The Interactive Life

As a Programming Committee member of Women in Film & Video ("WIFV"), I helped out at the event, “Creating Interactive Learning Adventures: An Evening with Sharon Sloane” on March 30th. Ms. Sloane, a WIFV Woman of Vision, is President and CEO of "WILL Interactive, Inc." The event showcased the premiere screening of "The War Inside," a video-based simulation that seeks to improve soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Produced in collaboration with the Army Medical Department, the interactive video allows users to manipulate actors in real-life scenarios. The purpose of this video-based simulation, a cross between a live-action movie and a video game, is to help soldiers solve stressful situations they may encounter returning from deployments.

During the screening, the audience was given the opportunity to manipulate the scenario through electronic voting which was a neat experience. We helped a soldier avoid suicide by instead getting the help he needed to cope with his PTSD. It made me think about how I could have benefited from having an audience of people make my life decisions. I wonder how my life be different if electronic voters had chosen for me. . .