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August 11, 2008

UPDATE: There's gold in them thar' real world locations

While it's not quite a return to the gold rush days of yore, the alternate reality game for Velvet Assassin, dubbed Violette's Dream by the players, involves much more than just fake Nazi gold bars. In fact, much to the delight of Dee Cook (addlepated) and Russel_k at the Unfiction forums, there are authentic gold bars ready to be found in the real world! According to a press release sent to us, while these gold bars are the first to be discovered, "[m]ore caches of gold are still being hunted down."

The ARG, a campaign for the upcoming XBOX 360/PC game Velvet Assassin, has been entertaining players for three months thus far, and continues to play out at trailhead/meta site violettesdream.com. The premise of both the ARG and the video game is unique in that it is inspired by real-life British spy Violette Szabo. The video game launches in fall 2008, and we expect the ARG to continue past the release of the game, as

Along with the press release came some photos of the find in Fredricksburg, Texas, which you can see after the jump.

As you can see, there were a number of items in the Fredricksburg package, including WWII antiquities, bank notes, jewellery, coins and a letter with an address. Getting to the cache wasn't a simple process, as the press release reveals:

A rogue developer at Replay Studios dropped a few online clues to direct people to the aforementioned site and it grew as followers began talking to each other about the mystery. Two months later and after several phone calls, email exchanges, trips to local bookstores and some online sleuthing, the first cache was found by Dee Cook - a real bar of gold and a replica of rumored Nazi treasure.

As for Russel_k's adventure, the journey was no piece of cake either. After receiving an in-game tip about another gold cache, players had twenty-three hours to get an envelope from the manager at The Foundry in London, England. Luckily, this industrious player was in the area at the time, because the letter led him on a race to Victoria Station, a little more than four miles away, where a baggage reclaim ticket was exchanged for a "khaki green bag and an envelope inside," labeled WHEAT. Inside the envelope was the prize, a "rather heavy gold ingot," accompanied by information important to the game.

Violette's Dream seems to have captured the hearts of a number of dedicated players, regardless of their proximity to potential riches, and even after many weeks of game play, it looks like a game that could be picked up fairly easily at this point. So, whether you're in it for the fame, the fortune, or simply the fun, head on over to the Unfiction forum thread or the in-game forums to get started.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 3:46 PM | Comments (0)

August 5, 2008

Mailbox: Shadowbox Inn

In the mail today was a plain brown box, light in weight but heavy in mystery. Inside was a postcard featuring the URL shadowboxinn.googlepages.com on one side, and the numbers '808080808' on the back. Along for the ride was a pool ball, number 11, which looks fairly ordinary.

A quick Google search turns up this thread on the Unfiction forums, which started just over a month ago. From what we can glean from the thread, there have been a number of web-based discoveries, including a MySpace page, and a countdown on the front page, set to expire in just under three days. So, given the timely nature of the countdown -- I guess Steve Peters was right, countdowns are very useful tools -- we expect things to heat up in this campaign sooner than later.

Update: Upon closer inspection of the box, and some diligent investigative journalism (read: Google search), we have found two more connections to shadows. The first comes from the signature the sender provided when sending the package -- a must for Canada Customs when sending packages from the U.S. -- which looks to be Lamont Cranston. Lamont Cranston happens to be one of the alter-egos of The Shadow, the popular fictional vigilante that has appeared in radio, television and film dramas since 1930. The second clue of shadowy importance is the return address, which matches that of the Shadowbox Cabaret. We're unsure if these specific references will be important in the scheme of the game play, or if they are simply meant as atmospheric affirmations of the game's name, but we thought they were noteworthy to mention.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)

July 31, 2008

The quick and dirty: New ARGs pop up, like, everywhere!

Don't mind us -- we're just catching up on the latest round of alternate reality game launches, via the ARGNet tipline/inbox/mailbox. Here is what we know of, in no particular order:

(1) Eklipse Global: We first heard about this game through the LiveJournal blog of staffer Geoff May, and were reminded again of its existence when we picked up our post-ARGFest mail. After sitting at the post office since the 18th of July, the USPS Priority Mail envelope was opened to reveal a letter, and a mysterious message: IF YOU HEAR THE HUM IS TOO LATE!!

The letter notified "ARGN" that the decision committee did not select our marketing campaign bid as the winner. We'd be crushed, had we actually submitted a bid, but since we didn't, um, yay? Later in the letter from Reinhart, the president of Eklipse Global, he assures us that their decision is not a reflection on our expertise or professionalism, which is a relief, because personally, I'd never work for a company run by a one-name person -- and yes, that includes Madonna Inc.

This is only the start of the crazy amount of new ARGs that have appeared out of the chaotic fiction ether in the past few weeks -- head on over the jump for the rest of the list.

(2) We received a tip from someone named qui on July 12th that read: stay alert in vancouver; sixteenfifteenfive@gmail.com; the first peice [sic] is coming soon; look to the streets. We only repost this email address, incidentally, because it was in the body of the email itself, so it must be important somehow. Beyond this, however, we know nothing, and have scoured the Unfiction forums and the Google for more information on sixteenfifteenfive. Did anyone in the city of Canucks see or hear anything about this? We sent an email, and are waiting for a response.

