Unforgettable: Moments That Defined Immersive in 2020

The NoPro Staff zeroes in on the moments that shaped our year

2020 is a hard year to love, so we won’t try.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t moments that made it, well, survivable. Glimmers of hope and humanity that reminded us why we do what we do every day. Which gave us the strength to keep going on.

This is the first in a series of posts that will look back on the year that was, and to be honest: this is my favorite. Because at its heart, the immersive and experiential arts are the art of the moment. When things are done well, indelible memories are formed, pathways are reveled, destinies set in motion. Sometimes in the spirit of play, sometimes very much in the quotidian world.

Long after the accolades are forgotten, these moments will remain with us.

— Noah Nelson, Founder & Publisher, No Proscenium

Kathryn Yu, Executive Editor

Lettuce Be Friends — The Pod

I’m in a simulation with Ellie the robot. Only she doesn’t know it’s a simulation. She thinks we’re actually traveling through space together. And she, the onboard AI, has taken it upon herself to make sure that every detail in our intergalactic journey is taken care of. Everything must be perfect. For me. And in the name of efficiency, she’s found a way to convert human excrement (that is to say, my poop) into food. Surprise! Not only has she figured out the secret, but, she’s proved that it works already and wouldn’t you like to try this romaine lettuce right now? This whimsical, delightful moment is heightened by Katelyn Schiller’s absolute seriousness as Ellie, the AI, holding out a head of this crisp, icy cold vegetable for me to eat in our spaceship. I try not to bust out laughing as I graciously accept her gift. If all of life is a simulation, well, being in The Pod with Ellie turns out to be a pretty good one to get stuck in.

Would You Like To Take A Survey? — Agent Venture: The Heist

If you’ve ever wanted to be the guy in the van full of equipment who acts as someone’s “eyes and ears” on the outside during a heist, Agent Venture is the stuff that dreams are made of. And as your team of players helps a spy (played by a live actor) complete their mission in this audio live action game, your team may also allow you to fulfill the social engineering scams you’ve always wanted to pull off. It’s like Ocean’s 11 crossed over with Sneakers.

Case in point: in order to distract an office administrator from our secret agent infiltrating their facility, I pretended to be a service representative from their coffee machine vendor, and killed many minutes of her time by asking her to rate the quality of our coffee machine, the speediness of the machine’s coffee-making, the amount of waste the machine produced, the temperature of the water, and so much more. Suffice it to say, I bought our operative precious time to sneak into their building unnoticed. Apparently, the hours I’ve wasted on the phone with customer service were actually an immersive experience. Who knew?

If It Has Something To Say, Why Can’t It Stay? — OBJECTIVITY

I’m starting to drift a little during the decluttering seminar. We’re all in our little Zoom squares, holding up the things we want to get rid of: old film screeners, floppy disks, unused picture frames, and other knick knacks. But my attention snaps back as soon as one of the participants in this getting-rid-of-stuff seminar begins pushing back on the fictional expert who is hosting the self-help session. Why? He wants to know. Why is it so bad to hold onto our stuff? Then the show takes a hard right, and this so-called participant transitions from ranting at our guest to singing a song about not getting rid of his ex’s mug. “If it has something to say, why can’t it stay?” he croons.

Shit, I think. He’s a plant. And. This show is a musical. I can’t help but start laughing, especially as I see the faces of the other attendees light up during this moment of unexpected whimsy.

If I Only Had A Heart… — Scarecrow VRC

It’s the Thursday after the presidential election in the USA and I’m on edge, as are most of the people I know. I’m exhausted from school midterms and constantly doomscrolling. I’m biting my nails, I’m not sleeping well, my tank has run empty. But I somehow find some energy to put down my endless piles of homework and hook up my gaming PC to my VR rig for a digital version of the Sundance hit, Scarecrow. I soon find myself in a VRChat avatar that is unfamiliar to me; it’s a body not my own. I’m some sort of horrific blue humanoid being with spidery veins emanating from the gaping hole my chest. I don’t have a heart.

So after watching the scarecrow character silently interact with the two other participants, I draw a deep breath in anticipation of what’s going to happen when he turns his attention to me. Suddenly, it’s my turn. I’m not sure what to do. His avatar looms over mine, violating my personal space. And… he just gives me a hug. I burst into tears.

