You have reached the end of the road.
November 26, 2013 11:45 PM Subscribe
Welcome to Fort McMoney, an interactive documentary game.
Fort McMurray, Alberta, is home to the Athabasca 'oilsands' (aka 'tar sands'). Their exploitation has been responsible over the last decade for both tremendous economic growth and environmental degradation.
David Dufresne's team created an interactive tour of the region’s landscape, people and issues to illuminate what he calls “a very complicated world, a very secret world, a city of complexities.” The game portion, he said, is a way to discover what goes on in a gold rush community experiencing serious growing pains. The project includes more than eight hours of video and is to be rolled out in four parts over four weeks; an iPad app is to be released next week.
Through wide, lonely shots of tundra, the camera shows an isolated Fort McMurray. Monstrous, thick smoke rises from its refineries. What viewers encounter can evoke both envy and sympathy. Early on, players meet and interview residents, including a saleswoman, a homeless man and the mayor, whose prerecorded answers come in responses to a menu of questions. They discuss the economic success, along with drug and prostitution problems. Players can essentially step into a leader’s shoes to decide whether to build more. Then they can vote on referendums covering refinery expansion and support for social services.
Fort McMurray, Alberta, is home to the Athabasca 'oilsands' (aka 'tar sands'). Their exploitation has been responsible over the last decade for both tremendous economic growth and environmental degradation.
David Dufresne's team created an interactive tour of the region’s landscape, people and issues to illuminate what he calls “a very complicated world, a very secret world, a city of complexities.” The game portion, he said, is a way to discover what goes on in a gold rush community experiencing serious growing pains. The project includes more than eight hours of video and is to be rolled out in four parts over four weeks; an iPad app is to be released next week.
Through wide, lonely shots of tundra, the camera shows an isolated Fort McMurray. Monstrous, thick smoke rises from its refineries. What viewers encounter can evoke both envy and sympathy. Early on, players meet and interview residents, including a saleswoman, a homeless man and the mayor, whose prerecorded answers come in responses to a menu of questions. They discuss the economic success, along with drug and prostitution problems. Players can essentially step into a leader’s shoes to decide whether to build more. Then they can vote on referendums covering refinery expansion and support for social services.
Very slick. I like it so far.
posted by Jacob Knitig at 12:12 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by Jacob Knitig at 12:12 AM on November 27, 2013
Wow, this looks great. I watched the trailer and was very impressed--I'm looking forward to playing the game.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:26 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:26 AM on November 27, 2013
This looks great. It also looks like propaganda. Hell, I'll play with interactive propaganda.
Switching subjects: I grew up in the Canadian prairies. Many people I knew moved to the north. I did myself for a while. In my youth, long before anyone outside the region really knew it existed, the patch was always referred to as the "tar sands." I will not buy into the rebranding. They are the tar sands to me. Accurately, they are "bitumen sands," but no one calls them that, unfortunately.
posted by converge at 2:09 AM on November 27, 2013 [5 favorites]
Switching subjects: I grew up in the Canadian prairies. Many people I knew moved to the north. I did myself for a while. In my youth, long before anyone outside the region really knew it existed, the patch was always referred to as the "tar sands." I will not buy into the rebranding. They are the tar sands to me. Accurately, they are "bitumen sands," but no one calls them that, unfortunately.
posted by converge at 2:09 AM on November 27, 2013 [5 favorites]
He's takin' five, eh
posted by mannequito at 2:43 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by mannequito at 2:43 AM on November 27, 2013
Doesn't work for me. This is the first time I've been hit by a Flash thing needing newer than 11.2, the last version for Linux.
posted by scruss at 4:15 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 4:15 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
> This looks great. It also looks like propaganda.
In which direction? Pro-oil or anti-? Given that it's by the NFB, I'd expect it to lean on the anti- side.
For more information on the craziness of northern Alberta's oil activities, I'd highly recommend the documentary Wiebo's War. (I think you have to pay to "rent" it on the NFB site, but maybe it's on YouTube somewhere.)
posted by sixohsix at 4:52 AM on November 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
In which direction? Pro-oil or anti-? Given that it's by the NFB, I'd expect it to lean on the anti- side.