(3) In a tip received on July 21st -- right smack dab in the middle of a trip to the Boston Aquarium -- we received a link to last-command.com. The site is Matrix-esque, and promises, "When the last command runs, this site may save your life." Sweet! Now, if only we knew what the last command was, so we'd know to watch out for it. In the meantime, we can tell you that the domain information is conveniently hidden by Domains by Proxy, and that tonight we submitted our email, with this as the speedy response:

you are becoming part of the last command.

three pieces of already-public data will add you to the dnk subroutine. answer honestly or begone.

give: 1. your full name ("Jonas Sternberg") 2. your city of birth ("Vienna") 3. a parent's name and relation ("son of Moses"). all three are needed. parent's name and birth city can be withheld from publication upon request.

end the message with a complete statement from those three pieces of data. "Joseph Steinberg of Vienna, son of Moses." done.

save yourself. enter into the subroutine. your information and e-mail will not be shared or sold - until it is taken from us all.

- Last Programmer

We responded with "Evan Chan of Shanghai, son of Nancy." Bonus points for those who 'get it.' If anything else develops, we'll let you know...

(3) On July 23rd (yay, getting closer to days late instead of weeks late!) we received a link to a press release about the new alternate reality game for the hit BBC3 television show Spooks. It's called Spooks 9, and there are some recognizable names behind the scenes on the campaign, including Dan & Adrian Hon of Six to Start, and Tony Walsh of Phantom Compass.

Although the press release promises that www.libertynews.co.uk will play a central role in the narrative, we tried surfing over to that URL and were redirected to the BBC site instead. So, unless this is one of those annoying you're-not-from-this-country-and-thus-you-cannot-view-this-content things, the game must not be quite live as of yet -- and yes, we did read the the game would be, '[g]oing live in the weeks prior to the transmission of Episode 1," but how many weeks is weeks?

(4) Seek the Six. Got the word on the Unfiction forums that there was a mysterious picture selection Flash game, and it's been found out to be a tie-in for AMC's remake of The Prisoner. Not much to report here, but something to keep an eye on, perhaps. Incidentally, there was a bit of ComicCon tomfoolery afoot as well in which skywriting and t-shirts generated some buzz -- coverage of this at the Durgid Tiction blog.

(5) Finally, word comes to us from an intrepid reader that there are strange happenings on the streets of South Africa. According to tipster Gottlieb, a major disturbance caused commuters to be late for work on July 25th. The source of the disturbance? A guerilla garden containing blue and yellow cellophane flowers and small plastic windmills. Apparently this was all a part of Can You Twist, South Africa's first online reality show which features a series of short stories all of which end in real life, ARG-type twists. Sound very, very cool - head over to the show's web site for more information.

So, that's the wrap-up on our end, for today. You may have noticed new icons in our Now Playing section for a few more games: "Deleted the game," "8 Days, 13 Lights, 42 Hours," "American Vampire League," "Ingen-Bio" and "District 9". We actually have reporters on the scene of those new campaigns who are preparing more in-depth reports for early next week, so stay tuned...

If you didn't already know, you can always tune into the Unfiction forums News & Rumors section and Despoiler for even more breaking news on alternate reality gaming. Also, we are experimenting with a Twitter feed for breaking news and links to our latest articles, so if you're a Tweeter, follow us!

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 8:09 PM | Comments (2)

July 27, 2008

UPDATE: Dharma Wants You, but not quite yet

As soon as the Octagon Global Recruiting ad flashed across the television screen during the final commercial break of the season four finale of Lost, fans were on their computers, headed towards the advertised web site. It wasn't more than a few moments before the world figured out that something big was bound to happen at Comic-Con 2008, which is happening right now in San Diego. True to their word, the Dharma Initiative is actively recruiting new members for its global corporation, and quite a few lucky attendees have had the chance to take the test to become part of the Dharma team. For those unable to attend, a sister web site is all we get for now, but rumors swirl that claim that the new Lost ARG is scheduled to make a move to the mainstream starting tomorrow.

The events at Comic-Con were disclosed through an email sent out to those who submitted their emails to the Octagon Global Recruiting (OGR) web site, which also appears at the site itself. One thing to note here -- if you view the source of the web page version, an interesting message from someone calling themselves RuckusGuy shows up -- we won't spoil it for you, but it involves Bluetooth, which we'll get to later.

Reports about the events in San Diego are still coming in, but according to the fine folks at Lostpedia, the team from Dharma have Australian accents and are vehement as to their purpose at the Con -- a member of the Lostpedia forums claims to have overheard one of the recruiters saying, "Yes. We're an actual REAL organization currently trying to recruit new members," to a curious onlooker. The test itself takes about five minutes, and involves a few oddball questions as well as some interesting images shown on audio/visual equipment. To make sure everyone at the Con was aware of the campaign, Dharma 'sponsored' Saturday's panel discussion at which executive producers Cartlon Cuse and Damon Lindelof were joined by actor Matthew Fox to answer questions about the hit television series. However, the sponsorship was quickly pulled when a test applicant -- most likely a paid actor -- interrupted the discussion to show a new video featuring Dr. Marvin Candle, aka

Our own Celina Beach has been on the scene at Comic-Con all weekend, and we expect her reports to start trickling in sometime today or tomorrow. Hopefully, she has a chance today to take the Dharma test -- she's on a waiting list -- and can tell us about her experiences. That Bluetooth reference we hinted at earlier? Well, there's a video floating around showing what happened when someone enabled their device within proximity of the Dharma area. As for the next stage of the game, we're optimistic about new content tomorrow, so watch those web sites!

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 1:09 PM | Comments (3)

July 23, 2008

ARGNet is SciFi's Site of the Week!

As television stations go, we're big fans of Sci Fi, and not just because they named us the Site of the Week earlier today. With original programming like Battlestar Galactica (the best show on television), the 4400 (which had an ARG of it's own) and the Stargate series, it's hard not to be a fan of the network.

