https://share.mediasilo.com/#quicklink/E8EF971CFDF5DA13BE1127A9EC63D0E0 Heading into season seven of Psych, USA Network and the showrunners knew they had to create the next evolution in multiplatform storytelling. During the previous season more than a half million self-proclaimed Psych-Os played the Emmy-nominated Psych: HashTag Killer, a thrilling “whodunit" experience which invited fans to help Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) solve several murders across the country. Heading into season seven of Psych, USA Network and the showrunners knew they had to create the next evolution in multiplatform storytelling. During the previous season more than a half million self-proclaimed Psych-Os played the Emmy-nominated Psych: HashTag Killer, a thrilling “whodunit" experience which invited fans to help Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) solve several murders across the country. This new eight-week multiplatform murder mystery Psych: TheS#cialSector combined amazing writing, talent participation, true real-time fan interaction and delivered an engaging story accessible through multiple touch points. This parallel digital storyline was played via desktop or tablet at SocialSector.usanetwork.com and tweeted using #SocialSector. This time around, USA ratcheted up the stakes by pulling fans into an even more immersive experience making them an actual part of the investigative team and ensuring that fans had to work together for everyone to proceed. TheS#cialSector’s Fan Theory Board empowered the Digital Assistants to share and engage on various levels through traditional word of mouth and through the utilization of social platforms where they shared posts, pics and videos. Each week they could post their theory about who committed the crime and receive video responses from Shawn and Gus. The best theory was then woven directly into the game so that everyone could see their detective work. Directed by Kirsten Nelson (co-star Chief Vick), TheS#cialSector centered around an online reality competition in which contestants are sequestered in an unknown location and one contestant is voted off each week. When Shawn and Gus discover the eliminated contestants are turning up dead, they enlist the Psych-Os to become their Digital Assistants and help find the location of the reality show’s house and catch the killer. Psych-Os signed into SocialSector.usanetwork.com to solve the case through a series of real-time communications, mini-games, crowding-sourcing challenges and the Fan Theory Board. One of the first games required 1,000 fans to find a picture of a pig and pin it on the storyboard to move the game forward. The multiplatform storytelling experience delivered a truly unique approach for driving a real-time adventure, putting fans squarely in the driver seat to push the story forward in the direction they chose. The highly social nature of the experience made it seamless for fans to share the great story, quotes from the games and challenge other friends to join them in the experience. It provided a mechanism for them to think about and engage with Psych 24/7. While TheS#cialSector was creating buzz online, fans were able to join USA’s Character Chatter at http://characterchatter.usanetwork.com or connect on Facebook to share their latest clues and swap their predictions about the killer. The online portal funneled live feeds from all social communication portals, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and pulled in video and picture feeds in-stream. Conversations on Character Chatter were accessible on all platforms, including smartphones and tablets. TheS#cialSector saw more than 2,400 videos uploaded, with fans spending about 14 minutes on average of their time in the game. It was developed in HTML5 for easy access across multiple devices and driving more second screen storytelling opportunities. The network partnered with technology companies 30 Ninjas, SocialSamba and Theatrics.com and creative agency Ralph to create Psych: TheS#cialSector.
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2013/02/psych-social-sector/