Who Are You? — Tales by Candlelight: Session Zerø

I’ve been captured. I keep trying to communicate with them. Ask them, Who are you? Tell them my name. But it all comes out wrong. My people, I’m so worried about my people. Our beautiful island full of sheer cliffs and lush jungles and red sanded beaches is in danger. You see, it’s all a misunderstanding. I was simply trying to approach the strange men who showed up on boats coming towards our shores, when I tripped, and fell into the sand. My companion mistook my fall for an act of aggression. Fearing I’d been hurt, he rushed forward and attacked them. But me, I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on (and it’s too bad I drew such a series of unlucky cards).

And I’m so entranced by this Dungeons and Dragons-esque tale that I’m co-creating with Walk the Night’s Spencer Williams — where we’ve designed my character and her story using a set of custom-scented tealights, some chance cards, and Williams’ immense talent as a facilitator — that I almost let my laptop battery die.

Nearly two hours on Zoom went by in a flash. What can I say? It was a helluva good story.

Allie Marotta, NYC Correspondent

Getting Slimed — Beat the Bomb

Okay, this one feels like cheating but it was in 2020, it just happened to be before the apocalypse times. This was the last assignment I attended in person, and I got to do so with NoPro writers Blake Weil, Cheyenne Ligon, and our friends, so there is definitely an additional layer of emotional significance there. Getting slimed is always fun, but getting slimed with your friends under the intense anxiety Beat the Bomb purposefully creates is a recipe for THRILL and ADRENALINE! We didn’t know this would be the last moment when it happened, but I’m glad it was.

Becoming A Jonas Sibling — Joe Joenliness

Siobhan O’Loughlin’s recurring interactive performance series Please Don’t Touch the Artist has been a staple in my quarantine-and-chill routine, and I’m not the only one. The audience of PDT has definitely become a sort of misfit community, but this was never more clear than during Joe Jonliness, an installation about life guru Joe Jonas giving us all very serious life guidance. Throughout the show, audience members slowly and quietly began changing their Zoom last names to “Jonas” in solidarity with those sharing their concerns. At the end, in an effort to show support, Joe Jonas himself began to read aloud every single person’s name in the Zoom room (all forty something of us) to show just how many people were really there holding time and space for each other, and we all just…happened to be Jonas siblings!

Being Observed — Exploration of the Everchanging

This moment stuck with me because it took me by surprise. Towards the end of this piece, a facilitator shared a slideshow presentation that pointed out things like “Number of People Wearing Glasses” or “Good Wall Colors” accompanied by screengrabs of individual Zoom screens that fell into each category. This was surprising since as the audience we expected to be watching the performers, but then to find out we had been being watched back the whole time was just delightful.

Making A Mad Dash To Gather Supplies — The Highland Adventure

This is another moment that caught me off guard. Being prompted to run and grab a crust of bread within thirty seconds was not something I had anticipated doing when I logged into the Zoom room, but it was hilarious and so absurd that it really worked for me. The playfulness of this series of tasks set the tone for the rest of the experience and was a great way to get into the right headspace to have fun.

Sharing A Song — each and every

Making playlists is my love language, so each and every was a really fulfilling experience to begin with, but the act of listening to a song together over the phone just felt so special. This moment felt purposeful and important, particularly in the context of the piece and the framework of the weight and power that music can hold and the significance that a particular song might have to a group of people. I felt so connected and understood, which I’m finding to be a rare feeling these days.

Blake Weil, East Coast Curator at Large

My Post-Binge “Sex and the City” Binge — Binge

In a Spring that me and my sister defined with “Tiger King” and K-dramas, the enthusiasm and love with which Brian Lobel curated my “Sex and the City” marathon was an unexpected delight. Assignments like watching the episodes “Hot Child in the CIty” and “This is the Real Me” had a spooky prescience that made me feel like I was being haunted by the ghosts of old relationships and poor decisions. Even so, the delight of feeling truly seen by Lobel, being reminded that my problems were both totally non-unique and totally manageable, and just enjoying a nice coffee and a (new to me) show with my sister created one of my fondest memories of 2020.

Crying About Sex and Pastry — Pass the Sugar, Please?

This LARP is equal parts raunchy sex comedy and comedy of manners, so it was a shock that in between cracks about trussed up chickens and burnt scones slathered with a sinfully good clotted cream, I managed to find some moments of real emotion. Somehow, through trifles and pavlovas, me and my partner managed to confess our fears and needs when it comes to vulnerability and intimacy. As far as teachable moments, Pass the Sugar, Please? was the standout this year in its earnest urging for us to be honest and open about our pleasures and pains.

