ARGNet

Update: Folding the Wish

mtcomments@argn.com (Michelle Senderhauf) — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:10:21 GMT

Last month, I asked for your help in making one thousand wish-filled cranes to send to Dave Szulborski for the Folding the Wish project. I'm delighted to say that the ARG community faced the challenge head on. In a little over two weeks time, more than one thousand cranes were made and shipped to me from at least seven different countries.

The cranes varied from the most delicate and tiny (no larger than a quarter) to the most extravagant made with handmade paper. Some even included a puzzle or two!

The cranes were carefully strung together and sent on their way last week, arriving on Dave's doorstep one day before he was discharged from the hospital.

Thanks to everyone who helped on this very special project. For pictures and a message from Dave, visit his website - www.daveszulborski.com/folding.html.

An Emergen-C at Holomove

jwaite@argn.com (Celina Beach) — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:06:31 GMT

It was a busy Wednesday morning for UPS drivers - several UPS Next Day Air packages went out for urgent delivery to unsuspecting ARGers. Despite the UPS Tracking numbers being scratched off, more than likely in an attempt to disguise the package's place of origin, UPS staff had replaced them, and the secret was revealed - the packages had originated from San Francisco. Upon opening, mysterious contents were revealed: an opened and empty packet of Emergen-C (a powdered Vitamin C energy drink) with a picture of 3 multicolored balls joined by white bars on the back resembling a chemical model of... something, and a letter on Department of Energy letterhead, dated January 30, 1985, with sentences redacted in an attempt to protect the innocent (or the guilty) and calling for the resignation of an as-yet-unnamed person. Each letter had different lines blacked out, requiring players to piece together the letter's contents.

Also included was a paper origami crane. As many of you are aware, our good friend and PuzzleMaster, Dave Szulborski, has been seriously ill, and an effort to fold 1000 paper cranes for him is underway, so the appearance of the paper cranes in the packages caused much speculation. Happily, a tip came ARGN's way to let us know it was an homage to Dave, and a way to send their best wishes to him from behind the curtain.

Also receiving a package was Daniel Terdiman at C|Net, who seemed distressed by the open Emergen-C packet, and proceeded to scold the PMs for scaring him. "Does anyone really think sending unmarked packages with cut-open powder packets is a good idea these days?" Granted, this is not the first time the media has freaked out over anthrax scares from trailhead packages.

Velvet Assassin Sent Us Alternate Reality Gaming Gold

mtcomments@argn.com (Michael Andersen) — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:46:06 GMT

If the number of alternate reality games centering around video games are any indication, video game publishers "get" ARGs. Activision promoted the release of GUN with "Last Call Poker". Sony promoted Uncharted with "Sullivan Stories". And perhaps most famously, Bungie Entertainment promoted the release of Halo 2 with "I Love Bees", and followed that up with "Iris" for Halo 3.

While you're waiting for the rumored ARG for Resistance: Fall of Man, check out Gamecock Media Group's new alternate reality game promoting Velvet Assassin, a stealth action game coming soon to XBox360s and PCs. And I'm not just saying that because they sent us a bar of fake Nazi gold.

That's right, ARGNet received a bar of gold from the Deutsche Reichsbank over the weekend, along with two stickers leading to Follow-the-Dream.com, which redirects to ViolettesDream.com. In addition, there was a note written in German with a Post-It note telling players to "Help me stop them -- Follow-the-Dream". Since it sometimes takes a few extra days for mail to reach Canada, the folks at Destructoid and Unfiction have already translated the letter. One of the commenters on Destructoid notes that "If RedRabbit's translation is right, you just got a Nigerian scam email in videogame PR form."

Is This a Game? IGDA Talk on ARGs in NYC

mtcomments@argn.com (Marie Lamb) — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:09:33 GMT

On May 14th from 6:30-9:00 pm, the New York City Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) will host a meeting entitled "Alternate Reality Games: Is This a Game?" The announcement describes the meeting as follows:

Alternate Reality Games blend the real world with the online world and fuse the players' creativity with that of the designers as the story unfolds. A genre that began just a few years ago, ARGs have been used for marketing, for independent and self-funded storytelling, for serious games, and for no other purpose than to have fun.
This panel will address the genre's roots in games and with gamers, explore what ARGs and traditional video games have to learn from one another, and even speculate on how the ARG is changing the face of 21st Century entertainment.

