If the recent Heartbleed bug got you worried that someone could take advantage of your online assets, you might now want to know some more about “info threats”. Luckily, you don’t need to hang out with international wanted criminals to have a glimpse of what a cyber attack looks like: projects like Netwars are here to remind us that we live in a time where computers are the new weapons of mass destruction.
“There is nothing virtual about this reality” is the tagline for the first fact-based crossmedia project dedicated to information warfare. It sets the tone for this rollercoaster ride into the mind of a ruthless guy, a “salesman” for the worst digital scenarios.
Just like the “virtual but real” reality it depicts, Netwars spreads into the infosphere, infiltrating various media. The concept has been split into a 5 part interactive documentary conceived by Lena Thiele from MIIQO Studios, a TV Documentary directed by Marcel Kolvenbach and aired by ARTE, an interactive Graphic Novel App, an E-Book/Audio Book, as well as a TV series.
Driven by a “make it concrete” attitude, the storytelling mixes real specialists and scientific advisors, simulated attacks, and a fictional canvas dominated by a mastermind that will suck the viewer into his cyber-nightmare.
Netwars is produced by Filmtank GmbH and is still growing. While the interactive graphic novel has just been presented at the FMX Conference, new content will be added and interactions with users will provide feedback and personal experiences to feed the social media profiles.
To get a taste of Netwars’ look and feel, you can find all the episodes of the web doc and tons of extras on the project’s website. And don’t worry if something takes control of your computer: it is only a simulation. Or is it?
(images and video © 2014 Filmtank GmbH).