Thanks to Ken Newquist at Sci Fi for recognizing our efforts here at ARGNet, and as we told him in an email a few minutes ago, it comes at a great time for us, as we have a series of articles coming this week on ARGFest-o-Con 2008, which officially wrapped upon Sunday this past weekend. Look for the first in the series to hit the site later today, with the rest coming in the next few days!

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2008

UPDATE: Prototype 161 Launches July 12

For those that remember the postcard we received a few days ago with the enigmatic "Wish You Were Here" message, we can now point you towards something more than just a vague location in New York City. A comment was left for that article by prototype161, stating, "Infringement will not be tolerated. Your sticker has been removed." This led us to look at prototype161.com, which is the home of prototype161 investiagtions. There's a client section which offers solutions when "problems cannot be solved by ordinary methods," and a recruitment section that reveals details about a live event in New York on July 12th.

Two days ago, a letter was received, addressed to me, telling me that I have been selected as a prospective agent of prototype161. According to the letter, I will play a vital role in the development of a new "perscrutative method" -- yes, I had to look up perscrutative, and it means thorough search -- in the evening of July 12th. I hope that my vital role can be played as I sit at home, because I won't be in New York City on the 12th. The letter encourages me to assemble a team of not more than eight people, and notes that if I am ubale to loction a sufficient number of friends, some will be provided for me. What are you saying, mysterious recruiter, I can't find my own friends?! Just kidding.

The only potential puzzle I've found so far is on the letter itself -- the footer contains the text prototype161 form LMTH."EUR", with the E in EUR red in color. Our friend Sean C. Stacey at Despoiler received a postcard and a letter as well, and there is an ongoing thread at the Unfiction forums for developments thus far.

If you are in the New York area and wish to represent ARGNet at the recruitment event, drop us a comment or a voicemail and we'll get in touch. Anyone attending the event that is able to take pictures or video, please send them our way, with our thanks and appreciation!

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 9:14 AM | Comments (3)

June 20, 2008

Cannes Lions Award for 42 Entertainment

42 Entertainment has won yet another distinguished honor, and this time, it's a grand prize. On Thursday, June 19, the company won the Grand Prix Cyber Lions award at the Cannes Lions 2008 festival in the Viral Advertising/Viral Marketing category for their alternate reality game. The Cannes Lions awards are widely considered the most prestigious of all advertising awards, so this is definitely a feather in the cap for the company responsible for this enthralling collaboration with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame. Congratulations to the crew, which includes Steve Peters, the previous owner of this very web site.

In picture: Susan Bonds, Producer/CEO, and Alex Lieu, Creative Director/CCO, 42 Entertainment

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)

June 17, 2008

Mailbox: From zombies to a mystery pole

It's turning out to be quite the summer for alternate reality games, or so the relentless parade of packages, letters and postcards to come through the ARGNet snail mail box seems to indicate. First up, from last week, is a lovely package from Lost Zombies, a new post-apocalyptic venture billing itself as "a community generated zombie documentary." Inside the package was a letter, a paperback copy of The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, and a retail DVD copy of 28 Days Later, the superb film by Danny Boyle. According to the letter (full text available after the jump), these materials "provide valuable insight into zombie behavior and its many forms," and should help increase our chances of survival. Sweet!

Also in the mail -- just today, in fact -- was a postcard. Apparently, we're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, because the sender wishes we were there, 'there' being New York City. And, beyond that, we have no idea why this postcard was sent to us. We do know that our friends at Despoiler received a similar postcard, and surmise that the image on the front is of a location in Times Square, NYC. They've urged their legion of readers to go outdoors and find the pole marked with the arrow, and we urge the same of our loyal viewers, if only to satisfy our curiosity as to the mystery of the blue pole.

From lostzombies.com:

We regret to inform you that we have received reports of a zombie outbreak in your area. Our records indicate you are a CLASS IV CIVILIAN. This designation suggests that you exhibit one or many of the following traits: resourcefulness, moderate
intelligence, extra sensory perception, and/or abnormally high immunity to illness. You may also have: more than 3 registered firearms, experience operating heavy machinery, experience killing zombies, and/or access to a large and captive audience. If you feel you have received this message in error your designation is more than likely CLASS V
ACCEPTABLE LOSS and you may ignore this letter.

We have included in this package works of zombie fiction. While none of these materials document actual zombie outbreaks, they provide valuable insight into zombie behavior and its many forms. We hope these materials increase your chances of survival.

After reading this letter and digesting the reality of your situation please immediately go to WWW.LOSTZOMBIES.COM and register. Our goal at Lost Zombies is to collect as much evidence as possible of zombies and zombie related outbreaks and to compile that evidence in to the world's first community generated zombie documentary. Upon registering at Lost Zombies please upload any proof of zombies you have and document any outbreaks you know of If you were unable to witness any outbreaks we will accept re-creations. It is also your responsibility to identify as many CLASS IV CIVILIANS as possible and communicate to them the zombie threat.

We need your help to prove to the world that zombies are a reality and that a zombie apocalypse is possible if not eminent.

Thank You
LOST ZOMBIES

PS: Any content you upload to the site belongs to you. In the event that Lost Zombies wants to use your footage in a documentary film we will reach out to you (assuming you've survived) and get your permission as well as discuss potential compensation.

The "Wish You Were Here" postcard, front and back:

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 8:11 AM | Comments (4)

June 12, 2008

Come to the White Island, stay for the all night dancing!