The Dark Side of Glamour — Miami Motel Stories

After going to school in Miami, I’m both intimately familiar with Miami the fantasy, and Miami the reality. “Glamour” used to refer to the same sort of fantasy Miami offers outsiders, so it’s no surprise that the immersive theatre production Miami Motel Stories took a delightful lunge into the perverse with its enchanting “Glamour’’ track. Audiences took a detour into the dingy motel room of famed serial killer/murderer of Gianni Versace: Andrew Cunanan. The intensity of the tonal whiplash both within the show itself and the scene was a breathtaking thrill ride, as we lurched from flattery to threats to an impromptu disco party, culminating in a simulated suicide that left audiences reeling at the price a fantasy can demand.

My Story Comes Home — The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries

Being pandered to is fun. It’s the reason people attempt it in the first place. But the delight of constant pandering in The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries elevated it from merely fun to spectacular. The sheer amount of personal details crammed into my experience was mind boggling, from the use of Barry Whites’ “You’re the First, My Last, My Everything,” to my childhood subscription to Nintendo Power, to my semester abroad in Tokyo, to the truly memorable praline cake that formed the cornerstone of my mystery. The moment in which the story came full circle — after a high flying espionage adventure about a criminal conspiracy involving dentists’ offices and the publishing house Conde Nast — landing safely tucked between my childhood magazines in my bedroom was truly magical. It felt like the sweetest bedtime kiss after a story by a loving parent.

Progress Marching On — See Also

A looping structure has become the standard of the sandbox immersive theatre show; that’s what makes a violation of it so shocking and thrilling. The sense of joy and hope at realizing that with every loop of the static characters of the past, the world of See Also’s “present” got a little bit softer and a little bit kinder was sheer theatrical magic. In a year where every institution seemed to fail, the memory of this moment was an uplifting one, reminding me how we can always get better if we open our hearts and minds to the lessons of history.

Danielle Look, Denver Correspondent

A Monster Attempts to Enter My Car — Murder At The Drive-In

Spectators were warned upon arrival at the Shining Light Drive-In to keep their windows up and doors locked for the duration of the show. So, of course, I hung my head out of the window for a good portion of the show, at least until the drive-in was overtaken by zombies and monsters. One eventually spotted me out of the corner of his eye and staggered up to our car. I got my window up just before he approached the car to peer in, but when he reached for the door handle and tried to jiggle it open, I was glad I’d at least heeded those instructions!

A Take-Home Surprise — Sypherlot

You know the feeling when a really good movie’s closing credits start to roll and you’re about to get up to exit the theater when suddenly a bonus clip interrupts and you get a few more surprise moments of joy? That’s what happened when Itchy-O’s hour-long drive-in experience concluded and everyone fired up their vehicles to head home. With windows still down from the show, as we slowly rolled out of the parking lot, a faint jingling sound echoed off surrounding cars. We stopped to inspect and discovered those tricksters had covertly suction-cupped DIY noise makers to some vehicles during the show. What fun!

“This Is Your Brain on Death” — Meri Burgess at Rainbow Militia’s ‘Death’s Unraveling’

Death’s Unraveling by Rainbow Militia was a series of small group performances that unfolded across multiple rooms of a vacant house. The vignettes each took a different approach in musing over what might happen to our mind, body and soul when we cross over.

My favorite scene invited us into our own minds to witness Meri Burgess’ interpretation of a person’s final thoughts as they expire. Burgess’ evocative dance performance first reacted to color-changing abstract visuals projected behind her. For the finale, she transitioned to her signature “tree pole,” encased by a web of elastic cord for a uniquely brilliant movement sequence.

Kevin Gossett, LA Reviews Editor

As this year has dragged on, I’ve slowly realized that, for the most part, remote/Zoom shows just don’t work for me. Trying to experience immersive theatre through a screen creates a nearly impassable barrier for me and I have a hard time connecting with the actors, the material, and ultimately, the show itself. I’ve seen a decent amount of work, but compared to some other NoPro folks, I felt like I hadn’t seen enough Zoom shows this year. But I think it’s actually that because of that lack of connection that I’ve been very selective about what I’ve made time to see. And of course there are exceptions, but many of those are because I’ve done with them a fun group of people and it was enjoyable more because of them than the show.