For more information on the craziness of northern Alberta's oil activities, I'd highly recommend the documentary Wiebo's War. (I think you have to pay to "rent" it on the NFB site, but maybe it's on YouTube somewhere.)
posted by sixohsix at 4:52 AM on November 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
So far, my use of "propaganda" seems hyperbolic. There is an anti-tarsands slant to this, I think. I'd like to have a better informed opinion but I can't get past five minutes without the thing crashing. In three different browsers.
For more information on the craziness of northern Alberta's oil activities, I'd highly recommend the documentary Wiebo's War. (I think you have to pay to "rent" it on the NFB site, but maybe it's on YouTube somewhere.)
Just to split a hair, Mr. Ludwig was really more about gas than oil.
posted by converge at 5:11 AM on November 27, 2013
For more information on the craziness of northern Alberta's oil activities, I'd highly recommend the documentary Wiebo's War. (I think you have to pay to "rent" it on the NFB site, but maybe it's on YouTube somewhere.)
Just to split a hair, Mr. Ludwig was really more about gas than oil.
posted by converge at 5:11 AM on November 27, 2013
For anyone wanting to play this in Linux, it won't work in Firefox (for the Flash versioning reasons that scruss mentioned). It does work in Chrome, as it has its own port of Flash built-in that Google is updating.
posted by fader at 5:58 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by fader at 5:58 AM on November 27, 2013
In the game, you eventually have to log in and it saves your position.
I lived in Grande Prairie many, many years ago and worked in the oil camps just out of Fort McMurray. Back then, we did a month in and a month out. As there wasn't much to do at camp - people worked long hours. All I remember is the damn ‘gumshoe’ mud. Constantly getting stuck!. It was almost mandatory to have a 4 wheel vehicle and winch.
Life was a lot of foolish young people (including myself), making loads of money and lots of drug and alcohol. If you wanted to get out of the place with your money – you stayed away from the town. Literally – workers would go in to town and you would never see them again. There was no cell phones or computers back then - distance communication was through a CB radio. It hasn't changed much – except the town is bigger and everyone is older. This story is the same in many of the northern oil and mining towns. Many are just ghost towns now.
Interesting - lots of eastern accents in the game.
posted by what's her name at 6:24 AM on November 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
I lived in Grande Prairie many, many years ago and worked in the oil camps just out of Fort McMurray. Back then, we did a month in and a month out. As there wasn't much to do at camp - people worked long hours. All I remember is the damn ‘gumshoe’ mud. Constantly getting stuck!. It was almost mandatory to have a 4 wheel vehicle and winch.
Life was a lot of foolish young people (including myself), making loads of money and lots of drug and alcohol. If you wanted to get out of the place with your money – you stayed away from the town. Literally – workers would go in to town and you would never see them again. There was no cell phones or computers back then - distance communication was through a CB radio. It hasn't changed much – except the town is bigger and everyone is older. This story is the same in many of the northern oil and mining towns. Many are just ghost towns now.
Interesting - lots of eastern accents in the game.
posted by what's her name at 6:24 AM on November 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
(aka 'tar sands')
Hey! A lot of money has gone into the re-brand, why you gotta bring up old shit? Also, let's not call it "crude" oil anymore, it just sounds so nasty, so it will be henceforth known as "natural oil."
posted by Hoopo at 9:54 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hey! A lot of money has gone into the re-brand, why you gotta bring up old shit? Also, let's not call it "crude" oil anymore, it just sounds so nasty, so it will be henceforth known as "natural oil."
posted by Hoopo at 9:54 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have a friend who moved up there last year with his wife to teach. It seems like it's working out for them, but everything (especially property and food) is expensive, ravens follow him home from work, and the two roads out of town were snowed in for months last year.
