The Fifth Anniversary of The Beast

On April 11, 2001, the murder of Evan Chan caught many people’s attention. Somehow, after the game wound down to an end 12 weeks later, there was the birth (or resurrection, or redefinition, depending on who you talk to) of an entirely new gaming genre we now know as Alternate Reality Gaming. For anyone who got a chance to play The Beast (go to www.cloudmakers.org for more information), the game that revolved around the story in the movie A.I., they were experiencing something that was exciting and new and encapsulating. Even as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the beginning of The Beast, it’s easy to recall the characters, the puzzles, and the story that captured the imaginations of many and led the way towards a new frontier.

We would like to celebrate this occasion with you, and get your thoughts about what this anniversary means. So, we’re opening up the comment area for this article, in the hopes that our collective spirit brings back the feeling that so many felt when they became part of the Cloudmakers group. Whether you were a lurker or posted 10 messages a day to the Yahoo! group, or were even around at all, your comments are valuable. Please keep in mind that well will be moderating comments to eliminate inappropriate language, so be nice and respectful.

Editor’s Note – We are aware of the format issues concerning the Comments section, and are working hard to solve the problem. In the meantime, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the comment text box.