Something is happening in Ibiza... or so says the press release for The White Island, which filtered into the ARGNet tipline last week. The new alternate reality game began on June 1st, and involves dance music and late night parties across Europe. There are some interesting names connected to the project as well -- Pete Tong, known best for his work on BBC Radio 1 and for being the subject of the mockumentary "It's all gone Pete Tong", and Charles Kriel, a DJ who previously worked on the Fallen ARG and now heads up Black Swan Media. If these names aren't enough to get you clubbers interested, what about the cool swag we received earlier today? There's video and more pictures after the break, so put down the glow sticks and click on through!

So, what could a clay pot, some mysterious pieces of metal, and strange geometric patterns have to do with the thump-thump-thump of a big, bouncy rave? The press release offers details on some of the events to take place: "Based around the biggest dance music events and the hottest clubs and DJs of summer 2008, the game asks players from across the world to help solve the mystery behind a series of events that could threaten the very soul of Ibiza." Stop, you had us at 'hottest clubs'.

The campaign also has a pretty cool partner in Pioneer Pro DJ, because the company will be offering "huge prizes" as the campaign rolls out. To top it all off, many of dance music's hottest DJs will join in on the fun, which we imagine will result in a curious blurring of the lines between reality and the game.

So, if you find yourself on the terrace of Space or the dance floor of Wonderland this summer, take a quick look around for clues and puzzles, because you might be unlocking the secret of The White Island.

  

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)

April 1, 2008

OMG Hax0rz!!!

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.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 8:21 PM | Comments (1)

March 23, 2008

Harvey Dent campaign swag!

It wasn't long after the latest stage in the Dark Knight alternate reality game went live that we began noticing reports of cool swag delivery -- staff writer Michelle Senderhauf got one in the mail, as did our associate editor, Marie Lamb, and a friend of the site, Brian Enigma. I received the ARGNet package a few days ago, and in the package was a T-shirt and a folder which contained postcards, bumper stickers, buttons and a letter. It's always a treat to receive treats from game developers, so I thank those out there who are responsible for sending the package up to Canadia. So, um... does this mean that the campaign will be heading above the 49th parallel sometime soon? Inquiring canucks want to know!

  

  

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 9:59 PM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2008

I Was Blind... so they sent me broken headphones?

A note from FedEx on Monday alerted me to a delivery attempt during a time when I wasn't available to receive packages. After some careful thinking, I figured that the package was one of the Harvey Dent press packages that some others have been receiving. The next day, as I arrived home, I saw not one but two packages waiting to be opened. It was like my birthday, except without all of the feeling old and stuff. And while one of the packages was, indeed, a Harvey Dent swag explosion (more on that tomorrow), it was the other that has me scratching my head. For you see, unlike the tidy folder that held the Dark Knight promo material, the other package contained... broken headphones. Broken headphones wrapped in a single sheet from Monday's "The Guardian".

For a few more pictures, and the rest of the details, read on. Maybe you can help us figure out this mystery!

I took a closer look at the headphones, and noticed a copious amount of black electrical tape at the top, and lo and behold, I found a message scratched into the mass of tape: I WAS BLIND. There was nothing else strange about the headphones -- I even unravelled the tape near the plug, but there was nothing hidden underneath. This led me to the newspaper next, which is where I noticed the next clue -- some of the letters on the front page were blacked out, by hand.

Reading left to right, top to bottom, revealed this message: AND NOW WE ARE 3. At least, that's what I think the message says -- the last number is the first digit from the Friday closing price of Bear Stearns shares, which is being reported at $30.

So, color me stumped. If anyone out there has an idea as to what this is all about, be sure to comment here and let us in on the secret. If it helps any, the package originated from the UK, but because we value privacy, that's all we'll say about the sender.

  
  

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 9:18 AM | Comments (11)

March 9, 2008

World Without Oil wins big at SXSW

Yes, that's right -- World Without Oil, the socially conscious alternate reality game that kicked off in April 2007, has won the Activism award at this year's SXSW Web Awards!

Although word is just now coming in, and there's no official note on the SXSW web site, we're happy to be able to congratulate the team, including our very own Marie Lamb and Michelle Senderhauf!

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 9:24 PM | Comments (0)

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)

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 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)

January 29, 2008

Extra, extra! ARGNet iEdition has arrived!

Hey, we like to think that we're pretty tech-savvy individuals here at ARGNet, with at least one of us owning one of those sorta-new-fangled iPod Touch device thingies. Well, on a whim this weekend, I decided to adapt a Wordpress plugin called iWPhone into our Movable Type installation, which you can see at iphone.argn.com. Heck, that interface might be the preferred view for people who don't use Apple devices!

We are going to be moving things over to Wordpress in 2008, but are having CSS issues, so it's still a work in progress. Rest assured, we're constantly looking for ways to improve the site, both visually and with functionality. If you fine, fine readers ever some across a problem with the site, shoot us a message and let us know about it.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 5:50 PM | Comments (1)

January 26, 2008

GAME LAUNCH: Conspiracy Asylum

After only a few weeks since the end of Deus City, the fine folks at Fundi Games are back at it again with Conspiracy Asylum File Zero. Our very own Sean C. Stacey had reported two weeks ago on the hint that the puppetmasters left for the players late in November, and noted that the game would be launching around the first of February.

However, here we are five days short of the end of January, looking at new content and open registration on the trailhead site. Currently, the forum-style web site has one entry -- "File 1 - Aliens: 'Are we really alone?' -- which players can comment on, once they register and log in. Once logged in, players are able to offer their theories to either prove or disprove the conspiracy video.

The original beta video is still available on YouTube, although it has changed locations since our previous story. We will provide updates here at ARGNet as more is discovered about the game.

