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February 29, 2008
Eldritch Errors: No news is bad news?
Well, there's not much joy in the land of Eldritch Errors this week, as players and curious onlookers are stuck without an update or an explanation as to why the game has stalled. We reported earlier this week on this unfortunate turn of events for the GMD Studios production. We contacted GMD Studios for comment and were promised a statement from The Powers That Be but none has been forthcoming. So, without any indication as to the whys and hows of the current state of affairs, I'm ready to call this stalled.
In response to comments by NordicNinja, Biff and Dante, I suggest that players should wait for another few days to see if the public outcry for information results in a statement (in-game or otherwise) from the puppetmasters. Barring that, there is a slew of other games in progress -- some are just starting this week -- in which to get involved. As usual, the Unfiction forum is a great place to get the latest word on new, emerging alternate reality games, as is its sister site Despoiler. We'll keep you updated if and when news develops.
Posted by Jonathan Waite at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)
Take Back Gotham City!
If you've been following the Dark Knight campaign for the upcoming Batman flick, you may have been salivating impatiently over what's in store for 2008 ever since the big Halloween trail ended with the new promotional trailer at ATasteForTheTheatrical.com. With the untimely passing of Heath Ledger, the Joker's role in the ARG has reportedly been downplayed.
Well, on Thursday there was a new occurance with the promise of more ARGish activity: IBelieveInHarveyDent.com was updated with a signup form, requesting people to help "join the fight for Gotham". So go sign up! What are you waiting for?
That's all for now, just a heads up - TDK will be back in business in a few days, according to the confirmation email. If you want to get caught up, there's a wiki to read through.
"Citizens of Gotham! The future of our city rests in your hands!"
Posted by Geoff May at 9:51 AM | Comments (1)
February 27, 2008
Start Spreadin' the News
Come Out and Play is back, baby. After running in Amsterdam last year during PICNIC, the three day festival returns to the Big Apple June 6-8, this time hosted by bookstore Blue Stockings.
They are currently accepting proposals for new games (The application form is on the main page of the web site.) This is your chance to take your dream of running a big street game and make it a reality.
Read ARGN's report on the 2006 Festival here.
Posted by Marie Lamb at 9:35 AM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2008
Breaking News - Slowdown of Eldritch Errors
Can this nightmare be true? Has Eldritch Errors fallen, unable to get up? According to a new section of the player-run Sentry Outpost in-game web site, the game has stalled. As well, we received a tip from a player that stated, "Eldritch Errors seems to be in the midst of imploding. Brian Clark has disappeared completely as far as we, the players, can tell."
If this is indeed the case, we feel your pain, faithful readers, and are doing our best to get to the bottom of things. Look for an update later in the day tomorrow, as we have been told that official word from GMD Studios, the team running the game, will be coming soon.
Posted by Jonathan Waite at 7:40 PM | Comments (4)
February 14, 2008
The Elder Gods Listen... to Providence Radio
Two enterprising players of Eldritch Errors, Denny Vaccaro (endercoaster) and Jake Sapir (unknownwarrior33) launched an in-game radio broadcast last Sunday, reviewing significant game events of the week and inviting players to call in to the show. Providence Radio will be on the air every Sunday morning from 10 - 11 a.m. CT on Grinnell College radio, KDIC 88.5. Listeners out of the broadcast area can tune in via the internet at kdic.grinnell.edu. Players - and characters - can call into the show at 641-269-3328 to share their experiences, speculations, and observations about the uncanny affairs of the Eldritch Errors world. Providence Radio is completely in-game, so no Meta discussion allowed, folks! We'll bseeingu on Sunday!
Posted by Brandie Minchew at 12:21 PM | Comments (1)
February 12, 2008
Chew on This: More LonelyGirl15 Product Placement
On Valentine's Day, Steven Gould's novel Jumper will grace the silver screens. However, if you look carefully you can already find signs of the film. Hayden Christensen can be seen "jumping" into a Hewlett Packard advertisement starring Serena Williams. And now, the movie is jumping into LonelyGirl15.
LG15 Studios are no strangers to product placement. Last March, the 158th installment of the series was sponsored by Ice Breakers Sours Gum. Similar product placement followed in June with the introduction of Neutrogena into the story. However, the introduction of a Jumper-themed subplot seems to be taking product placement a step further, as followers of the series meet Jack, a "Jumper" who interacts with series regular Taylor.
