TEKHLIKIDI - IN THE AIR for The Order

Innovative edutainment game — a visual narrative novel created by humans & neural networks. Based on my debuted fiction book 'Antonov Collider'

BRIEF:

- to create a free educational game dedicated to fake news issue

- to support a launch of 'Antonov Collider' book

IDEA:

‘In The Air’ is the world's first narrative educational browser game created in collaboration with neural networks. In this snowy cyberpunk world, you try to survive in Russia in the middle of the XXI century, which finally turned into a gloomy techno-dystopia. You have to challenge the system of total control, find out who poisons the air, understand how disinformation and lies kill, and try not to go crazy with everyone else

‘In The Air' is the first group project of The Order's educational community. Writers, musicians, journalists, game designers & programmers came together and joined forces with the most advanced developments in the field of artificial intelligence. So, the interface of the game is created by human, but all the graphics are drawn by Midjourney AI, the script is written by human, but some of the lines are AI, and the music is made the same way

PLOT:

The action of ‘In The Air‘ new takes place in a dystopian world in RNCR — the pro-Chinese Russian Neo-Communist Republic, which is controlled by artificial intelligence and large corporations. Every citizen here is under surveillance. And those who fight against the system of total control are declared enemies and extremists

You play as Masha, a diligent and slightly lost resident of the metropolis. After a difficult breakup with a young man, she comes to visit her parents' house in the suburbs of Moscow. Here she is greeted by relatives stuffed with state propaganda, a brother who believes in all conspiracy theories, crazy old ladies in the yard, corrupt robotic policemen, vicious officials and deceitful corporations. You have to figure out what is happening in this forgotten hole, where everyone is rapidly going crazy. Yo need to talk with locals, work with information, look for the truth and finally try to stay alive

"The main character of the game, Masha, is a kind of example of a thinking consumer of information (at least for me). Yes, she makes mistakes, relies on the help of others — and this is what is similar to ordinary living people, to you and me. We should all strive to absorb information wisely, to be able to think critically. Otherwise, some mistakes may cost us too much. In our world, of course, there is no such cool assistant as the neurobot Theo (another important character in the game). But we got you: after going through ‘In The Air', you will receive from him all the wisdom of media literacy in one convenient document"

Maria Amraeva, Project's Producer, prototype of the main hero

MECHANICS:

One of the tasks of ‘In The Air‘ is not only to entertain, but also to provide useful and applied knowledge to improve media literacy. In an era when information, true and not, overwhelms the brain, it is extremely important to be able to work with these flows and not drown in them

To do this, our team includes some of the best specialists in disinformation, fakes and fact-checking under the leadership of journalist Maxim Tovkailo, who in the past was the editor-in-chief of RBC, Vedomosti and Forbes media projects

"Are you willing to admit that you are easily manipulated with information? The vast majority will say no. This is logical, because it is difficult for us to abandon our own delusions. However, a person is easily suggestible. Misinformation spreads on social networks 6 times faster than reliable information. Without realizing it, we can become a link in the chain of transmission of lies. Politicians, governments and companies are trying to manipulate us. This game will not teach you how to find the truth. But it will help protect against the simplest methods of propaganda and information manipulation. Unraveling the story, you will understand that Masha is not somewhere in the distant future, but among us. And her story is your story"

Maksym Tovkaylo, journalist, editor of FariDaily & Explanatory Note newsletters

VISUALS:

The entire interface of the game is painted by designer Nikita Sluzhenikin, but the game itself is drawn using the Midjourney neural network. This artificial intelligence was created by an independent research laboratory launched in February 2022 by scientist and entrepreneur David Holtz (in the past he worked at the NASA research center, took part in the development of LiDAR technology). The Midjourney team consists of 11 people who are financially self-sufficient and their algorithm is able to convert text into pictures.