This is all a long-winded way of saying there weren’t very many standout immersive moments for me this year. And that goes back to that disconnect that I’ve experienced. Without having a strong connection to a piece of immersive theatre, it means that it’s difficult to have a singular moment in any show. That said, there are two that I want to discuss…

Watching The Snackrifice — Blaseball

With the Blaseball league at the whims of a giant, angry peanut god, fans of the Unlimited Tacos, and then many fans from the other 19 teams decided on one course of action: blasphemy.

Let me explain, fans could “idolize” different players and see where they ranked on an “idol” leaderboard. On that idol leaderboard was an “ominous red line” and above the line were ten open spots. The week before, fans had learned that players above the line would be placed in a peanut shell and unable to do anything during gameplay (except field the ball, for some reason). So, in what fans hoped would be an affront to the peanut, the Unlimited Tacos’ fanbase decided they wanted to “shell” their entire pitching rotation and prevent them from actually playing any baseball. Tacos’ fans created memes and propaganda over the course of a week to get the rest of the league on board until the movement hit a critical mass.

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With the end of the season in sight, everyone playing Blaseball made their move and idolized players to boost them up the board. The final hours of this endeavor were one of the most intense things I watched this year as players moved up and down past that red line: the threshold for being shelled. The final minutes were excruciating as it seemed like the Tacos’ plan was on the verge of failing at the last minute. But when the dust settled and the fans could see the board after an interruption from the peanut, as anxiousness gave way to joy, it was clear: the snackrifice had been committed.

Standing In The Rose Room At ‘ Then She Fell’ One Last Time — Then She Fell

There’s a specific room in Kingsland Ward. It’s a masterful confluence of storytelling, design, audience participation, and you: the elements that can make immersive theatre so powerful. When I entered that room, I was completely lost in the experience, it could have been 20 seconds or it could have been 20 minutes. It was only when the nurse spoke to me that I snapped out of it. I had to move on from the room with all of the roses, but the moment has stayed with me all year.

Laura Hess, LA Correspondent

The Identity Reveal — Out There

This interactive, one-on-one video chat offered limited pre-show details. I knew I would be meeting with an FBI agent from the “Vault 3–15” program. Over Zoom, Intelligence Analyst Nicole Pitt led me through an evaluation of some sort; responding to her questions, I recounted a series of memories. I was so focused on those images and sensations, I didn’t see what was coming. And when the show turned, it also rotated my perception of my environment, relationships, and future plans. It was an emotional torque, resulting in a surreal, reflective state.

Day Two — The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries

On Day Two of my weeklong investigation with The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries, I received a call from Winona. This was unexpected. The previous day I’d spoken with Inspector Doyle, the lead investigator for my case. After our preliminary review of the paranormal activity I’d encountered at the Rockcliffe Mansion in Hannibal, Missouri, I emailed my photographic evidence. Eagerly awaiting Inspector Doyle’s insight, I was surprised, but charmed, by Winona’s Katharine Hepburn warble. She’d uncovered a different historical estate in rural Missouri and relayed a yarn about spooky happenings on the property. After the call, while still laughing, I did a Google search to verify; Winona’s tale was true! The Ravenswood Mansion was a real place in Bunceton, and the accounts she described were reflected back to me through my laptop screen. This moment of fusing the fabricated and the factual, delivered through a most comical performance, was wonderful.

Going It Alone — ETERNAL

Darkfield Radio’s binaural sound design is outstanding in all of its shows, but it’s ETERNAL, their most recent production, that had me riveted. Several moments convinced me that my physical self had left my bed and traveled into the world of ETERNAL. An exquisitely creepy, hypnotic experience, ETERNAL burrowed into my ear canals and under my skin.

Stepping into Chromosaturación — Los Angeles MOCA

Made in 1965, this art installation consists of two parts: conjoined rooms bathed in fluorescent light, and three zoolike windows through which visitors observed attendees. Before entering the three-part structure, I slid giant wool slippers over my shoes to protect the all-white surfaces of the walls and floor. Each chamber submerged me into a saturated, primary color: red, green, and blue. The installation was so visually immersive, it seemed as though the rooms had specific scents and that the air against my skin changed in its humidity and thickness. A gorgeous, liminal place seemingly suspended in time, it was a chance to experience color with all my senses.

