Month: February 2008 (Page 2 of 2)

ACME Puzzle Trail Offers Hints at Future Project

February 11, 2008 / Michael Andersen

Aporia Cross-Media Entertainment is busily plugging away on their upcoming alternate reality game, the Aporia Agathon Project. That doesn’t stop the team from engaging in the occasional side project, however.

On today’s show at lagtv.com, the fine folks at ACME are launching an XBox-themed puzzle trail with a twist. In addition to a prize from lagtv for one lucky player, the puzzle trail will introduce a character or two from the Aporia Agathon Project, and provide a few hints of what’s to come in the game. LagTV offers live, interactive video gaming news, focusing on the X-Box console.

The ACME blog claims some of the puzzles will be “a tribute to another xbox related ARG”, so fans of the short-lived Our Colony campaign may be in for a treat. Although I guess it’s possible they’re referring to that other XBox-related ARG.

World Without Oil Nominated for SXSW Web Award

February 10, 2008 / Michael Andersen

You may have noticed from the banner at our main site that ARGNet is an Official Media Sponsor of Screenburn 2008. As part of SXSW Interactive‘s series of conferences taking place in Austin, Texas March 7 – March 11, ScreenBurn is bringing in an impressive cast of panelists. Notable speakers include Rachel Clarke (Behind the Buzz), Keith Clarkson (Xenophile Media), Dan Hon (Six to Start), Rebecca Newton (Mind Candy), and Kevin Slavin (area/code). Jane McGonigal (Avant Game) will be presenting the final SXSW Interactive Keynote on March 11th, the final day of the conference.

A few more familiar faces are bound to show up, as World Without Oil, the alternate reality game with a heart of gold, is a finalist for the SXSW Web Awards in the Activism category. The ‘serious game’ attracted a lot of attention for drawing upon the powers of collective intelligence to address peak oil concerns. Numerous ARGNet staffers past and present worked on this project (Dee Cook, Michelle Senderhauf, Marie Lamb, and Krystyn Wells), so our collective fingers are crossed for the team.

Mind Candy, who were at one time a major player in the ARG genre with Perplex City, is also nominated in the Games category for Moshi Monsters.

Help Us Find the Properly Gifted Fellows

February 9, 2008 / Jonathan Waite

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.

Month: February 2008 (Page 2 of 2)

ACME Puzzle Trail Offers Hints at Future Project

World Without Oil Nominated for SXSW Web Award

Help Us Find the Properly Gifted Fellows

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