What If: Anti-Surrogates

Last time on “What If” we had a look at how the the Surrogates viral could have been. The article explored the world prior to surrogates being a common sight and looked to explain our future and their path. We felt the film was lacking in explanation as to why people had been driven to stay in their homes and live their life through their surrogate androids.


In this second installment, I want to build upon this past and concentrate on the film’s “present” by looking at the anti-surrogate campaign. We start off with our protagonist from the anti-surrogate side, the “prophet”.

Facebook Entries

Entry one: Brother and Sisters, the time has come and the prophet has spoken. I am the prophet and i say to you, it is time to take of our masks!

Entry two: I have seen the future Brothers and Sisters, and it is our past. we will walk this earth again, like our gods intended.

Entry three: It is time, time to shed our skins, time to shed our skins of latex and chemical compounds, time to feel our own skin, that of flesh and blood.

Entry four: I was once like you, too afraid to live my life, sheltered in a dark room somewhere, but I got up, removed my headset and opened the door to a real life. Your life awaits you, behind that door. Open it Brothers and Sisters and face your destiny.

Entry Five: I have removed my suit and walked barefoot through the real life. As I was walking I cut my foot and felt, felt pain for the first time again, felt like i was part of the earth, felt like I was infinite, felt like I was alive!

Entry six: Brothers and Sisters, i urge to repent at the altar of VSI, repent and live you lives. Leave your mechanical self behind and embrace your flesh.

Entry seven: We have found a haven and invite you to join us. Those who feel alone, come and be embraced, those who feel scared, come and feel safe, those who feel anxious, come and feel settled. We are on the outskirts of the city, where no surrogate can follow.

Entry eight: Join us and help us rebuild humanity. Be part of our community and help us achieve our past again.

Entry nine: Those that have strayed from the path of the fibre optic, no longer feel the embrace of a robotic arm, no longer see through virtual lens, and join us at sanctuary.

Entry ten: It is time Brothers and Sisters, time to rebel against our virtual selves and take back the real world for ourselves. For those who have been unable to join us I will send you my gospel, my prophecies and my bidding’s. Reach out and contact us, you are not alone (E-mail address would be provided by users to receive the Prophets gospel).

Entry eleven: Thanks you Brother and Sisters. Thank you for the passing on the good word and letting us know you can hear us. We will contact you soon.

Entry twelve: I have been in contact with you all and it makes my heart swell to know you are out there. Keep listening as I will be talking.

Entry thirteen: You may have read my Gospel, but felt lost in the words. Fear nor Brothers and Sisters, there are signs all around us and the truly enlightened will see the Divine meaning.

Entry fourteen: It is time to choose your side, follow the side of eternal darkness where you will never feel and always be blind, never seeing life through your own two eyes, or follow the light, where the mask has been removed and the vision you have in front of you is the true one, the light you see is that of the sun, and the senses you feel that of the real life that lies before you.

Entry Fifteen: We will be born again, life will always rebirth. Look for the signal and you will see the new future of our world laid before your feet. There will be rebuilding, but real life will flourish again.

VSI Website – Anti-Surrogate Life

The chooseyoursurrogate.com site that we expanded upon last week will split into two factions, the “surrogates” and the “Dreads”.

Those that have created their avatar and signed up for the Prophets gospel will be invited to join the prophet in his quest for an anti-surrogate world and “un-plug”.
The character would still live in the surrogate life world, however they will have new missions to accomplish, nicknamed “The crusades”.

The user will guide their avatar on quests to find out information that will disgrace VSI and help the prophet with his plan to rid the world of surrogates. Information and clues will be hidden in the Gospel that the Prophet sends out and will gain access to VSI schematics and pictures as well as military files and the police database.

A Few Examples of “The Gospel”

Example 1:
Brother, Sisters, I have seen the light at the end of the fibre optic tunnel and it does not end well. We will reject the cellulose and aluminium of these surrogates, take of our rose tinted headsets and find out what it is to walk in the real world again.

We will feel the earth under our feet once again. We will know what it is to see the true beauty of the world through the eyes that the creators gave us. We will hear the beautiful songs of the birds through our own ears, and appreciate the harmony heard once again.

I have repented against the surrogates, I have felt the earth myself, I have seen beauty myself and I have heard the harmony myself. I urge you to do the same brothers and sisters. Make the choice; choose the path before it chosen for you, before the choice is taken out your hands, for it is you who will be remembered as a pioneer.


Example 2: (ARG spreading over a city with 5 drop offs containing parts to piece together a replica overload device.)

We need to rebuild our past and build our future, piece by piece. We can do this by visiting those that hide behind a camouflage and take life with their man made fire.

There are 5 scrolls that we need to retrieve and redress the balance and when we find out their location we will message this onto you. Follow the scroll to the location and with the information we find, we can piece it together and we can take our world back. I will spread the word as I become enlightened.


Example 3: (A quest through surrogate life to gain access to the police’s surrogate network overview program, which will show random videos of day to day tasks seen through the eyes of surrogates including footage of the major characters and help with the back story..)

Fellow pioneers, I must take you to task! In order for our world to live and breathe, we need to live and breathe in the real world. Help me to achieve my visions. I have some tasks that need to be performed to rid us of a world full of the artificial man. We need information; information is power and will help us to reclaim our world.

The rules by which we abide, real or virtual are upheld by those appointed custodians whose temple we need to storm. We need to witness their all seeing eyes, learn from their ability and use it to our ends. We will spread our word throughout the world.




Well, that’s it, the second part of our “What if: Surrogates” campaign. As you can see, the second part would really have ramped up the interactive part of the campaign. This kind of interactivity, such as the recent developments in 2012, really help to build interest in a film and always keeps you guessing what’s round the corner. I’m sure you’ll agree the drops for 2012 have made things really interesting so close to the film’s release and surrogates would really have benefitted from something similar.


Surrogates would have leant itself well to an awesome viral campaign, and I hope we have showed you what it could have achieved. I’ll be watching Disney’s latest viral campaign, Tron legacy, with great interest as the original is one of my all time favourites, and they have made such a great start. Keep up the good work Disney, and don’t lose the momentum this time round!