Virtual New York (VINY - Prototype)
Platform(s): iOS, PC
Release: 2011
Publisher: Private
Role: Creative Director
Virtual New York, or ViNY as it was so aptly named, used the inter-connectivity between the PC and mobile iOS platforms to create an innovative augmented-reality (AR) experience designed to turn New York City into a digital playground. Based on a quest-based model that was tied to a reward system that offered location-based goals, users would engage in 'jobs' that acted as a virtual tour guide; allowing them to use their mobile camera to unlock achievements, earn rewards and otherwise get a bird's eye view of the sights and sounds that were all around them... and maybe learn something amazing along the way. In some cases, historic overlays were used to allow users to get a glimpse of old New York, enhancing the experience through augmented reality. Some jobs were designed for multiple users, building community not only via digital interactions, but by promoting physical engagement as well.
When considering the branding possibilities via real-world partnerships and the reward applications that go with it, ViNY might have been merely a prototype (as of the time that I left the company), but it went a long way in proving some of the innovative ways that digital could be used to support brands and the things that are possible when using the GPS capabilities on the mobile platform.