The panel will be moderated by Andrea Phillips, best known for her work on Perplex City, and a leadership council member of the IGDA ARG SIG, and will include panelists Frank Lantz, a founder and director of area/code, the creators of the Chain Factor (Numb3rs) game; Catherine Herdlick, creator of the grassroots game, Lawn Games for Life, co-organizer of the Come Out and Play Festival and a designer for The Case of the Coveted Bottle; and Mike Monello, co- founder of Campfire Media, who has been involved in transmedia storytelling since the Blair Witch Project.

You do not need to be a member of IGDA to attend, but you do need to RSVP.

Thanks to Rose from unFiction, the meeting's organizer, for letting us know about this event.

Beyond the Rave: Humans vs Vampires

mtcomments@argn.com (Michael Andersen) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:50:47 GMT

Filmmaker Lance Weiler, who recently promoted the VOD release of his film Head Trauma alongside an alternate reality game called Hope is Missing, was kind enough to talk with me about his current project, Beyond the Rave. For the first time in almost 30 years, Hammer Films is releasing a feature-length horror movie, and Lance and his company, Seize the Media, are producing a companion alternate reality game in conjunction with Hammer and MySpace.

The feature will be released in twenty installments on MySpace, with new episodes every Monday and Wednesday. The plot revolves around a British soldier trying to find his girlfriend who was taken by a group of vampiric, night-time ravers. According to Weiler, the game aspect is broken down into two paths, with hints and clues strewn across the videos and MySpace: "Find the Wraith," based around the movie's vampire-centric plot, and "Humans vs Vampires," a combat-based system that allows players to hunt down weapons and trophies, and battle to increase their collection.

In stark contrast to "Hope is Missing," where the gameplay led players through a variety of websites such as MySpace, XBox Live, Twitter, Stage 6, and Opera, "Beyond the Rave" is much more centralized. Lance claims this allows the developers to take advantage of the MySpace Developer's Platform in order to receive finite information on gameplay that helps the team optimize the experience, and suggests we'll be seeing a lot of innovative uses of the underlying API.

Bringing alternate reality games to social networking sites has exposed the genre to new audiences, with over three hundred players discussing the game so far on the MySpace forums and over 14,000 users listing the main page for the experience as a friend. Due to mature content, access to the videos and the game is restricted to anyone 18 or older.

Lance notes that bringing alternate reality games to social networks can also help bring people together. On their own, social networking sites let you set up a page, deal with your friends, and occasionally meet a new person randomly. "What's cool about an ARG is the ability to work through things together, and to become friends." Since Beyond the Rave has multiple levels of interactivity, players can choose the level of involvement that suits their interests, whether that involves leaning back and enjoying the first new movie from Hammer Films in decades, or progressing through the videos frame-by-frame to isolate subliminal clues leading to websites that can provide weapons helpful in battling for supremacy.

For those of you looking for prizes, you can answer twenty questions about the episodes on Faustino's profile for a chance to win "a truly vampiric top prize" or one of forty goody bags.

Click Here to visit the Beyond the Rave page on MySpace.
Click Here to check out the MySpace forums for the game.
Click Here to join the chat channel for Beyond the Rave.

A-Mazing Event in San Francisco

mtcomments@argn.com (Sean C. Stacey) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:34:06 GMT

When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. --R.A.H.

Over fifty people gathered at Sutro Heights Park in San Francisco this past Sunday to practice the ancient sport of "Labyrinth Running" which, according to the recently-launched Alternate Reality Game, "Find the Lost Ring," was lost in 393 A.D. when Theodoseus banned the Olympic Games. Find the Lost Ring is an ARG designed to promote the upcoming Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China in August, and is sponsored by the McDonald's Corporation. It officially launched on March 3, 2008, shortly after trailhead clue packages were received by various ARGonauts and media sites.

The ARG is conducted in several languages and has gained popularity all over the planet. It was reported that at least two other training events were taking place that day in other parts of the world, including in Brazil, which country holds one of the largest interested groups of players of this game that isn't a game. It is scheduled to run through to the closing ceremonies of the Olympics on August 24, 2008.