Discussion at Unfiction forums

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2008

Eldritch Errors Launches Book Three, Officially

Let the speculation end! After last week's article from Michelle Senderhauf and mention on episodes 46 and 47 of the ARG Netcast series, we turn to Schmeldritch for definitive word regarding the launch of Book Three of Eldritch Errors, the long-running Lovecraftian alternate reality game. In the January 23rd entry on the developer's blog, Brian Clark points to a post on the Unfiction forums (as well as back to here, thankyouverymuch) as a clear indication that festivities have begun for the third installment of the experience.

Clark also notes that he is setting the bar even higher for this new stage of game play, stating, "My expectations for 'Red Moon Rising' are obviously higher than they were even for 'Scream in the Mountains'," adding, "May I recommend that experienced participants change their tin foil hats daily during Book Three and leave it at that?" If this tickles your fancy and you wish to get caught up with everything that has happened thus far, head over to EldritchErrors.com. Clark acknowledges the new people who may want to jump on board by promising, "Don't worry that Eldritch Errors has been going since last April, Book Three was developed with you in mind. It was also developed with Book One participants in mind, as well, so you'll have lots to discover together."

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 9:27 PM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2008

Cloverfield is Out -- What Now?

Editor's Note: This article is spoiler-free, for those who haven't see the movie yet. However, outgoing links may contain spoiler information.

Who was to know that when J.J. Abrams launched the first trailer for what we now know as Cloverfield that the buzz surrounding the movie would be so powerful that the famous Mann Chinese Theater in Los Angeles would have a special midnight showing of the film? Well, we won't say "told you so!" -- in fact, we didn't tell you much, except that there were curious web sites to be found in July of last year, and that the Ethan Haas viral web site was officially unconnected to the 1-18-08 mystery. Thankfully, there are many resources out there for fans of the movie to get caught up on what's happened in the web campaign so far, in case (like me) you decide that today is the day you finally take a look at some of this stuff.

I began this morning by taking a look through the Cloverfield forum section at Unfiction. I thanked my lucky stars when I came across this post by TheRabbit, which summarizes the story so far, chronologically, and links to all of the relevant sites. It's easy to follow and helps to connect some of the dots that Abrams and his crew have left along the trail. Essentially, the experience seems to be a tale of the effect of environmental misdoings, which may or may not be connected to a secret ingredient in a popular beverage. I highly recommend reading the post, which looks to be a work in progress.

From there, I surfed over to cloverfieldclues.com which has been an ongoing archive of news regarding the movie and the online experience. The owner of the site, Dennis Acevedo, was recently interviewed on the NPR show "All Things Considered" as part of a feature on the movie and the buzz that was built along the way -- our own Sean C. Stacey was also interviewed, but his contribution never made it to the final edit. The Cloverfield Clues web site offers readers a chance to view archives of the in-game web sites as well, which was handy to see today, as many of the sites are "under construction" after the U.S. release of the film.

Onward I went, to the Cloverfield wiki at Despoiler, which is another great source of information and archived items. Wikis seem to be the easiest way to compile info into a trail, and this one is as comprehensive as one would hope. User contributions help to keep facts organized, while discussion is relegated to tabbed Talk pages. The latest news page has documented the recent changes to the game's web sites, and updates are ongoing.

So now that we're all caught up, what now? Will the experience keep going, now that the movie is out? Will we see an extended reality that further explains events as they happened in the film? Or is this it for the Cloverfield web presence? While no one knows for sure -- except Abrams and his creative team, of course -- it seems to be a shame if all of this goes fades into the ether.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 8:39 AM | Comments (1)

January 14, 2008

UPDATE: Sneak Peek at Heroes 360, Now Heroes Evolution

There's something to be said about major broadcasters who go out of their way to bring interactive content to their dedicated viewership, so when we were tipped off about the continuation of "Heroes Evolution", the official Heroes ARG, we were quite pleased. This is the same game we began talking about almost a year ago, which we previously knew as the Heroes 360 Experience, so those of you familiar with web sites such as primatechpaper.com and YamagatoFellowship.org are going to be happy to know that the campaign will most likely continue to use these resources.

The announcement of the next stage of the game is part of a press release we dug up at The Futon Critic in which the message is clear -- NBC is big on transmedia experiences. On top of announcing expansive digital experiences for new series "Lipstick Jungle" and "Knight Rider" , the release contained this:

The next chapter in the highly anticipated "Heroes" online mythology continues with "Heroes Evolution." Fans will discover intriguing new back-story and plot twists through the "Heroes" online and mobile micro-sites. The popular graphic novel continues in originals all winter long as well.

So, we mentioned an sneak peek, right? Well, it's waiting for you, just after the jump, so click on to bask in the glory of exclusive, unreleased content!

Alright, here it is -- we've obtained a clue from an unreleased video that a secret source confirms will be part of an update to chapter two of the Heroes Experience, an update that will supposedly happen very, very soon. Admittedly, I don't know what significance this clue has in relation to the game play, but we're hopeful that those of you playing the game will appreciate it (click for a larger version):

Now, if you haven't had the chance to get involved with the game thus far, don't despair -- there's an official story-so-far metasite at NBC's web site. Plus, there are multiple threads happening in the "CF with Potential" section at the Unfiction forums, so if you're a fan of the TV show, maybe it's time to see what things are all about.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 4:30 PM | Comments (2)

January 1, 2008

UPDATE: Oceanic Air Flies Again

SPOILER ALERT -- This article reveals information that may nor may not have meant to be found by now. Read at your own risk.

As we reported yesterday, there's a new alternate reality game starting up for acclaimed television series Lost, known as Find 815. According to the Lostpedia, the action revolves around Sam Thomas, a former employee of fictional Oceanic Airlines who is discouraged by the lack of progress in the search for Oceanic flight 815. For those unaware of what this all means, the simplest explanation is that many of the castaways on the TV show were on the doomed flight, which has driven the plot and mythology of the series, soon entering its fourth season.