Leah Ableson, NYC Correspondent

Maybe We Are Going To Be Okay After All — The Telelibrary

I had my first call with The Telelibrary on November 7th, at 10:30 AM EST. That hour felt warm, mischievous, playful — and immersive, finally. After months of that horrible longing for a truly encompassing magic circle, I found it in that little phone tree, with the lovable robot voice on the other end of the line. It was sunny that morning and I was curled up on the couch in the light with a mug, content and optimistic, two long-forgotten feelings. When the call ended, I closed my eyes and breathed; my apartment felt like it buzzed with a renewed hope, brought on by that phone call. Maybe we are going to be okay after all. I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet when it began: the cheering in the distance, and then closer, all around my apartment. A new President-elect had been called.

Patrick B. McLean, Chicago Curator

We Are Far From Alone — woolgatherings

Before the start of the pandemic, I’d already been in self-quarantine for a month having previously fallen ill. I began feeling better right before the first lockdowns. I was incredibly lonely, the sudden isolation from nearly everyone and everything being difficult. woolgatherings was one of the first online experiences I attended. Throughout the experience, I figured I knew where woolgatherings was heading. Yet, a twist occured, with the kind words I’d been asked to write being shared in an unexpected and deeply meaningful way. While everyone was physically separated by the pandemic, woolgatherings remind me that we were far from being alone.

Hitting The Deck To Save Master Yoda — Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge

Like Vader Immortal, the strength of the new VR experience Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge comes from creating the sensation you’re living in your own personal Star Wars movie. While the game is full of cinematic moments, the greatest experience I had was with Jedi Master Yoda as his padawan. When exploring a Jedi Temple together, the floor gave way and creatures started pulling Yoda down into a bottomless pit. I shouted “No!” while dropping to my knees, thrusting my hands out to grab Yoda…only to whack my Oculus controllers into the floor. While both Yoda and my controllers eventually made it out of the temple, the moment showcased how strong of a Force Galaxy’s Edge can be.

A Tarot Reading For Two — Lonely Hearts

Supposedly, when Valentine’s Day rolls around each year, it’s the easiest day to express love to that special person in your life. You can express some surface-level Hallmark comment to them and be done with it. But Lonely Hearts reminds audiences that meaningfully expressing your feelings is not something that is easy or should be taken for granted. In attending this year’s production, I got randomly paired with my real-life partner during a tarot reading. It became a quite revealing reading, with my partner and I brought to tears during. It was a humbling reminder about the importance of meaningfully expressing love rather than casually expressing it.

(Disclosure: Dean Corrin of Birch House Immersive was a professor of the author and is a previous NoPro Chicago Curator.)

First Day On The Job — Like Real People Do: Long Distance Relationships Division

I hate starting new jobs. Between the never-ending amount of trainings and stressfully navigating the social politics in the office, being a new employee is the worst. On my first day at the “Department of Manhattan Memory,” as part of this experience, I’m nervous about making a good impression and learning everything. But it isn’t until meeting the warm, bubbly, and outgoing Cornelia that I feel at ease at work. She takes time getting to know me beyond the office, happily providing her email so we can talk more afterhours. It’s these moments that Like Real People Do 2020 really shines, fostering a meaningful relationship between the audience and characters, and showing that we are more than the work we do.

(Note: NoPro NYC correspondents Leah Abelson and Edward Mylechreest were cast members in this piece.)

Rolling With The Crew — B.O.W.L.I.N.G. Night

When it comes to hanging out and playing games with friends, Zoom doesn’t cut it. It’s hard creating a natural rhythm of competition, strategy, and dialogue between everyone using conference software. That is unless you’re playing B.O.W.L.I.N.G. Night. While seemingly a straightforward online recreation of a competitive bowling tournament, the experience gets wonderfully wilder and nuttier at every turn. The NoPro correspondent team I was a part of leaned into spirit, carefully planning out each move to riling each other up against the competition in our locker room. It was few times this year I walked away feeling like I’d had a meaningful time hanging out with friends.

Shelley Snyder, London Curator

I Was Never Safe — Spree

There comes a moment in Myriad Immersive’s Spree where I’m locked in the interrogation room with my partner and the killer, and, through the tinny earpiece I’m wearing, my agent on the outside feeds me information that turns the entire situation upside-down. I’m no longer safe, I was never safe, and I’ve got to keep my cool so that I might leave the room with all my body parts and fluids where they belong. Akin to the climactic scene at the end of the film Se7en, I can’t recall a more vibrant and jarring reveal in an immersive show that produced in me such a visceral reaction.

