128: Where to From Here?

[Chimaera]

Where to From Here?

"As the genre grows, it's getting too big for its advertising-based britches. Freelance ARG writer Brooke Thompson says, 'We're close to finding that Holy Grail of the self-sufficient alternate reality game, where instead of being tacked on to an advertising campaign, the game experience will be able to support sponsors.'"

Nova Barlow uncovers the truth about Alternate Reality Games.


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[p1ne]

I know you guys aren't necessarily looking for feedback, being the pros here and all, but this article was confusing to me. It left a lot unexplained. The beginning, for example, is disorienting - the author poses the question: Do I know what an ARG is? - and then doesn't answer it. I personally had never heard the term before, and for the rest of the article I was trying to figure out what the broad definition of an ARG might be. What are the game mechanics like? What does the player DO in an ARG? We're talking about free web-based computer games here, right?

I will admit that it might just be my own ignorance that needs excusing - I recently returned from the Peace Corps and so for the last 2.5 years I've been almost entirely outside the cultural fold that everyone else who reads this site is a part of.

 

[Chimaera]

p1ne,
Another good source is the Alternate Reality Game SIG: http://www.igda.org/arg/, as well as the whitepaper they launched last year:
http://igda.org/arg/whitepaper.html (good for general information, with the disclaimer that I helped contribute to it)

I hope those links help.

Kwil, I definitely sympathize with your position. A lot of my approach has been mostly from an analysis angle, but it is a rather fascinating genre to observe.