Author: Jonathan Waite (Page 35 of 37)

Jonathan Waite was an innocent lurker when The Beast hit the Internet in 2001. From his temporary residence in Jeon Ju, South Korea, he was immediately captivated by the lush environment that had been laid out before his feet. Moving back to his hometown (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) in July of the same year, Jonathan continued to be involved in the burdgeoning genre of Alternate Reality Gaming, getting into Plexata and finding a voice on the forums dedicated to the game. Once Lockjaw hit in 2002, there was no looking back. Jonathan adopted the alias 'jamesi', started a fansite called GuysGuise, and the rest is history.
Jonathan can currently be found as an administrator on Unfiction's forums, as well as co-hosting the ARG Netcast audio show. In the past, he has been involved with Smirkbox, a humor site that focuses on the realm of ARGs, as well as actively creating and maintaining JMX, a puzzle trail website that is currently working (yes, still) on a second run.

As a freelance developer and consultant, Jonathan has worked on such games as Ocular Effect (for Fallen on ABC family), Reach the Future (aka Holomove, for Microsoft), Enitech Labs (for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on FOX) and Monster Hunter Club (for The Host by Magnolia Films). He is happily married and has two wonderful daughters.

The EVA Project

August 3, 2005 / Jonathan Waite

Got this in the ARGN inbox a couple of days ago:

On July 31, 2005, an unknown assailant executed a highly orchestrated disruption of the EVA Project Orientation seminar.

In what could be considered a hostile attack, this individual employed guerilla tactics and advanced technology to sabotage the event and seize the critical EVA Core.

EVA Project technologist Shakuhachi Muromachi is also missing and wanted for questioning.

Please visit http://eva.unvirtual.com/ for more details.

If you have any information regarding the identity of the perpetrator, the location of the EVA Core, or the whereabouts of Dr. Muromachi, we ask for your immediate assistance.

Please contact URI or visit the EVA Project site for more information.

EVA Project
http://eva.unvirtual.com/

Unvirtual Realities, Inc.
415-820-1590

Your tips will be completely confidential.

We found information about Project EVA on UnFiction and we assume that this must be related.

Update on PXC Puzzle Cards

August 2, 2005 / Jonathan Waite

Perplex City players were sent an email from in-game character Sente Kiteway earlier today, giving a heads-up to the registered player base that the puzzle cards (which have been sold in select stores across the world for the past few weeks) are now available for online ordering at Firebox. The email talked about a bonus for the first 100 people who order, but it is unknown whether that limit has been met or not.

Akalesh Ascendant

August 2, 2005 / Jonathan Waite

Keen observer Chippy at Unfiction found a new sponsored link when doing a Google search for ARG today. Akalesh Ascendant is a META website for a new ARG coming in February of 2006, according to the site. While nothing is known (at least by us) about the company behind the game (Dark Element), the Flash-based website has a slick quality to it (even though the navigation is still a bit wonky).

The site has an Egyptian theme to it, complete with a catchy music loop. Dark Element is billing the game as “what some call an ARG and others call immersive fiction” and includes a sign-up form for anyone wishing to stay informed. There has already been a puzzle found on the site.

Book Review: Beyond Reality

July 31, 2005 / Jonathan Waite

While Beyond Reality: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming by John Gosney is not “Alternate Reality Gaming for Dummies”, it certainly is a worthwhile read for anyone currently connected to ARG, as well as an invaluable resource for anyone trying to break into the genre. Similar to Dave Szulborski’s This Is Not A Game, this book opens by looking at the origins of ARG, tracing its history back to the Beast and discussing elements of The Art Of The Heist and ILoveBees. The book also dedicates sections to a guide to web design for Puppetmasters, and includes its own inclusive ARG (called Route 66) to give people an in-depth experience with Alternate Reality Gaming. The book has a university-level textbook feel to it, offering many different notes and tips throughout.

City of Domes Suspended

July 27, 2005 / Jonathan Waite

Earlier today, players involved with the City of Domes ARG (featured previously on ARGN) received an email from Jacob Trasky at Virtuquest detailing the necessity for the immediate suspension of gameplay as a response to a breakdown in the contract between VQC and its unnamed client. While the announcement was troubling and dissapointing, it was not altogether unexpected, as the game had ground to a halt weeks ago.

With the announcement, it looks as though players who had followed the game will have to wait for further developments between VQC and its client. Trasky made clear in his letter that the company has “great respect for the ARG community, players, and entities such as ARGN.COM and Unfiction.com.” He concluded by apologizing for this “unconcluded effort”. It was unclear whether or not the game would be able to continue if the compensation issues were resolved.

ARGTalk Shows Its True Stripes?

June 24, 2005 / Jonathan Waite

While some of us like to think we are ‘in the know’ when it comes to Alternate Reality Gaming, there is always opportunity to pull the wool over the collective eyes of the community every so often. Tonight, there is evidence (although wildly speculative) that ARGTalk, an ARG meta discussion site that popped up this year out of the blue, might actually be a front for a new ARG. Confused? Me too.