Hypervideo: Drop The Weapons

One of the most creative uses of YouTube Annotations has been for one of the uncoolest clients in London: the Metropolitan Police. Choose A Different Ending was part of their Drop The Weapons anti knife crime campaign.

Like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, it’s a second person narrative – you see through the protagonist’s eyes and choose between two knife-related options at the end of each chapter: the first ends with TAKE THE KNIFE / DON’T TAKE THE KNIFE.

While a 2nd person POV can limit a hypernarrative story’s ability to engage players emotionally, it’s perfect for this. It’s positioned somewhere between a public service video and a first person shooter (a first person stabber?).

But whereas an FPS engages young men by letting them experiment with mass murder in a virtual moral vacuum, this game manages to keep you playing until you make all the most sensible, responsible choices. It becomes a puzzle – tempting you to see how much you can get away with, and then constantly running you into different unexpected ways that carrying a knife will get you in trouble. And the reward for being a good boy? Music videos

Have a play – let me know what you think about its strengths & shortcomings.

It was pubished in July 2009, and created by short film director Simon Ellis, Mad Cow Films and Jeremy Tribe & Prabs Wignarajajat, creatives at AMV BBDO.

Thanks to Eliza for sending me this.