The integration of stories from other universes is not a new concept, as Perplex City linked up with the BBC's game Frozen Indigo Angel to promote Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival. However, 20th Century Fox's innovative advertising push for the film serves as a reminder that new media content creators have options in funding projects.
Image courtesy of danielbeast of the lonelygirl15 forums, via The Guardian.
Posted by Michael Andersen at 9:02 AM | Comments (1)
February 11, 2008
ACME Puzzle Trail Offers Hints at Future Project
Aporia Cross-Media Entertainment is busily plugging away on their upcoming alternate reality game, the Aporia Agathon Project. That doesn't stop the team from engaging in the occasional side project, however.
On today's show at lagtv.com, the fine folks at ACME are launching an XBox-themed puzzle trail with a twist. In addition to a prize from lagtv for one lucky player, the puzzle trail will introduce a character or two from the Aporia Agathon Project, and provide a few hints of what's to come in the game. LagTV offers live, interactive video gaming news, focusing on the X-Box console.
The ACME blog claims some of the puzzles will be "a tribute to another xbox related ARG", so fans of the short-lived Our Colony campaign may be in for a treat. Although I guess it's possible they're referring to that other XBox-related ARG.
Posted by Michael Andersen at 7:12 PM | Comments (1)
February 10, 2008
World Without Oil Nominated for SXSW Web Award
You may have noticed from the banner at our main site that ARGNet is an Official Media Sponsor of Screenburn 2008. As part of SXSW Interactive's series of conferences taking place in Austin, Texas March 7 - March 11, ScreenBurn is bringing in an impressive cast of panelists. Notable speakers include Rachel Clarke (Behind the Buzz), Keith Clarkson (Xenophile Media), Dan Hon (Six to Start), Rebecca Newton (Mind Candy), and Kevin Slavin (area/code). Jane McGonigal (Avant Game) will be presenting the final SXSW Interactive Keynote on March 11th, the final day of the conference.
A few more familiar faces are bound to show up, as World Without Oil, the alternate reality game with a heart of gold, is a finalist for the SXSW Web Awards in the Activism category. The 'serious game' attracted a lot of attention for drawing upon the powers of collective intelligence to address peak oil concerns. Numerous ARGNet staffers past and present worked on this project (Dee Cook, Michelle Senderhauf, Marie Lamb, and Krystyn Wells), so our collective fingers are crossed for the team.
Mind Candy, who were at one time a major player in the ARG genre with Perplex City, is also nominated in the Games category for Moshi Monsters.
Posted by Michael Andersen at 7:46 PM | Comments (1)
February 9, 2008
Help Us Find the Properly Gifted Fellows
Ah, trailheads. They come, they go, some are memorable, and some are forgettable. And some come in pretty wooden boxes. No, I'm not reminiscing about the kick-off to the original Sammeeeees game, I'm taking about a brand new game that seems to be originating from Germany. On Friday, I was pleasantly surprised to find a parcel card in my post office box -- I wasn't expecting a package, but I am always a bit excited to find one waiting for me. Handing the card to the clerk, she exchanged it for a plain brown padded envelope.
Nothing too strange here -- the postmark reads "Briefzentrum 60" -- so I was eager to peek inside. Once I got out of the cold air and into the warmth of my vehicle, I tore open the end of the envelope, to find a small, flat wooden box inside.
Sliding open the top of the box revealed two pieces of paper. On one, a message, seemingly written on a typewriter: "To execute these commandments you'll have to find the properly gifted fellows." The other, a punch card, was riddled with rectangular holes, and had "THE FINAL MILL INC. SERIES AAB" written in ink on the back. We have pictures and more information about the campaign after the jump, for those ready to travel further down the rabbithole.
Fortunately, we're not the first t have received a package like this, so it's not all up to us to solve the riddles contained within. Someone going by the handle kosmopol at the Unfiction forums got one as well, and since posting about it four short days ago, the hive mind has made a few connections already. It seems that a separate rabbithole from a German magazine points to a company called the Van Velsenmeer Foundation, which this package is connected to, according to a blog that players speculate is in-game.
As the campaign is German, English speakers may have some difficulty following along, but helpful bilingual Unfiction forum members are doing their part to keep every abreast with the latest news. Also, our friends at ARGR, the German-language ARG news site, have received a package as well and will surely be following events as they transpire.
Posted by Jonathan Waite at 2:57 PM | Comments (0)