Set in “a minutes from now” future, Run The Cloud was a mystery to solve, hidden all across the city. A community of people who play a game to stay fit and ready for anything. And a conversation about what it means to be human.

Explore the city.
Find the clues.
Decide what happens next.

What was Run The Cloud?

Run The Cloud was a game that used the Internet, social media, digitally supported street games, online storytelling and ubiquitous technology (smart phones, SMS etc) to set the players to solving an unfolding mystery.

The story told by Run The Cloud was a collaborative effort between the players and the writers. Like a role playing game, the writers offer a fictional, simulated situation for the players to react and respond to.

All official direct interactions with the game proceeded as if there was no game.

The website, social media presence, on-street game runners and in game communications were themed within the narrative environment of The Cloud.

Part of the fun was pretending it’s real.

The story of The Cloud is set within a community of people playing a game on the streets of the city, called The Run. The Run was a digitally supported game of territory acquisition, mental, physical and social challenges played in the CBD.

In teams of three to five, players searched for clues, solved puzzles, discovered and completed challenges and competed to capture as much territory in the city over a two hour period as possible.

Players were also offered training missions, available at any time via an online portal. These training missions were automatically conducted via Conducttr and purpose built software designed by Tech Assault.

Successful completion of the missions contributed to the collective storytelling exercise, and added to players’ skill sets (metaphorically and literally).

The missions, The Run and the social story telling game aspects of The Cloud were all designed specifically to encourage increased physical activity; to increase awareness of the personal habits and environments that impact on physical and mental health; and to encourage mindfulness as a coping strategy, to build self-confidence in unfamiliar environments and self-reliance in changing situations.

The Cloud, both in the game fiction and in the real world, was designed to make its players faster, stronger and smarter.

Gallery

Promotional image of characters from Outside: The Cloud

Credits

The Cloud was a game by Pop Up Playground and Tech Assault Laser Skirmish for Vic Health, developed with the support of SAE Qantm College.

Core conceptual team
Ben McKenzie, Robert Reid, Sayraphim Lothian, Eryn Walker, Anthony McGinty

Writer
Robert Reid

Game Design
Ben McKenzie, Anthony McGinty, Robert Reid and Sayraphim Lothian

The Run web app
Anthony McGinty

Graphic Design
Robert Reid

Social and Digital media
Sayraphim Lothian

Actors
Kali Hulme, James Tresise, James O’Donoghue, Kevin Turner, Kat Yates, Verity Charlton, Elliot Summers, Soren Jensen, Andi Snelling, Dave Lamb, Gennady (Jay) Kudakaev, Anna Kraynova, Robert Reid, Ben McKenzie, Jess Gonsalvez, Jack Beeby, David Harris, Josiah Lulham, Shamita Sivabalan

Audio Engineer
Lyndon Kidman

Writing Intern
Lachlan Hadwen

Game Design Interns
Ricky Tilburn, Aaron Hong Shen Yong, Sian Bennett, Lachlan Hadwen, Sarah Balfour-Smith

Audio Interns
Lyndon Kidman, Eamon Cullen, Gennady (Jay) Kudakaev

Graphic Design Interns
Sian Bennett and Lachlan Hadwen

Animation Intern
Victor Valdes