Carly Kocurek publishes new alternate reality game in Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology

Carly Kocurek, associate professor of digital humanities and media studies, recently completed an experimental project that is highlighted in the most recent issue of Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology. Kocurek’s experimental, academic alternate reality game, is featured in Susan Kuchera’s article, The Weavers and Their Information Webs: Steganography in the Textile Arts.  

The article examines the history of steganography—the practice of hiding information in plain sight—in relation to the textile arts. The author discusses various types of textile arts—knitting and crochet, embroidery, and quilting—and the possible ways each art form could have been used for steganographic purposes. The analysis discusses how the potential use of these stenographic methods in the past, present, and future, could be used as a form of communication between marginalized groups to share and protect information.

To play the game, follow the links in the article and complete the subsequent puzzles and clues. Alternatively, to access the game’s content, you can also follow the walkthrough of the game.