Arriving At Kensington Palace — United Queendom

As a slavering lover of costume dramas and castles permitting visitors, there’s never been anything like the walk up to Kensington Palace for Les Enfants Terribles’ United Queendom. The enchanting show within aside, just experiencing the raw privilege of being permitted to walk up the private garden path alone, on a crystal-clear night, a welcome guest expected at a palace reception, was thrilling enough to last a year stuck indoors in a one-bedroom flat.

Noah Nelson, Founder & Publisher

We Might Be Okay, Even If We Can’t Be All Good — Eschaton

It was relatively early on in the era of Pandemic Theatre when I dropped in on a Saturday night to catch a run of Eschaton, the virtual nightclub/cabaret/mysterious limbo.

While there’s a whole level of puzzle solving that has returning guests coming back for an unfolding meta-narrative, it was the simple fact that a group of New York City performers had managed to create the vibe of a physical place that had only ever existed in their imaginations that left me with the sense that lockdown was going to be livable. Granted, I didn’t expect it to still be happening the better part of six months later, but I’m still so grateful for that glimmer of hope they gave me.

The Blair Witch Gives Me The Willies — Hunt-A-Killer’s Blair Witch

You wouldn’t think that solving a simple substitution cipher would creep you out, but you’d be wrong.

Sometimes all it takes to conjure a whole world is some clever writing, a good sense of a pacing, and twenty years worth of movie legends stewing together in the old brain pot.

Look, I said it was simple, not easy.

Still, months later, I find it hard to believe — and harder to forget — that feeling of “oh no” as the secrets of the latest appearance of the Blair Witch were laid bare.

Gail Hensworth’s Nervous Disposition — Sherwood & Nottingham

It started off as nothing more than a second to get composure, and it turned into a whole bit.

That would be when I, Charles Mercer, asked Guildmaster Gail Hensworth (Reed Sights) what had happened while I was “away in my lab.” Sights got stuck in a tongue twister for a split second while trying to get me up to speed, and so Gail made reference to her nerves. Charles, as part of the medical guild had just the tincture for nerves.

Cut to twenty minutes of an actor and a player BS-ing their way through an improvised scene that had nothing whatsoever to the overarching plot of the story, but was just a sheer delight to do for its own sake. A cure for nerves that sounds suspiciously like hallucinogenic mushrooms and may or may not cause lycanthropy. The kind of ridiculous moment that made me remember why I used to love LARPing so much.

Being Ady Sun’Zee — Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge

Much of SW:TFTGE is spent in the role of a silent, nameless protagonist who is meant to be your personal projection into a galaxy far, far away. It’s one vision of what roleplaying can be in games, and it makes a kind of sense in the embodied gaming of virtual reality.

But there is another path.

As a side story in Tales… you are told a story of Jedi padawan Ady Sun’Zee, and in the telling find yourself in her shoes. Or to be more specific with her hands. Speaking and thinking with her voice. Suddenly I found myself moving differently through the space. I was no longer just playing the game, I was acting the role. One I would have never gotten cast as in an audition.

Even putting aside my legendary Star Wars fandom, the act of stepping into a character’s skin this way was more liberating than anything I’ve found yet in virtual reality. Best of all, I know that this is a line of development that is being pursued actively by the most forward thinking VR studios in the world.

What’s that on the horizon? Oh yeah. There’s that hope again.

An Era of Accountability Begins — The Immersive Theatre Community

Which bring us to the most significant moment of the year, which wasn’t in a show, and it wasn’t from a game.

It was, in fact, a single post on the Everything Immersive Facebook group. In that post a young woman came forward with a story about how a man in the immersive scene in Los Angeles had abused what power he had to manipulate her.

The response was tremendous. Not only did it prompt more people to come forward about this man — who may or may not have left the influential website he founded and its sibling in the hands of others — but it was met with open arms by the immersive creative and fan community.

This post that kicked off a chain reaction leading to others coming forward with tales of their own about abuses of personal and financial nature. The truth is that like any human endeavor the immersive world has its share of predators, con men, and bullies.

In the past few years we’ve all seen first hand what those who follow these paths can do not only to ourselves as individuals, but to the fabric of society itself. So it fills me with so much hope for the future to watch a community assert that this type of behavior won’t be tolerated.

It’s not a slam dunk. Words are wind, as someone once put it. Vigilance is required so that feigned shock and repentance isn’t rewarded with unearned trust and forgiven for hollow praise. But I, perhaps naïvely, believe that the kind of courage we’ve already seen is a beacon. A signal-fire that lights the path for others. That guides us collectively towards a more just tomorrow.

That is, if we too have the courage to follow the light.

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