Although the event was organized by two players, Tom Bullock (aka Ariock) and Lenore Henry (aka hmrpita), it was also acknowledged by the game, and an in-game character named Kai announced early that he would attend the practice run. Lead designer and avant-gamer Jane McGonigal also appeared at the event and offered to help organize and referee the training.

Alternate Reality Gaming Meets the Adult Entertainment Industry with Kronos480BC

mtcomments@argn.com (Michael Andersen) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:32:05 GMT

WARNING: SOME LINKS IN THIS ARTICLE MAY NOT BE SAFE FOR WORK

Earlier this month, Sean Stacey over at Despoiler received a tip about a new alternate reality game, Kronos480BC. The game is part of a campaign created by the public relations firm Black and Blue Media, presumably to promote the summer release of The Four, an adult feature film by Ninn Worx SR.

Given the rather explicit nature of the product Kronos480BC is promoting, it is surprising to note that the alternate reality game itself is anything but. As the game's disclaimer explains, "[a]lthough the story line and rewards in Kronos480BC are not explicit in nature, the product itself is." The disclaimer elaborates that players above the age of 18 are eligible to play for rewards such as postcards, magnets, stickers, and free ring tones. Although the game seems light on puzzles at the moment, there is an extensive backstory in place going back several years.

The story of Kronos480BC revolves around the search for an ancient necklace. Agamemnon Cronides claims the necklace, dating back to 480BC, is a family heirloom. He has enlisted the aid of Roberta "Bobbie" Hope, an archaeologist with the Hope Ranch Foundation, to find it.

Over the past year at ARGNet, I've covered campaigns promoting a fairly diverse range of products including books, television shows, movies, beer, and even heavy machinery. So I can't really say that I'm surprised to find an alternate reality game promoting pornography. But I can say that I am impressed with their treatment of the campaign so far. While the subject matter relates to the plot of the upcoming film, the production staff made a conscious decision to eschew attracting players through titillation, prefering to rely on the strength of the story.

Click Here for the UnFiction discussion thread.

A Call for Help: Folding the Wish

mtcomments@argn.com (Michelle Senderhauf) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:58:33 GMT

As ARG players, we often receive cries of help from mysterious strangers. Over the years, people in this community have banded together to help these strangers no matter what the task. We've found missing loved ones. We've defeated dangerous cults. We've saved the world countless number of times.

This time it isn't a mysterious stranger who needs our help, but one of our very own community members. Dave Szulborski, puppetmaster of countless ARGs over the years including Chasing the Wish and Urban Hunt, has recently fallen ill and will be undergoing treatment for the next several weeks.

So what can you do? Fold him a wish.

There is an ancient Japanese legend that says that anyone who receives one thousand paper cranes will be granted one wish. A few community members have been furiously folding cranes and we need your help.

How to fold a wish:

1. Find a square piece of paper.

2. Write your well wishes for Dave on the paper.

3. Use the paper to make a paper crane.

4. Stick the crane in the mail. Email varin[at]foldingthewish.com for the mailing address.

We will be stringing the cranes together and sending them to Dave by May 2nd. If for some reason you cannot make your own crane or won't be able to get it to us in time, we will make one for you. Just email us your wish for Dave. We'll also be compiling a list of the wishes for Dave to read so that he doesn't have to actually unfold all one thousand cranes to read them. So please be sure to let us know what your wish is if it's hidden inside the crane.

Check www.foldingthewish.com for updates on the project.

GMD Studios Stalked by Cricket; Eldritch Gifts Prompt Response from PuppetMaster

mtcomments@argn.com (Brandie Minchew) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:49:48 GMT

On April 16, 2007, mysterious packages began finding their way into the hands of unsuspecting people about to be lured into a world of dreamscapes, nightmares, madness, and death. The contents of the packages led to a network of dreamers, reaching out for help to dwellers in the mundane world. The Dreamers found willing listeners and clever helpers in several internet communities. Together, these Good Samaritans became Sentries; became Providence; watched helplessly as several friends left them, one by one; embarked on a journey together to find answers; and then waited together in the darkness when, at the last, all contact with their friends was lost as the signal faded out nine weeks ago.

The Eldritch Errors ARG, produced by GMD Studios, gathered a strong following of players from its launch in 2007 into its third "book" in 2008. In February, at what was supposed to be the climax of the game's third installment in February, the game's momentum faltered. The day for the promised climax passed in silence. After realizing that the game was on hold indefinitely for reasons unknown, frustrated players created a space for venting and even "uncovered" an obituary for one of the game's characters, in hopes of eliciting some comment from GMD.