Players of the game have discovered a wide range of content connected to the game, including web sites, email, a voicemail number, various videos and even a few hidden secrets. As with any new ARG, players are dissecting every aspect of the game, and in the process, discoveries have been made in the last 24 hours that indicate that certain game elements aren't as secure or hidden as the game designers might have hoped for. In the instance of a guest post on the Unfiction forums, a directory was apparently left unprotected, allowing a player to gain access to game assets. Another issue that defies explanation, for now, is why the mysterious login form at the front of the Maxwell Group web site is actually hosted on find815.com.

The game is expected to run until late January, when season four of Lost kicks off. We'll keep an eye on things as this new experience marches on.

Various Links:
Find 815 - Trailhead
The Maxwell Group web site
Recording of outgoing voicemail (link leads to recording, not official site)
NetNinja archive of game videos

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 8:01 PM | Comments (0)

December 31, 2007

Comments not working? Our bad...

So, if you are the type of person to comment on articles here at ARGNet, thank you. If you are the type of person who tries to comment and then notices that their comment fails to show up, we apologize. Some of the comments from the last month (or, in some cases, two months) slipped by us and landed in the junk comments bin. We were able to go back through the queue and publish some of those comments tonight, so if you were one of those people who thought we were censoring your point of view, we apologize (again). The way our comments are approved and published is something we have to explore in the next few weeks, so hopefully this sort of thing doesn't happen again.

Have a happy new year -- see you in 2008!

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 7:59 PM | Comments (0)

November 7, 2007

Book Two of Eldritch Errors comes and goes, PM chat tonight!

Now that Book Two of Eldritch Errors has wrapped up, the people behind the curtain are eager to get together with ARG players to talk about things, and so tonight at 9 pm ET, you can join Brian Clark, Brooke Thompson and a few other distinguished guests in the #stfeline room on the Chat-Solutions IRC network (irc.chat-solutions.org). If you've never accessed IRC chat before, you can use our handy-dandy chat applet here at the web site -- simply pick the room from the drop-down list and give yourself a nickname, and join in the fun!

In case you're not up to speed on all things EE, the puppetmasters have their own behind-the-scenes blog at Schmeldritch.com, where they have commented on a very interesting (and somewhat creeptastic) three-day live event that occurred late in October. While we missed the boat on live coverage (sorry!) you can read all about it at Sentry Outpost, the in-game forums for EE, through Biff's summary post, as well as Mapmaker's four-part detailed recap (part 1, 2, 3 and 4). From all accounts, it was a nerve-wracking, intense, unforgettable experience.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 5:38 PM | Comments (0)

November 6, 2007

The Mailman Cometh

Today was a great day for getting mail. The newest Rolling Stone magazine arrived, as did the December copy of Macworld. Also, nestled between a CAA membership renewal notice and a flyer for a grocery store, was an inconspicuous package addressed to ARGN... from ARGN. 'Weird,' I thought, 'I don't remember sending myself a package.' And then it hit me -- we were being RABBIT HOLED!

Quickly, I flipped the package over and pulled the easy-open red tab. Inside, I found a DVD, a newspaper headline clipping, and a ripped picture of a fairly attractive woman. After scanning the contents (and the postmark) I went for the DVD and stuck it into my trusty laptop. The name of the disc, My DVD, revealed nothing of use, so I played it, and what I saw shocked and amazed me:

Yes, that was a scary looking guy, hitting a fence. And yes, that was a puzzle piece that flashed on the screen near the end of the video. Okay, so maybe it's not as shocking and amazing as I might have previously stated, but it's still a mysterious, ominous video that's worth watching. Is this the lovechild of The Human pet and the Golden Jigsaw? Probably not, but it's still something that has us curious about what's to come.

So, how do we go forward from here? My guess is that we will have to wait until more people receive similar packages -- Sean C. Stacey of Despoiler got one, and is going to be posting a message shortly about what he got. If anyone else out there has more information, be sure to send us a quick note (via the contact form, perhaps?) so that we can provide an update later in the week.

    
  

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 9:27 PM | Comments (5)

October 29, 2007

How Was Your Weekend?

While the weekend represents quiet and solitude for many of you, alternate reality gaming does not stop for days of the week that begin with an S. We received a plethora of ARG tips, tidbits and updates through the past few days, and here are the highlights:

• Lance Weiler, a recent guest on the ARG Netcast series, has written about Hope is Missing, the ARG that was created to promote the DVD release of his film Head Trauma. His article at The Workbook Project is chock full of details and statistics about the campaign, and is an excellent read for people finding themselves on either side of the Puppetmaster curtain.
• This year marks the second time that the Trinity University's Coates Library in San Antonio has run Blood on the Stacks, an alternate reality game that helps new students to get familiar with the school's library. According to this entry at the SHU - Blogcause07 blog, "anecdotally the library and support staff reported feedback from students of feeling more familiar, less alien in the environment, the library was associated with fun and the staff were more approachable." This appears to be yet another neat way that people are using ARGs to assist in a social environment.
• Thanks to a press release we received, we know how survivors of a zombie-apocalypse will find each other -- Last Day's Journal. This is a project that began in 2005 at the hands of Superfreako Productions, a two-brother team that had the idea for a television show dedicated to the concept of a post-apocalyptic zombie-infested world.

