401.6.1 From Cyberpunk 2020 to Immutable Aeon: Unveiling a Unique Creative Journey

The creative process has always been a winding road for me, involving several key steps: Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, Evaluation, and Verification. While the focus is different to my professional career, these are essentially the same steps as the design process - discover, define, ideate, prototype, validate. While the focus of the design process seeks to solve a problem, and create functional solution. Its also more rigid and structured. Of all my creative endeavors, the design process, and iteration has yielded more "finished" works than following the creative process and is my prefered methodology.

My big idea, "Immutable Aeon," (as its currently called) has been simmering for years, morphing and evolving with each iteration. It all began back in 1998 with a campaign of "Cyberpunk 2020," a tabletop RPG that envisioned the (then) distant future of 2020.

Throughout my 20's I ran countless sessions and multiple campaigns across multiple games systems - "Shadowrun", "Eclipse Phase", "Altered Carbon", "PolyChrome (Stars without number)", "Mad Max", "Tank Girl" and "Infinity" also featured, but all were set in "my world" and were a variation on the same themes. In retrospect, these were ideation sessions.

Fast forward to the announcement of "Cyberpunk 2077" in 2012 and release in 2020 and my creative flames were rekindled. With a AAA game release, "Cyberpunk" hit the mainstream being in Steams top 100 for most of the last 4 years.

But while Night City thrived in its gritty, American dystopia, my vision had taken a different path. "Immutable Aeon" found its home in Australia, set not just decades but centuries into the future—sometimes 200, 600, or even 2700 years ahead. And rather than set in a thriving metropolis, my world builds on that to imagine a more considered speculative world, with thoughts about conservation and ecosystems which have been brewing since I was 12.

My world-building journey has been anything but linear. Through countless tabletop RPG sessions, shared with dozens of people across a multiverse of connected and unconnected realities, "Immutable Aeon" has grown into its own unique universe. The setting is post-apocalyptic, but not in the traditional sense. Humanity didn't face a sudden nuclear disaster or catastrophic tidal waves; instead, we gradually cooked ourselves, like the proverbial frog in the pot. Some managed to "jump out" by uploading their consciousness and living as pure data or embarking on multi-generational voyages to exoplanets like Proxima Centauri b, Kepler-22b/69c/62f and Gliese 667 Cc. In both senses, reconcieving the idea of what it is to be human - Posthumanity.

In "Immutable Aeon," I've woven a rich tapestry of futuristic elements and intricate details. The creative process involved solidifying these ideas and piecing them together into a cohesive timeline. Unlike the familiar world of Cyberpunk with bustling metropolii overflowing with humanity, my setting is sparse of life. Set long after the Point of No Return it features (eco)dome dwellers, Digital beings, Cryostasis, and interstellar travel, reflecting a future where humanity's evolution takes center stage.

This blog delves into the steps that solidifies my world as "Immutable Aeon" and brings it to life. From the initial spark of "Cyberpunk 2020" to the creation of a universe set in a futuristic Australia, I'll share how my vision evolved and the creative journey that continues to inspire me. Join me as I recount the development and transformation of "Immutable Aeon," a project that keeps pushing the boundaries of my imagination to share not only with my few dozen players that have experienced it, but to gain greater traction in the greater audience of the world. I aim to send a message - a cautionary tale perhaps. And something of its time, and relevant to the next generation.

The first recent iteration was for an abandoned bachelors degree in 2021 - a character portfolio and environment portfolio in the form of a futuristic Agency dosier. This could be the main character of a game, and explores facets of my world.

These Portfolios explore one location, time and character - The moonset over SanFran with the domed city metropolis and rift in the earth, with a silhouette of Ezri, in 2428.

The next iteration was when I switched to SAE for Masters, in CIM400 Design Studio 1 - the concept was for a visual novel style game so that players can explore more of my world.