On Monday, April 14, two days before the game's one-year anniversary, a person using the alias of Mr. Cricket visited the GMD Studios offices, leaving a drawing of a cricket taped to the door. On Tuesday, Mr. Cricket visited again, this time leaving a dog collar - with the nametag of "Providence" - hanging from GMD's doorknob. On Wednesday, the game's anniversary, Mr. Cricket returned a third time to draw a familiar mark in colored chalks upon GMD's doorstep.

RUMOR: An ARG for Resistance 2?

mtcomments@argn.com (Michael Andersen) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:22:31 GMT

Last week, the staff at Kombo posted a rumor attributed to "inside sources" that 42 Entertainment is developing an alternate reality game for Resistance 2, the sequel to the Playstation 3 title Resistance: Fall of Man. Although 42 Entertainment offered no comment on the rumor, the company has a solid track record of developing alternate reality games for sequels, including campaigns for The Dark Knight and Halo 2.

According to the article at Kombo, the casting call intimates "Cassie" will be central to the campaign. The release states:

[CASSIE] is a 23-30 years old female lead and face of the campaign. Cassie was recruited by the military to do psychological testing on the soldiers. We see the project and its volunteers through her eyes as she struggles to make decisions that not only affect their lives, but the future of mankind. She embodies the moral dilemma of the story. Scene takes place in a Military setting of the 1950's. It is an all-male world. She has a 'Mitzi Gaynor' quality, intelligent, well spoken, compelling and empathetic. She has a PH D in psychology.

The original game, Resistance: Fall of Man, followed Sgt. Nathan Hale as he faces an army of aliens called Chimera in the 1950s. This alternate history sets an intriguing stage for an alternate reality game, presumably allowing players to reach back to the past to interact. Its alternate history status also makes it easier for me to disassociate the name Nathan Hale from that of the Revolutionary soldier famous for saying "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country".

The article claims the alternate reality game will run for twelve weeks. And while an official release date has not been announced for Resistance 2, it is rumored to have a November 2008 release date, so keep your eyes peeled for this potential game over the summer.

Harvey Dent Press Conference Today

mtcomments@argn.com (Marie Lamb) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:04:08 GMT

The latest in The Dark Knight promotion is upon us. Today at 3:00 EDT, the I Believe in Harvey Dent campaign will be streaming a live press conference on their website. The email announcement says in part:

Everyone who knows Harvey Dent knows that the vicious smears by a mysterious group calling itself "Concerned Citizens for a Better Gotham" are not true. Harvey Dent is innocent of these charges, and the truth will triumph.
Harvey Dent believes that the movement to take back Gotham is bigger than one person. It's never been about Harvey Dent. It's about our hopes for our city. It's about you.

Harvey Dent has always said that if he becomes a distraction from the bigger issues of the movement to fight crime and corruption, he'll make the best decision for the movement itself.

We've done a lot in the last few months. We've shown the city that we will not stop fighting against the dark forces that have Gotham in their grasp. We showed everyone that we do have power. That there is hope for Gotham City.

If past events are any indication, it's clear this will be more than just a press conference. Tune in to see what happens.

Having a Ball with the Joker

jwaite@argn.com (Celina Beach) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:48:08 GMT

On March 26th, a new chapter in the Dark Knight alternate reality game began, as the cell phones that some had received inside a tasty, Joker-commissioned treat -- phones that some figured may never ring again -- sprang to life. A text message read: "Hey clown! Long time, no crime spree! Well, put on your floppy shoes and answer this question: are you ready to get to work?" For those brave enough to text back, answering in the affirmative, the reward was a second text: "Glad to see you're still alive and kicking. I'll be in touch before Poisson D'Avril"

A quick Google reveals "Poisson D'Avril" to be, literally, "April Fish" in French. Poisson D'Avril is also the French equivalent of April Fools. This gave the indication that something Jokerish was about to occur, prior to April Fools!

The phones went active again on March 30th, but this time, with a call from an actual person instead of a text message. The recipients were informed that they were one of 17 "clowns" remaining, and each were given a letter to remember and report to the rest of the "clowns" (for example, "'E' as in Elephant"). Sixteen other letters were given to the remaining clowns, which led to a new web site being discovered -- Clown Travel Agency. The site was simple in design, with only a suitcase adorned with stickers from several worldwide destinations, and an envelope which stated "Departure Date: 4-01".

