AR glasses enable immersive collaborative gaming experiences where players interact with virtual characters and environments in their living rooms.

Imagined Future Scenarios

Entertainment, Plausible Futures, Medium Term (3 - 5 years)

Scenario Generated from 'Even Realities G1: The Fashionable Futuristic Smart Glasses That Google & Meta Wished They Made' - Yanko Design

Future Arc and Implications

Grow Arc

Social Impact: Increased social interaction and entertainment options, but potential for social isolation for those without access.

Technological Impact: Further advancements in AR technology, leading to more realistic and immersive gaming experiences.

Ecological Impact: Increased energy consumption and e-waste from production and disposal of AR glasses and related infrastructure.

Economic Impact: Booming AR gaming industry generates significant revenue and employment.

Political Impact: Governments struggle to regulate virtual space activities within AR games.

Narrative: AR gaming explodes, becoming a ubiquitous form of entertainment and social interaction, driving technological innovation and economic growth, while posing new challenges of regulation and equitable access.

Collapse Arc

Social Impact: AR gaming becomes unattainable due to economic hardship, widening the social divide.

Technological Impact: AR development stagnates due to lack of resources and infrastructure breakdowns.

Ecological Impact: Pollution and resource scarcity override concerns about e-waste from discarded AR glasses.

Economic Impact: Collapse of the power grid and supply chains cripples AR gaming infrastructure and industry.

Political Impact: Governments focus on basic survival, neglecting virtual world regulations.

Narrative: Economic and environmental collapse forces a retreat from AR gaming, returning society to simpler, more immediate forms of entertainment and survival.

Discipline Arc

Social Impact: AR gaming is carefully controlled, with pre-approved content and mandatory social interaction.

Technological Impact: AR glasses become government-issued and track user behavior for compliance.

Ecological Impact: AR gaming uses sustainable energy sources and reduces e-waste through a strict recycling program.

Economic Impact: The AR gaming industry is nationalized and heavily subsidized to promote pro-government narratives.

Political Impact: Government uses AR gaming as a tool for propaganda, social control, and citizen monitoring.

Narrative: A centralized authority tightly governs AR gaming, using it to shape public opinion, enforce social norms, and monitor citizens under the guise of entertainment.

Transform Arc

Social Impact: AR gaming fosters empathy and understanding, leading to more collaborative and compassionate communities.

Technological Impact: Open-source AR technologies promote accessibility and customization for diverse user needs.

Ecological Impact: AR gaming promotes environmental awareness and motivates users to take real-world action.

Economic Impact: Decentralized AR gaming platforms empower independent creators and foster a more equitable distribution of wealth.

Political Impact: AR gaming facilitates global collaboration and promotes decentralized governance models.

Narrative: AR gaming becomes a catalyst for societal transformation, fostering empathy, collaboration, and environmental consciousness, leading to a more sustainable and equitable future.

Product ideas generated based on this scenario

AR Game Addiction Clinic

Specialized clinics offering therapy and support groups to help individuals manage and overcome addiction to AR gaming. Services will also include family counseling to address the impact of AR gaming on relationships. A focus on creating healthy digital habits is paramount.

AR Equality Grants

A non-profit organization funded by industry leaders offering financial aid and subsidized AR glasses/internet access to low-income families, bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable access to AR gaming experiences. Grant applications include basic digital literacy training.

ScavengeAR Games

Offline, location-based scavenging challenges. Players use salvaged AR glasses (if available) or printed maps layered with clues and puzzles that lead them to find essential resources (food, water, first aid) in a post-collapse world. The game teaches survival skills and promotes community cooperation.

Barter Boards AR

An augmented reality overlay that identifies local barter posts and resources based on the user's needs. Using remaining AR glasses or projected using battery-powered projectors, the system displays nearby offers of goods and services, fostering a local, decentralized economy.

Citizen Compliance AR Game

A government-mandated AR game where players earn social credit points by completing tasks that align with government policy (e.g., reporting suspicious activity, participating in community events, consuming approved content). High scores unlock privileges and access to better goods/services.

Thought Police Filter

A built-in, unremovable filter on government-issued AR glasses that censors 'subversive' content and flags 'incorrect' viewpoints displayed within AR games. This includes altering avatars, censoring text, and blocking access to certain games or online interactions.

Empathy Engine AR

An AR platform that places users in the simulated perspectives of others - refugees, people with disabilities, different animal species, etc. - to foster empathy and understanding. The platform provides users with resources and action items to make tangible support in the real world.

AR Repair Economy

An open-source AR platform, incentivizing users to use AR to create repair guides, tutorials, and diagnostic tools for broken appliances, electronics, and other goods. The platform fosters a circular economy, reduces e-waste, and empowers individuals with practical skills. Rewards users with cryptocurrency upon the successful completion of a documented repair.