Month: December 2005 (Page 2 of 2)

As some of you may know, I’ve been on hiatus from around here since July, when I took a break from running ARGN to duck behind the curtain to work as a designer for Last Call Poker, the latest project by 4orty2wo Entertainment.

Incredibly, it now looks like my hiatus has become permanent departure, as I’ve been asked by 4orty2wo to continue working with them on future projects. As it’s really not possible to do both at once, I’m turning the ARGN keys over to Jonathan Waite (jamesi), who, along with Sean Stacey (Spacebass) partnered with me on the ground floor to get ARGN (and thereby the ARG community as we know it) off and running.

We as a community set out to raise public awareness for this cool new genre, and it seems we have succeeded far beyond our wildest hopes. What began as an innovative campaign for AI: Artificial Intelligence went on to become loosely known as the This Is Not A Game thing (as coined by Elan Lee) and then Alternate Reality Gaming (as coined by Spacebass over at Unfiction), a term which now is used definitively for the genre.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of you who have really helped make ARGN a success. This includes both our readers and our Staff Writers, who have been doing a bang up job. What began as a backup forum on my company’s website when Y! Groups went down during Lockjaw has become ARGN and its network of sites, most notably Unfiction, which has become the nexus of discussion of all things ARG-related. I’m excited to see what new sites will be added, and how ARGN will grow and change under Jon’s leadership.

Speaking of Lockjaw, if you are a player/puppetmaster/fan today, then you owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Karetao team. For the record, if it weren’t for them and Lockjaw, the first grassroots game produced after The Beast, then the momentum started by The Beast would have been totally lost; the players, community and genre itself scattered to the winds. While Elan Lee, Jordan Weisman and crew are the definitive founders of the genre as we know it, it was Karetao who kept it alive.

I’ve enjoyed my time at ARGN and in the community immensely. I’ve made some great friends, and met some truly wonderful and fascinating people, and had a great time doing it. It’s been a privilege.

Thanks, everyone.

Now, secure any loose articles you may have brought with you, keep your hands and arms inside at all times, and make sure your lap-bar is down and locked. Enjoy your ride.

…Dispatch.