Converge 2 is an interactive work by the Ars Electronica Futurelab for Deep Space 8K. Up to eight participants on site and one external person in a motion capture suit engage through voice, movement, and emerging tech. The project is based on SHARESPACE, a large European R&D project on using avatars in social situations.
Converge 2 is the next step in an ongoing exploration of collaborative multiplayer experiences in Deep Space 8K. Building on Converge from 2024, this new iteration aims to expand the concept with fresh interaction mechanics and experimental uses of emerging technologies from the SHARESPACE project. Both works have been created by Futurelab Lead Designer & Artist Patrick Berger, supported by the lab team.
Still centered around shared embodied presence, Converge 2 explores new ways for four to eight local players and one remote participant in a motion capture suit to interact — introducing voice communication as a situational gameplay element. The goal is to create richer dynamics between verbal and physical collaboration without relying on constant moderation.
Converge @ Futurelab Night 2024; photo: vog.photo
Converge @ Futurelab Night 2024; photo: vog.photo
Player guidance is also a key area of focus. Based on feedback from earlier sessions, Converge 2 refines multiplayer dynamics, enhancing embodied interaction, intuitive collaboration, and spatial storytelling.
On the technical side, the project looks into how recent advancements in the SHARESPACE architecture could inform data streaming, avatar synchronization, and cross-location interactions — setting the stage for more scalable and immersive experiences.
This project is part of the Open Futurelab at the Ars Electronica Festival 2025.
Credits
Ars Electronica Futurelab: Friedrich Bachinger, Patrick Berger, Victor Petro, Johannes Pöll, Daniel Rammer, Raphael Schaumburg-Lippe, Cyntha Wieringa
Sound design: Arno Deutschbauer
PARTNER: SHARESPACE Consortium
This work has been developed in the framework of the SHARESPACE project.
SHARESPACE has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 10192889.