OMG Hax0rz!!!

mtcomments@argn.com (Jonathan Waite) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:21:15 GMT

Imagine my surprise today, after a nice (albeit short) family vacation, to get back into the swing of things in the alternate reality gaming universe, only to find out that... we've been hacked? Well, that is what happened, according to a Digg entry we were, um conveniently linked to via a game tip. And what goes on Digg must be truth, of course.

Actually, the only truth is the fact that it's April 1st. In the past, we've done our share of April Fool's Day pranking. Heck, we've enjoyed the various Unfiction mock-ups we've been a part of, and as far as comedy goes, who can forget my stellar writing and Sean C. Stacey's award-winning artwork for No Strings Attached? So, we think we know funny, and today's idle report of an hackjob-that-wasn't by a semi-prepared ~~puppetmaster wannabe~~ suave individual wasn't really that funny. Maybe it's the sour grapes talking, but being part of the joke without being in on the joke seems... lame.

We've decided not to link to anything related to this sham -- Google is your friend -- but rest assured, we weren't hacked, and there were no well-timed AdSense advertisements on the site today. As for the person behind the Digg post and the Unforums thread... thumbs up for the awesome trailhead!

Thanks to Jackie Kerr for her contributions to this article.

The Sky Remains

mtcomments@argn.com (Brandie Minchew) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:08:33 GMT

The Licorice Film team, creators of 2007's popular MeiGeist game, has a finger on the launch button for their newest project, The Sky Remains, due to begin in April. In partnership with HP Labs, The Sky Remains combines interactive ARG elements with GPS technology and the thrill of geocaching and treasure hunting using mscape (short for "mediascape"), HP Labs' experimental mobile gaming platform. A list of compatible hardware for mscape is provided on the mscaper site. The game's FAQ section states that players do not need these devices to participate.

Players of MeiGeist may have spotted some familiar faces in the trailer for The Sky Remains. (ARGNet also has a brief cameo!) The main story arc centers around the "6th Dimension Detective Agency" - with the players taking on the role of the 6th Dimension Agents, of course! The game breaks away from the one-time ARG experience by introducing a "re-playable" narrative. It also offers players the option to follow some parts of the story as a single player. However, collaboration and cooperation among players will be necessary to "discover the deeper subplots," according to the FAQ. The Sky Remains also invites user-generated content, and the game's website will serve as a social networking site for players to create and publish their own case files and stories after the initial case file has been solved and closed.

We Tell Stories: Six Stories, Six Authors, Six Weeks, and then Six to Start

mtcomments@argn.com (Michael Andersen) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:41:12 GMT

Last Tuesday, the UK branch of Penguin Books launched We Tell Stories, a series of six stories based on classic novels. Each story is written by a different author and is retold through a different medium. Last week, Charles Cumming retold John Buchan's classic tale The Thirty-nine Steps by walking visitors through the tale on Google Maps. Cumming's rendition, "The 21 Steps", provided a novel look at the book's plot as well as the features of Google Maps.

Over the next four days, Toby Litt will retell M.R. James' Haunted Dolls' House and Other Ghost Stories in "Slice". This week's story plays out through Slice's blog, as well as her parents' blog.

The story also includes a Flickr account, a MySpace page, two twitter accounts, and an email address. Amusingly enough, clicking on the email address automatically fills out the email for you with the following.

Subject: I've come to save you from the boredom

Dear Slice,

My life is now totally worthless without you in it because...

While these stories are well constructed so far, the real purpose they serve is to whet the viewer's appetites for the original texts. I know I'll be heading over to my local library to check out a few of these tales -- but if I lived in the UK, I would enter the weekly Author Prize Drawings -- you can also win the Penguin Complete Classics Collection, valued at over £13,000.

Underpinning the six stories is a seventh tale. Clicking on the white rabbit on the bottom left corner of the main page leads to Treacle and Ink, a blog written by Alice. This underlying story fits within the alternate reality gaming framework, and has already led chelec on a hunt through St Pancras Station. You can read about that experience here or check her bliptv account for videos.

Click Here to check out the stories
Click Here for the thread at unfiction