I am not entirely convinced that he did not move into a horror film.
posted by dinty_moore at 10:24 AM on November 27, 2013
I am not entirely convinced that he did not move into a horror film.
posted by dinty_moore at 10:24 AM on November 27, 2013
This looks really cool. Thanks for posting it. I loved "The Curfew" as well.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 2:39 PM on November 27, 2013
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 2:39 PM on November 27, 2013
This looks great. It also looks like propaganda.
It is not.
posted by modernnomad at 7:26 PM on November 27, 2013
It is not.
posted by modernnomad at 7:26 PM on November 27, 2013
So far, my use of "propaganda" seems hyperbolic. There is an anti-tarsands slant to this, I think.
It's hard to avoid being on one side or another. Having grown up in Alberta, I can watch "The Tar Sands" change in my own perception from a promised benefit to all Albertans (and the corresponding public investment in bitumen extraction R&D) to political bandwagon, to oil company plaything, to environmental disaster, back to government-supported public good, now with China and Malaysia as investment partners. All of these are/were propaganda efforts intended to sway public opinion one way or the other, and avoid pesky nuances that might hold back development. Only nowadays pesky nuances like aboriginal rights, water pollution, climate change, politicization and foreign control threaten to invade the narrative (or at least the Alberta government's version).
All of which is just to ask, "is there one right way to look at this?" I'm generally on the side of protecting environments and restraining development over time, mostly because what I see happening is profiteering at the expense of Alberta/Canada's future. Meanwhile, the loudest and most consistent voice I hear is Allison Redford (Alberta's Premier) speaking on behalf of the oil industry. There's an endless stream of propaganda to choose from.
posted by sneebler at 7:46 AM on November 28, 2013
It's hard to avoid being on one side or another. Having grown up in Alberta, I can watch "The Tar Sands" change in my own perception from a promised benefit to all Albertans (and the corresponding public investment in bitumen extraction R&D) to political bandwagon, to oil company plaything, to environmental disaster, back to government-supported public good, now with China and Malaysia as investment partners. All of these are/were propaganda efforts intended to sway public opinion one way or the other, and avoid pesky nuances that might hold back development. Only nowadays pesky nuances like aboriginal rights, water pollution, climate change, politicization and foreign control threaten to invade the narrative (or at least the Alberta government's version).
All of which is just to ask, "is there one right way to look at this?" I'm generally on the side of protecting environments and restraining development over time, mostly because what I see happening is profiteering at the expense of Alberta/Canada's future. Meanwhile, the loudest and most consistent voice I hear is Allison Redford (Alberta's Premier) speaking on behalf of the oil industry. There's an endless stream of propaganda to choose from.
posted by sneebler at 7:46 AM on November 28, 2013
I've much the same experience.
No, I think, there is not "one right way to look at this." I start with recognising what the tarsands are: an exploitation. Then I look at how those exploiting go about their business. Our provincial government is, for an instance, very easily bought. Ms. Redford is little more than a PR manager one this tack.
I commiserate with you, sneebler. Industry charges science with politics.
posted by converge at 4:29 AM on November 29, 2013
No, I think, there is not "one right way to look at this." I start with recognising what the tarsands are: an exploitation. Then I look at how those exploiting go about their business. Our provincial government is, for an instance, very easily bought. Ms. Redford is little more than a PR manager one this tack.
I commiserate with you, sneebler. Industry charges science with politics.
posted by converge at 4:29 AM on November 29, 2013
Does anyone else find this game completely bug-ridden and, basically, unplayable as a result?
Anyone know where the support forums are where I might ask my questions? For instance, I can't even find a simple list of the keyboard commands that the "instructions" allude to.
In other words, anyone got a little help for a clueless old guy who liked the Curfew Game?
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 12:48 AM on December 12, 2013
Anyone know where the support forums are where I might ask my questions? For instance, I can't even find a simple list of the keyboard commands that the "instructions" allude to.
In other words, anyone got a little help for a clueless old guy who liked the Curfew Game?
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 12:48 AM on December 12, 2013
« Older Names for Change | A nation underwater Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by ssg at 12:07 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]