• Tony Walsh, author of the always-excellent Clickable Culture, has the scoop on a new video-based ARG called The Got which is going to be a co-production of Canadian and Portuguese creators. According to Walsh, one of the people behind the scenes is Adam Clare, who has previously worked on TorGame.
• David Varela, one of the writers for the Perplex City ARG, has written an article for Scriptwriter Magazine. The article ran in the September issue. (via Christy Dena at Cross-Media Entertainment.)
• An observant reader named Ciaran let us know about The Dead Room via the tip line: "I saw this shop whilst walking down Oxford Street in London the other day & ended up at thedeadroom.com - I've also found stuff on flickr suggesting that it's going on in Glasgow as well." The site looks creepy as can be, and might be another one of the horror-style ARGs that have become popular in recent months.
• Finally, this news item via ExperienceCurve had me in stitches. It's a tribute to viral videos and web sites called "We Didn't Start the Viral" -- and yes, it is sung to that tune made famous by Mr. Billy Joel. The video originates from cakke.com who have a blow-by-blow of the lyrics. Listen and watch for references to LonelyGirl15, Our Colony, Slusho and I Love Bees.

Hope your week goes well, and here's hoping that the mysterious jack-o-lantern at Why So Serious turns into something wonderfully ARGish on Wednesday.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

October 8, 2007

Help us figure out: DNV, LGV 14

When it comes to game tip emails, we've seen our share of cryptic messages, but none as puzzling as the two tips for what we assume is the same game. Tip 1 went a little something like this:

Message: The first messages are being spread. We are Artists, and this is our Art. This is a Game, and we need Players.

You will be informed soon

Signed,
DNV, LVG

PS: Find someone who speaks Dutch

Um, okay. We asked for more information from the author, which is when we got tip 2:

Over there, there is a bridge. Under the bridge, there is a message. Behind the message, there is a code. behind the code, there is a Project.

A website is coming. This is intended as a local game. If anyone lives in that area, feel free to ping him. Be cunning, for we will be aswell.

I'm looking forward to hearing of you.

Signed,
Vincent & Laurence

Accompanying this email was the graphic we include at the top of this article -- click on it for the full version.

So, anyone Dutch-speaking ARGers out there willing to give us a hand with this?

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 1:30 PM | Comments (3)

September 30, 2007

What do Education, iPhones, and LG15 Have in Common?

After cleaning out my inbox (1300+ messages!), I found a few stories from the past month or so that I found interesting, and I hope you will too:

Over at Cross-Media Entertainment, Christy Dena is reporting on a new educational ARG called Help Me Solve a Mystery. Quoting from the Research Quest blog , Dena notes that the ARG will be "designed to teach critical thinking and information literacy skill. The game will be targeted to college students, yet will be freely open and promoted in order to attract a broad range of participants." Our very own Michael Andersen started up a discussion thread at the Unfiction forums earlier this week. Gayla Keesee, who blogs at Ed Tech Lady, has written an article asking for assistance from people currently playing this game, so if you can help her out, be a good samaritan!

Also on the educational front comes this article by Ian Bogost at Water Cooler Games. It tells of an instructional counter-terrorism ARG called the Never Rest Game and links to a discussion thread at the Unfiction forums.

Just as the news of two instructional ARGs comes to our attention Jeremy Vernon blogs about using ARGs as an educational tool. We hope Jeremy is watching the same blogs and web sites as we are.

The last of the education-themed story alerts pointed us in the direction of Dr. Scott J. Warren, a professor at the University of North Texas. Dr. Warren is teaching his students about alternate reality gaming through a course called CECS 1000, describing the course as a "hybrid course." Warren is extending his classroom environment to Second Life, but exactly what kind of ARG this will turn out to be is unknown, as it is closed to outside access. However, you can read Warren's own blog at doorarg.wordpress.com.

Shifting gears now, Wagner James Au and Jane Pinckard at GigaOm have pontificated about the most-wanted games for the iPhone, and #7 on the list is Perplex City, or another top ARG. Their argument is that an ARG would showcase the multi-funcionality of the iPhone, and they are calling for Jane McGonigal to be hired for the project.

Elan Lee of 42 Entertainment was recently a speaker at one of the IGNITE discussion nights in Seattle. Video of his talk can be seen at YouTube.

And finally, another ARG set in the universe of Lonelygirl15 has launched. Mission Anchor Cove is being run by TheLadyLazarus, according to this post at LG15 Today.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 2:01 PM | Comments (2)

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 24, 2007

Game Tip Round-Up

We have been a bit preoccupied here at the ARGNet Ranch, but that doesn't mean that we're not paying attention to the inbox. While we haven't had much opportunity to follow up on some of the tips we've received, we thought it'd be best to release them into the wild to see what happened. Here, in no particular order, are the tips.

From someone calling themselves Fiddlefaddle comes a link to Worse Than a Fairy Tale, which is "ARGesque" in nature and is tied into the new CD of the same name by Drop Dead Gorgeous, a "hardcore/screamo band" that Fiddlefaddle digs. The plot involves murders and the game/experience looks pretty slick and well-produced upon initial viewing.

Guillaume Hugo led us to Nowheremen, but we're not sure exactly what it is yet. Something to keep an eye on, perhaps?

Michele wanted us to know about SilverLadder, which already as a lot of discussion at the Unfiction forums. We mentioned it on Episode 37 of the ARG Netcast series (to be released in the next few days) and will be watching it closely. There are references to Alice in Wonderland and involves a mysterious "Korporation", so there are definitely mysteries afoot.

There have been three emails -- a tip, and two reminders (okay, we got the message!) -- for a new game at What is this Game?. It has a spooky theme, registrations open on Halloween, and the game apparently starts January 1, 2008. No idea what the need is for a two month registration period, but hopefully it amounts to something worthwhile. And, hey, look at that, a MySpace profile that ties in!

