and orientation. However the seven point tracking tracks the elbows which solves a gnarly issue with effective motion capture. At the beginning of the experience, participants’ face are scanned and their likeness is used for their experience avatars. Fantastic. Even if the faces are not animated they will do a sufficient job of identifying the participants from each other in the middle of a high action environment. (I have to admit, Secrets of the Empire left me totally confused.) Getting back to the tracking. If these guys have some advance access to Steam tracking 2.0 then they not only have room scale access but they now have warehouse scale access and the potential for fully realized redirected walking. (I’m still waiting to get my hands on some Steam Tracking 2.0 lighthouses!) From what little review I have encountered, Spaces also employs other haptic devices such as wind, heat and smell. These are becoming standard expectations in any modern immersive experience. Different from The Void and Dreamscape Immersive, Spaces also integrates a scoring mechanic and video recording. These components are essential for experiences to take on lives outside of the actual physical attraction. This is starting to look super exciting!

    With all of this awesome sauce, what could go wrong? What could prevent Spaces from becoming a dominant player in the location-based immersive experience area? Throughput! A look at the promotional image on their website indicates they are looking for partners to open retail locations in public spaces such as malls. This may be a big mistake. Spaces is obviously run by a couple of Gen-Xers who haven’t come to the realization that the millennial folk don’t go to the malls! Traffic in malls is just not what it use to be. In order to make an operation like this profitable, they will need to have multiple immersive experiences going, each filled with multiple participants during all hours of operation. This may be attainable on the weekends. You can forget Tuesday morning around 11:00 am. Malls have very high rent and to keep the throughput sufficient to pay for the overhead costs may be too insurmountable. The solution to this very problem is what plagues the Void and Dreamscape Immersive as well.  I suppose this is a topic for future blog posts.

    I hope for the best for Spaces. I really believe they are stacking their deck with the correct equipment and the right attitude for make truly rewarding location-based immersive experiences. I just hope the realities of the economics don’t crush them into obscurity. Good luck Guys! I’m rooting for you!