As part of DG8003 – Interaction Design for Digital Media, each student was asked to attend and critique three immersive design experiences outside of their immediate academic environment. The project is meant to promote the students finding and participating in professional events in their fields, while keeping a keen eye out for areas of improvement.
The events I chose to attend are the Watch Dogs: Legion game release, the Fisher-Price Museum, and the Adesanya VS Costa fight.
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Some sports are meant to be played in a silent environment – tennis, golf, and volleyball, to name a few. One that arguably is not, is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). I am by no means a fighting fan – though I have been to a session of World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Monday Night Raw – and I actually tried to change the channel to The Karate Kid before this event. But, after my Italian friend shook his “pinecone hand” in my face, I begrudgingly watched the fit grown men enter bloody combat
Streaming the fights to a 20” TV through an Apple TV box, in the corner of a 100-year-old cottage on Chandos Lake, I was on the edge of my seat with every punch. Thinking pragmatically about how the fighters, refs, judges, and event personnel had no atmosphere to work off of makes the fact that I did not miss the live-audience aspect, a huge feat. Sure, it was strange to see empty seats outside the ring and every so often, there was an awkward silence, but the show was put together in such a way that as a viewer, your senses were constantly occupied. The ring noises were louder so when grunts and slams are audible, they were heard better, and the commentary felt continuous.
As someone who does not necessarily enjoy watching violence, who tries to avert her eyes at the first sign of blood, I was happily surprised at the way the non-stop commentary invited my attention. I felt like I was a part of the conversation and that in some way, I needed to watch the fight and make a decision on the winner.
Maybe that is just the point of UFC – but I have never felt as intrigued and included in a fight stream as I did during their pandemic coverage.
References
Dailymotion. (2020, September 28). Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa Full Fight HD - video dailymotion. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7wikl0
