"Watching and playing in parallel" has been partially done at least once: the 2013 Syfy [sic] series Defiance launched with an MMO, with the show in postapocalyptic St Louis and the MMO taking place concurrently in San Francisco. I don't know how long they kept this up, but one case I remember was a character escaping from their pursuers in the show, followed by an in-game quest where you aided them as they arrived in SF.
I say partially because I don't believe in-game actions would ever impact the show's story. One takeaway for anyone trying this idea in the future, though, might be the sort of "keyword trigger": just mention San Francisco in a Defiance episode and you're indicating to players that there will be related in-game content, without breaking up the script for those who don't want to play the game.
Awesome Stephen! Thanks for sharing this reference. Yeah I agree with you as well, there would need to be a balance between audiences as not everyone would play the game. I like your suggestion there.
"Watching and playing in parallel" has been partially done at least once: the 2013 Syfy [sic] series Defiance launched with an MMO, with the show in postapocalyptic St Louis and the MMO taking place concurrently in San Francisco. I don't know how long they kept this up, but one case I remember was a character escaping from their pursuers in the show, followed by an in-game quest where you aided them as they arrived in SF.
I say partially because I don't believe in-game actions would ever impact the show's story. One takeaway for anyone trying this idea in the future, though, might be the sort of "keyword trigger": just mention San Francisco in a Defiance episode and you're indicating to players that there will be related in-game content, without breaking up the script for those who don't want to play the game.
Awesome Stephen! Thanks for sharing this reference. Yeah I agree with you as well, there would need to be a balance between audiences as not everyone would play the game. I like your suggestion there.