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September 26, 2007
It's Been Five Long Years and I Love You Just the Same
On September 26, 2002, this site was born with the groundbreaking news: Forums Closed. Yes, on that day, the Godfather of alternate reality gaming, Steve Peters, relayed the sad news that the ARGN forums were closing, but this led the way to new forums at Unfiction and a new direction for this site as a news source and, shortly thereafter, a hub for community resources. Along the way, Steve found work at 42 Entertainment, which is when I was fortunate enough to be asked to take the site under my wing. The site shifted from a community hub to a full-time ARG news resource in 2006, which is what you see today on our fifth anniversary.
While we don't have any cake to share on this wonderful day, I do have some bouquets to pass along:
First and foremost, I'd like to thank all of the current and former staff who have made this site a wonderful place to be a part of. The tireless work of these hard-working volunteers has always impressed and amazed me, so they deserve their due.
Secondly, I will thank those leaders out there who continue to dedicate their individual efforts in making sure the ARG community is a warm, welcoming place to be a part of. While we are no longer an official 'network' of resources, the camaraderie of the community members proves that we are as much a family as a group of puzzle-solving instant-messaging story-loving people can be.
And last, but mostly, I want to thank all of you readers who continue to make us a part of your day and your life. As cliche as it may sound, without you we're nothing. We continue to work for this genre because we love and care for this genre, and it's not only because of the great games, it's also because of the great people playing them.
So, with all of that said, help us to blow out the candles and celebrate another birthday as we look forward to many more celebrations in the future.
Posted by Jonathan Waite at 10:14 PM | Comments (1)
September 4, 2007
ARGNet <3 PICNIC'07
For the second year in a row, ARGNet is pleased to be partnered with the PICNIC cross-media conference! PICNIC'07 takes place at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam from September 25th through the 29th, during which a wide variety of events and discussion will take place. This year's festivities also include a Come Out and Play event -- London and New York have also been COaP sites. Last year, Sean C. Stacey and Brooke Thompson represented ARGNet at the conference, and provided a number of articles outlining the presentations and events that took place at PICNIC'06, and Sean will be returning this year, so expect more of the same top-notch reporting as last year!
PICNIC at Night, one of the festival's special features, is a series of concerts and exhibitions that include various aspects of cross-media entertainment, from live music by worldwide artists to virtual worlds and groundbreaking animation. These special evening events are sponsored by companies such as Red Bull and Heineken, as well as the Creative Commons organization, and should deliver enjoyable, entertaining experiences to attendees.
On the final day of the festival, the PICNIC Green Challenge will take he spotlight as participants present their ideas for products and services which help to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Entries for the contest were taken up until August 30th, and finalists have been notified. The selected will get their chance on the 29th to stand in front of a jury made up of Richard Branson (Virgin), Liesbeth van Tongeren (Greenpeace Netherlands) and Steve Howard (The Climate Group), among others. The winner will be announced on the 29th, which should be very exciting for those in attendance.
If you are going to be in the Amsterdam area at the end of the month and wish to attend, you can register for the event online. The full conference cost, for three days, is €950, while a single-day pass is €495. Registration spots are filling up fast, so if you want to get in on the cutting edge of cross-media development, now's your chance! We will have much more about the conference in the weeks to come, including a closer look at the Come Out and Play and PICNIC'07 Academy segments.
PICNIC '06, Day Three: Life After the 30-second Spot
PICNIC '06, Day Two: My Second Life
PICNIC '06, Day Two: Empowered by Creativity
PICNIC '06, Day Two: Conversations as a Source of Information
PICNIC '06, Day Two: The Creative Process at Pixar Studios
PICNIC '06, Day One: Cities as Digital Communities
PICNIC '06, Day One: The IGDA Alternate Reality Gaming White Paper Presentation
Posted by Jonathan Waite at 5:19 PM | Comments (1)