NEWS

This weeks Prime Time For Change article focuses on Gemini 360 enhance experience game and potential lessons learned on the Gemini Division project.

This weeks PTFC article outlines the differences between Alternate Reality Gaming and the Gemini 360 Enhanced Experience; a matter of some consternation for fans. The article does and excellent job of outlining the differences between ARG and EE and provides an explanation for the “non-ARG” ARG that has been driving Gemini fans crazy.

To expand on the article: Gemini 360 is an enhanced experience game. EE media, unlike traditional ARG games, is known to be ancillary content and doesn’t fall under the same guiding rules that ARG does. The first and most important difference being that EE tells players that they are participating in an enhanced experience. There are varying levels to how EE’s remove the curtain between players and game creators and Gemini 360 falls squarely in to the “no curtain” zone.

All of Gemini Division’s EE content is linked directly from the main NBC Gemini Division production website; a first in EE gaming. The best known EE experience from NBC and managed by the same team that developed and deployed Gemini 360, Heroes Evolutions doesn’t have EE content on the main production page but rather a link in the nav bar. Including EE content on the main episode page, while unprecedented, does allow fans direct interaction between the episodes and ancillary content.

As discussed in the Lessons Learned portion of the PTFC article, Gemini 360 does have it’s growing pains; this should be expected as the Gemini project truly is a first of it’s kind. As for the remainder of the Lessons Learned, I’ll leave that for PTFC, though we are looking forward to next weeks article on Gemini Division Successes.

END-WEEK UPDATES

episodes

Thanks to everyone for their feedback on embedding the episodes in the forums; to recap: last week we changed the episode forums will lead off with the embedded episode, then the epi-info with cast links to IMDB. There is also added a sticky for the weekly recaps, so you have a single place to view them in order. We’re glad that you’re enjoying the ability to watch the episodes, link directly to IMDB, and be able to comment on them all in one place.

the gemini division enhanced experience game

Week four of Gemini Division saw an unprecedented amount of EE content released though this may be accounted for by the lack of game info released in week three. Participants of the EE are now able to login to the “Gemini Division” server and explore Anna Diaz’s apartment and Dr. Elizabeth Gavallin’s [Dr. Jill Sinclair’s] Office. This week also saw an increase in both text messages and emails to players.

We have added two new sticky’s to the Gemini 360 Enhanced Experience forum where you can find the items seen in Anna’s Apartment and Gavallin’s Office.

You can participate in our Gemini 360 Enhanced Experience forum as well as the UnFiction boards for “Gemini 260“.

fan questions

Apologies to both Afterworld and Gemini Division fan’s who submitted questions for the show’s producers last Friday the 19th: I didn’t email the questions to them so no answers will be posted this week. Please look for those answers to be posted on the site mid-to-end of next week and my most sincere apologies. I was swamped with work this week and haven’t been able to devote as much time to GDF as I had hoped. My failure to submit your questions shouldn’t be taken as a negative on Electric Farm Entertainment as they can’t answer what I don’t send them.

NEWS

First and foremost, a quiet reminder that Gemini Division Files, while graciously honored to be the official fan website of Gemini Division, is not administered, affiliated, or associated with Electric Farm Entertainment or NBC Universal Digital Studios. Through our interaction with Electric Farm on their previous series Afterworld the site administrators do have the unique ability to send emails to the Electric Farm production offices. 99% of the time those emails are answered in a timely manner; one of the reasons for our undying love of EFE.

With that being stated, your emails about the broken “Downloadable Video” link at geminidivision.com have been collated in to a single email to the folks at EFE, who in turn responded that they have forwarded the concern to NBC Universal. When there is an update on the issue we are positive that EFE will email us; until then please know that all of your concerns have been documented and you can stop emailing us about this issue…no, really, my inbox shut down this morning.

MID-WEEK UPDATES

episodes

To make things easier in our episode discussion I spent some time this evening embedding the video for each episode in the appropriate forum post. From this point forward the episode forums will lead off with the embedded episode, then the epi-info with cast links to IMDB. I have also added a sticky for the weekly recaps, so you have a single place to view them in order. Thanks to the Fox/NBC website Hulu for having embeddable GD video that allows size modification on embedding.

the gemini division alternate reality game

Per the note from Brent Friedman last week we know that NBC is going to be releasing the additional content this week. We were hoping that there would be two releases, but as it’s Tuesday it appears that the postponed release from last week and this weeks additional content will both be released the on ‘regularly scheduled’ Thursday. After the positive response for the ARG website Mutable Response we are looking forward to the next batch of extra content.

You can participate in our Alternate Reality Game forum as well as the UnFiction boards for “Gemini 360“.

fan questions

Finally, thanks to those of you who responded to this morning’s GDF Members email about “Fan Questions About Gemini Division”. For visitors who haven’t joined our community: If you have questions about the show that you’d like the creators to answer please email them to info@geminidivisionfiles.com. We are finalizing the list of questions and will be emailing them to the EFE folks this coming Friday, September 19th.

First, my apologies for not posting for almost two weeks; I’ve been busy with work and haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and compose a proper post. Those of you who follow Prime Time For Change will note that neither Tim nor I have posted there since last week as well. I’ll have an article up there this weekend as well.

So, to catch up, we meet Anna’s partner Pete Vacarella briefly, before he is blown up. One of my favorite actors, Danny Woodburn, makes a brief appearance and I hope we will be seeing more of his character in the future. We also see Anna’s father and learn a bit more about her back ground. Finally, we know that Anna is now a member of Gemini Division.

While I have attempted to blog from a detached perspective, the launch of the Alternate Reality Game has caused quite a controversy in the ARG playing world. Emotions range from bafflement to outright disgust on boards and forums web-wide. Week two saw and improvement in the game with the release of Mutable Response and the character dialogs on Twitter. This is discussed in detail in our ARG Forum for those who are interested. While the overall game appeared to experience a vast improvement during week two there has been no additional extra-content released in week three.

I’ve been fielding emails from fans since Thursday and I’ll rehash my now canned response here: No, NBC has not cancelled the ARG based on the controversy. As series creator and executive producer Brent Friedman stated in the special preview interview, "Gemini Division is new territory and there will be lessons learned". (I paraphrased that); I’d like to follow that up by paraphrasing from an email I received from Mr. Friedman this morning: NBC experienced some technical issues this week that prevented the release of the ARG component. The ARG will continue early next week." This should mean that we will see two ARG pops next week to keep the schedule with the release of the series!

Finally, a note to Joss Whedon Fans. I love you. I AM a Joss Whedon Fan. I have every season of Angel and Buffy as well as FireFly on DVD. I purchased Dr. Horrible from iTunes. I am looking forward to Doll House just like the rest of you.

Please stop comparing Gemini Division to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog in your emails to us, and on your blogs. Joss has a very, very, dedicated fan base and the three episodes of Dr. Horrible are not a web-series. It’s a completely apples and oranges comparison. Would you compare Steven King’s Rose Red TV miniseries to a season of Lost? Does Roots compare to M.A.S.H.? No. They are two completely different animals. I’m not saying that Dr. Horrible isn’t great entertainment…but it is a completely different business and distribution model from Gemini Division. Saying that GD is a failure because the site hasn’t crashed like the DH site did on it’s first day is silly. Stop being silly.

Finally, I am officially taking questions about Gemini Division. In the same vein as Afterworld I will submit those questions to the folks at Electric Farm. Heck, throw Afterworld questions in there too if you’d like. Please email your questions to info@geminidivisionfiles.com and, as we have done on the Afterworld Theories website, I will be posting the answers here. The deadline for question submission is next Friday, September 19.