Month: May 2004 (Page 1 of 2)

MayDay Mystery: ARG in Real Life?

May 29, 2004 / Steve Peters

A single post on the unfiction forums has opened the door to a fascinating story dating back some 20 years.

At the University of Arizona, a series of ads has been placed in the school’s newspaper, the Arizona Wildcat. These ads have shown up every year around May 1st for the last 20 years or so, and seem to be cryptic puzzles relating to some sort of secret counterculture organization. Bryan Hance, the former webmaster of the Wildcat, noticed the ads, and has been trying to track down what’s been going on ever since. He is chronicling his findings at www.maydaymystery.org.

The story is summed up in an article at the Northwest Explorer. Is this real? Is a secret organization communicating and recruiting new members using this technique, or is someone merely spending lots of time and money on what amounts to be just a huge intellectual puzzle?

Website: www.maydaymystery.org
Related Articles: Arizona Wildcat
Discussion: Unfiction Forums
Google: Search Results

AWARE To Launch June 15th

May 27, 2004 / Steve Peters

Word comes to us that AWARE is poised to go live on June 15th. Pushing the envelope of ‘established’ ARG boundaries, AWARE has already been causing a flurry during its pre-game phase.

So far, some innovative ideas have caught players off guard. From fellow players on Unfiction being kidnapped (thus proving to be in-game characters) to the game’s fictional company advertising for jobs on a realworld jobs website, AWARE looks like it may have many surprising turns in store. In addition, the use of these techniques has provided fodder for much animated meta-discussion among players.

It’s seems that AWARE has finally established its universe and the rules that will govern it. The game has it’s own in-game message board so players will have less of a problem knowing who’s real and who’s not, thereby avoiding some of the suspicion and paranoia that seemed to be setting in at first.

It will be interesting to see where this game goes, what with the geo-political climate of the world right now. It’s seems to be clear that players will need to choose sides somehow, and may have to live with serious (in-game) consequences for their decision.

Trailhead: ruaware.org
Discussion: Unfiction’s AWARE Forum

Super ARG Fest-O-Con 3 : The Attack on Vancouver, July 16-18, 2004

May 26, 2004 / Steve Peters

After successful ARGFest-O-Cons in Las Vegas and Orlando, we’re invading Canada next. Meet other ARG obsessed souls, eat, drink, and be merry at our 3rd glorified ARGParty!

Past events have proved to be a lot of fun for everyone. Planned events currently include a day trip to Vancouver Island and general carousing. Be prepared for the unexpected, which may take the form of a realworld puzzle, scavenger hunt, or…….who knows??

To get up to speed on plans, hotels, transportation, etc., visit the ARGFest-O-Con 3 discussion at Unfiction.

Godsend Comes to Grovers Mill

May 25, 2004 / Steve Peters

The Godsend Institute has created quite the uproar over the past few weeks. The site, which was part of a promotional campaign for the upcoming movie, was mistaken to be real by many visitors. As a result, everyone from devout Christians to liberal columnists got all in a tizzy, showing outrage and even starting an online petition. Apparently folks forgot that human cloning is illegal in the United States.

Well, these folks gotta be feeling pretty silly right now, as they realized that they’d fallen for a fake site. Harkens back to the days when a trusting audience panicked thinking that martians had landed in New Jersey.

As a result of the uproar, Lions Gate Films added a popup that points to the official movie website, hopefully making it plainer to the gullible masses that yes, this is only a movie.

Two thumbs up to Lions Gate for proving again that any kind of publicity is good publicity! Now, the question is, is the film any good???

Men of Metal: BMW Scores With Another Viral Promotion

May 25, 2004 / Steve Peters

Ready for the ultimate car conversion? Stop by this site and check out Colin Mayhew’s “Vehicle to autonomous biped robot conversion for the Mini Cooper r50.”

This site, and an accompanying book have caused quite a stir on the internet over the past few weeks. Hoax? Fact? Who knows?

Well, those of us who have been around ARGs recognized this at once as another of BMW’s viral marketing campaigns, following their successful Uncap the Ride campaign of 2003. The videos on the site are pretty fun to watch, and the book excerpt is very well done. While it’s not an ARG, it’s another fine example of viral marketing done right. Even the New York Times has taken notice.