The 2006 batch of Alternate Reality Games is upon us, and coming soon to a computer (and telephone, and cell phone, and real world mail box) near you is Find Araya, set to launch on January 26th. While not much is known about the game at this point, action will center around helping a detective locate a woman named Araya. The game has already established in-game forums and a chatroom for players to talk with the detective character, so we expect this to be a very interactive experience. Currently, there is a pre-game element that allows players to do some preliminary research and preview what Find Araya has in store, and there is already an active group at UnFiction working on the case. Head on over to get involved — perhaps you will be the one to Find Araya?
Month: January 2006 (Page 3 of 3)
A post on Unfiction mentioned a new trailhead for Who Is Benjamin Stove. Investigation of the site indicates that Tucker Darby, a 29 year old collections agent living in Tampa, needs your help. Over the holidays he found a mysterious painting of a crop circle, dated 1913, which has exhibited an almost supernatural hold over him. He’s been trying to identify the artist and the story behind it ever since. A note inside the painting indicated that the event depicted was real. He’s asking for help finding the man who originally owned the painting, Benjamin Stove, and figuring out what the painting means.
What makes this especially interesting is the fact that blog ads were bought for several high-dollar sites to advertise Who is Benjamin Stove. Meta information indicates that this site may be the rabbithole into the next big professional game.
If you had to archive your entire life history into suitcases, how many do you think you would fill? Tulse Luper needed 92. Tulse, a recurring character in projects by film director Peter Greenaway, is currently appearing in an ambitious game by production company Submarine. We first caught wind of the Tulse Luper Suitcases back in 2003 at UnFiction when it was released at the Cannes Film Festival. This new incarnation of the journey certainly appears to have several key Alternate Reality Gaming elements to it, including collaborative community play, puzzles, and interactive online gameplay.
From the tip we received, The Tulse Luper Journey is free and will “continue to grow for the next 18 months.” If you are interested in going on “an extensive journey through Europe’s 20th century history” by becoming “a detective determined to reconstruct the eventful life of… Tulse Luper, who led a life shrouded in mystery and doubt,” then you should definitely check it out — from what we’ve read about the game, people are really getting into it.
The year 2005 has gone by, and as we venture into another new year, we at ARGN feel that it would nice to look back at the year’s events and games and remember the year for what it was — one of the most successful and eye-opening years in the short history of Alternate Reality Gaming. As the world became more familiar with ARG through hit games The Art of the Heist, Perplex City, Jamie Kane and Last Call Poker, the community was also treated to many interesting and in-depth grassroots projects like Omnifam and Seen Steve. Overall, the year was very good for the genre, and the community is thriving and growing very day. Here are some of the highlights of 2005, as our staff saw it:
scp afterworld
black watchmen
postcurious
subtext game
masquerade nyc
simulacra