"The world of ‘In The Air‘ and the novel ‘Antonov Collider’ is a gloomy place in which the attentive reader can easily discern familiar trends, situations and landscapes. It is unlikely that you will want to live in this world. But playing it and reading about it will be not only exciting, but also extremely useful

How was ‘In The Air' created? In an embrace with neural networks. One helped us generate some of the replicas of the characters. The other is sound. And the third — the great and terrible Midjourney — was responsible for creating the interface, locations and characters of the game

We spent dozens of hours with the latter - and when we finally saw the invented world with our own eyes, we gasped: the future became a reality before our eyes. I wish you to gasp — not only from fear of this quite probable reality, but also simply from pleasure"

Ilya Tekhlikidi, Project’s Gamerunner (Screenwriter & Creative Producer), the author of 'Antonov Collider’’

SOUNDTRACK:

Each scene of each level of the game has its own music track.

25 scenes — 25 tracks.

Some of them are also created with AI.

"Music is a powerful mediator. With the right approach, it hypnotizes and immerses you with your head. In interactive storytelling, this is especially important: the deeper you feel the story of which you are the hero, the more emotions you have at the exit

To do this, the guys from HHD and I wrote a soundtrack, from scratch. Each scene of the game is voiced by its own musical theme. There is a lot of hip-hop vibe and experimental electronics - what we love and can do. We have also developed a sound design — the effects of the game world, designed to make the reality of ‘In The Air‘ as natural as possible

And finally, we used AI tools and services (for example, AudioStellar): neural networks introduced the effect of surprise into our musical content and emphasized the futuristic setting of the game"

Velikanin, Musician & Sound Designer (HHD Label & Projects)

’In The Air‘ Original Game Soundtrack by HHD is available on all main music streamings: band.link/in-the-air

REWARDS:

Gifts and bonuses for the first 200 participants who will complete our game:

- a checklist that will help you critically evaluate any information
- AI-written original soundtrack (for free & forever)
- exclusive art pack drawn by a neural network: all game locations, characters and posters in high resolution
- 50% discount on the annual subscription to The Order

After completing the game, users receive bonus materials in their mail, including media literacy rules — a convenient PDF file with key educational lifehacks from 'In The Air' story

ADAPTATION:

In the frame of the official collaboration with University of Mons (Belgium) students from the Faculty of Translation and Interpretation under protection of professor Nicolas Stuyckens have fully translated the game from Russian to French

So now you can easily play the game in two languauge modes

CONTEXT:

The script of ‘In The Air‘ was created by writer, musician and creative producer Ilya Tehlikidi. The game takes place in the dystopian world of Ilya's debut novel ‘Antonov Collider’, which released in December 2022 by Elena Shubina. Now it’s available on all key reading platforms & offline stores in Russia (as a physical, electronic & audiobook)

Ilya describes the world of the second half of the XXI century — the era of the Great Perpetual Isolation. The former Russian Federation, which finally turned towards the oriental path of development, turned into the Russian Neo-Communist Republic (RNCR), falling under the influence of large corporations with a legal address in Beijing

The metropolitan inhabitants of the totalitarian state, controlled by the artificial intelligence of the Great Supreme Ruler, have long adapted to the new conditions. But, despite advanced hybrid technologies, widespread bioimplants and illusory opportunities a few decades ago, citizens are suffering from social inequality, poverty, poor environmental conditions and are under the vigilant total control of the government

The protagonist of the novel Anton (he can also be found in In The Air) — a young courier working for one of the Chinese corporations — must deliver twelve encrypted messages per day, according to the number of stations on the ring line of the Moscow metro. For each addressee, the time of receipt of the parcel is strictly defined. You can't fail to do it. The collider has already been launched

"A frighteningly timely novel — and it was written before 2022. Russian cyberpunk, as it should be (and what, apparently, it will be): high technology, multiplied by state dictatorship, corruption and general indifference. The forecast is eerily plausible, and it would be better if it did not come true. But it is already coming true!"

Dmitry Kolezev, Republic.ru Editor in Chief