Room Escape Artist

“Technology will not save us.”

In the shadow of neon-lit streets, kids are jacked in and tuned out. This is the world of cyberpunk, a genre with a view on what the future can look like when technology goes awry. Jared Butler joins us to explore “cyberpunk” as a genre and what it means. Jared Butler is a voice actor who has also created two incredibly immersive desert festivals—the Mad Max-inspired Wasteland Weekend and the cyberpunk themed Neotropolis. We dive into the evolution of cyberpunk, its themes and aesthetics. Jared also shares the origin story and development of his immersive festivals and their unique take on combining live-action role-playing with post-apocalyptic and cyberpunk narratives. Today’s game is called Digital Rebellion, where the titles of cyberpunk movies have been translated into Chinese and then back again.

Time Stamps

• 00:57 Game: Digital Rebellion
• 11:10 About Jared Butler: Creating Wasteland Weekend
• 17:56 Discussion: What is Cyberpunk?
• 25:49 Credits

Guest: Jared Butler

Instagram: @neotropolisevent, @wastelandweekend

Twitter: @neotropolisHQ , @wastelandHQ

Jared Butler was born and raised in New England and now makes his home in Los Angeles. He started making films at an early age with his older brother, Greg Butler (now an Oscar-winning visual effects artist). Jared started his career working in feature film development at 20th Century Fox before becoming a professional screenwriter. He is also a working voice actor who specializes in celebrity voice matching. He is the owner of Wasteland World, which he co-founded in 2010, the first year of the popular Wasteland Weekend immersive post-apocalyptic festival.

In 2022, Wasteland World started another immersive festival called Neotropolis, creating an original cyberpunk and sci-fi world. Both Wasteland Weekend and Neotropolis are going strong, entering their 14th and 3rd years, respectively.

As for what Jared does in his spare time – he doesn’t have any. But he’s known to do some cosplay now and then.

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner