Voices of VR #1694: Reimagining Amsterdam’s Red Light District in “Unimaginable Red” Open World Game
Dec 7, 2025
Monique Grimord and Vitor Freire, co-founders of Imagination of Things, share insights on their innovative game, Unimaginable Red. Monique, an art director with a passion for design, talks about creating a fantastical take on Amsterdam’s Red Light District. Vitor, a narrative guru, delves into the inclusive storytelling shaped by real-life collaboration with local sex workers. They discuss themes of pleasure, gentrification, and queering experiences, all while navigating the creative challenges of the project. Their mission? To provoke thought and explore diverse sexualities within a playful, immersive environment.
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Studio Roots In Film And Design
- Vitor and Monique described their studio's path from filmmaking and design into playful immersive work.
- Vitor credited ITP and documentary editing experience for shaping their narrative-technology approach.
Playful Reframing Of A Real District
- Unimaginable Red is a fantastical, non-literal reimagining of Amsterdam’s Red Light District that centers sex workers and pleasure as civic values.
- The game uses whimsy and play to provoke political reflection about gentrification, heritage, and pleasure as revolutionary.
Co-Creation With Local Stakeholders
- The team co-created the game with local stakeholders including activists, sex workers, and architects to ground speculation in lived reality.
- They framed the project as a creative intervention to expand imagination around municipal plans and backlash.