Ty Kieth sent us this gem: "I'm sitting in a Safe Room right now surrounded by a random-signal quantum field so the damn Monks can't see me. I've managed to compromise the site. Hopefully I can warn a few converts away while I'm at it. Avery, if you're there, I've left some breadcrumbs for you," with a link to The Electric Church. This is a tie-in with the book of the same name, authored by Jeff Somers, but we haven't looked deeper than the front page. Besides, if this game tip isn't supposed to be written by an in-game character, we're not so much curious as we are bewildered and a bit scared. Seriously -- random-signal quantum fields are our greatest fear.

(Actually, we're not that scared, as Alex tipped us off to what's really happening at the site: "It's not technically an ARG, but Jeff Somers, author of the forthcoming novel The Electric Church, has included a deviously complicated series of codes and puzzles... which should appeal to ARG fans." Thanks for making us feel safer, Alex.)

Finally, things seem to be progressing quickly at Dunder Mifflin Infinity, so much so that many regional managers have been chosen for new Dunder Mifflin Paper Company branches across North America. If you're completely lost at this point, we're talking about the fictional company at the center of NBC's hit comedy The Office. if you're a fan of the show, this one is shaping up to be something very, very cool.

And that does it for another few weeks worth of game tips. Keep them coming folks -- we anticipate having a bit more time in the coming months for more frequent updates about new games. And, as always, you can check in with the Unfiction forums News & Rumors section for more news and game tips.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 10:46 PM | Comments (3)

September 10, 2007

Breaking News: Eldricth Errors PM Chat Tonight

Sorry for the late-breaking update, but we've just found about a puppetmaster chat for Eldritch Errors, which recently wrapped up the first stage of its game. You can join the chat via IRC (chat applets here or at Unfiction) in the #stfeline room, starting at 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT. This will hopefully be an opportunity to have your questions answered by the team of creators and designers before they disappear back into the mists of Book Two. Someone with a terrible sense of pun-humor might say, "I'll B Seeing U there!" but there is no one on our staff willing to sink to that level of wit, so just show up, okay?

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 6:40 PM | Comments (0)

September 6, 2007

Welcome to Schmeldritch?

After almost five months of game play, Book One of Eldritch Errors has come to a close. What began in April with mysterious Craigslist postings and targeted snail mail ended with a live event in Atlanta last Monday, during which a hard drive and boarding pass were found in a room which included three "shrouded 'figures' that looked about 4-5 feet tall," according to this account by sapagoo at the Sentry Outpost in-game message boards. As an epilogue to this climactic event, several additional Craigslists postings have been discovered, where it has been noted that B.A. St. Feline, the psychic character who runs BSeeingU, is experiencing "excruciating pain. Oh, and there were a series of grotesque and disturbing photos uploaded to a player's personal web site without his consent (or so he says). If this seems confusing out of context, the story-so-far at the Eldritch Errors web site might be a good place to catch up on recent events, as well as the fan-run BSUWiki.

With loose ends being tied up and a break in the action forthcoming, the puppetmasters have come out from the other side of the curtain to talk about the game so far at Schmeldritch, a behind-the-scenes blog. So far, one post has revealed how the recipients of the mailed packages were chosen, and a chapter one credits list is up as well. Game creator Brian Clark describes the site as, "something that happens in between the episodes of Eldritch," and as "an opportunity to share some tidbits from behind the scenes and some "how to" tutorials for other immersive narrativists dissecting the production."

Pics of the found hard drive
Contents of the hard drive

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 8:25 PM | Comments (0)

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: Creating New Markets
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)

August 15, 2007

Network Outages

Through the course of today, ARGNet may or may not have been unavailable, or may have been slow or sluggish. Our host has had sporadic, random problems with their servers today, especially (we found, anyway) with their SQL servers. We apologize if the site was misbehaving for anyone earlier, but things seem to be fine now, so hopefully they have their problems fixed.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)

August 1, 2007

ARGNet Editor to Appear at G4TV

On today's Attack of the Show on G4TV, alternate reality gaming will be the focus of The Loop, according to the show's blog. ARGNet will have representation during the discussion as our very own Jessica Price will appear to discuss matters with 42 Entertainment's Elan Lee. The blog at G4 mentions the recent Why So Serious event as one of the "saving graces" at this year's Comic-Con, and poses the question, "[A]re ARGs in general an effective means of advertisement?"

Elan was previously featured on Episode 28 of the ARG Netcast series, of which Jessica was a panelist, so this won't be the first time the two go on-air to discuss ARGs. As well, we're pretty sure that folks at G4 don't know that Jessica and Elan also share a place in Cruel 2 B Kind history.

If you have G4TV on your dial, Attack of the Show airs at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT), repeats through the night, and clips are available at the G4TV web site.

Posted by Jonathan Waite at 3:39 PM | Comments (8)

July 30, 2007

In Case You Missed It... Sammeeeees 2!

While we're a little extremely late in reporting this story, I figured the word about a Sammeeeees sequel would spread through the ARG community like wildfire, given that the original game was looked upon with so much admiration. And hey, we did mention (on episode 26 of the ARG Netcast series) that there was an "apparent sequel" back in early June. Oh, and speaking of the netcasts, perhaps you tuned into episode 31, where we devoted much of the show to konamouse's spirited discussion of the game? Huh? Did you do that? Did you?

Okay, all excuses aside, the game is still going on strong. The aforementioned (and totally awesome) konamouse has strung together one of the best Story So Far threads you'll ever see at the Unfiction forums, and