Category: Info (Page 14 of 16)

Calling All ARG Academia

May 31, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

With the Alternate Reality Gaming Special Interest Group whitepaper still in development, we have a request from our friend Christy Dena who writes extensively about ARG at her blog Cross-Media Entertainment:

Needed: Academics who have investigated Alternate Reality Games

I’m writing a section on ARGs and Academia for the upcoming International Game Developers Association Alternate Reality Game Special Interest Group Whitepaper (IGDA ARG SIG). I’m after approaches from all fields using all sorts of methodologies, and by researchers at different levels of candidacy and postdoctoral status. Since there are many investigations in development around the world I’m including unpublished insights and findings along with published ones.

Alternate Reality Gaming SIG Whitepaper

May 4, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

Adam Martin, who is the chair of the IGDA ARG Special Interest Group mailing list, is looking for a few good writers. Specifically, the task at hand is to create a whitepaper document that would help to “promote and explain the genre to a wide audience, and also to get wide exposure for your own writing on the subject.” Adam explains:

We’re looking for submissions on the following topics. Depending upon the depth of the topic, you should expect to write between 3 and 10 pages. Submissions should be no more than 300 words, and include both a short summary and also a breakdown of the content you intend to write about.

SXSW Interactive: Brian Clark of GMD Studios

March 14, 2006 / Dee Cook

ARGN at SXSW

Editor’s note: For those of you who played Art of the Heist last year, or who are currently enjoying Who Is Benjamin Stove?, you might already know about GMD Studios, the driving force behind some of the biggest Alternate Reality Games to date. Brian Clark, who co-founded the company in 1995, has become a valuable and active member of the ARG community. His energy and creativity have helped in taking the genre to new heights, and Dee Cook was lucky enough to sit down with Brian during the SXSW Interactive festival for a few words.

What is your favorite movie?
My favorite movie? Probably my favorite movie of all time would be Bladerunner. [Ed. Note: Possible spoilers for Bladerunner.]

The director’s cut or the original version?
Oh, definitely the director’s cut. No narration, no Mickey Spillane voice-over with the extra wrinkle that the Bladerunner’s a replicant (Oh, no, spoiler alert! Spoiler alert! I spoiled the movie!)

Did you see the narrated version first?
Yes.

Do you think that made you appreciate the second one better?
No. I think once they took the voice-over out, it left more to speculation. Peoples’ motivations and machines’ motivations became less clear. We didn’t need to have Harrison Ford tell us about Rutger Hauer dying. We could just watch that scene and not have to say, “Maybe in the end he valued any life, even his own.” I think that the film company underestimated the intelligence of the film-going public.

I read somewhere that Harrison Ford said he did the narration badly deliberately so they’d have to cut it.
Really? That’s a great detail – a little sabotage.

True, but I don’t know whether it’s an urban myth or not.
Yeah, but it’s interesting.

Another PMChat Announced

February 25, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

After several successful chats last fall, the aspiring Puppetmasters hanging around the unfiction forums tricked Brooke Thompson into setting up a very ambitious online chat series aimed at helping potential Puppetmasters, whether they’re looking to develop grassroots (indie) or professional games. The two month long series (every Sunday until April 25) will follow game development from the earliest stages of team development to game launch to the rising of the curtain at the end.

For those unfamiliar with Brooke, she is an experienced Puppetmaster most widely known for her work on Metacortechs, Lockjaw, and the “quickstart guide”. She is also a contributing staff member here at Alternate Reality Gaming News. She is someone who is constantly “in the know” in matters involving ARG, and this is a great opportunity for those out there who want to take a serious look at creating and developing an ARG.

Puppetmasters, both experienced and aspiring, are encouraged to attend and to bring their questions, thoughts, and experiences with them. As always, privacy and discretion will be addressed and if there are points or questions that one would like to raise anonymously, you are welcome to forward them to Brooke before or during the chat. Players are also welcome as games are ultimately designed with their interests in mind.

Chats will be held in #pmchat on irc.chat-solutions.org at 2100 UTC (4:00PM EST) every Sunday. If you do not have an IRC client, you can always head over to our Java chat platform to join in. For more information, such as the schedule and how to access the chat, please see the #pmchat announcement on the Unfiction forums.

Alternate Reality Radio

February 12, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

On Friday, February 10, a new show popped up on the rotation at the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania radio station. WLHU Toxic Radio was host to “Alternate Reality Radio” which is hosted by well-known community member The Creative Embassy (aka Clinton Judy). On the debut show, the discussion topic was “What is an ARG” and, from what we hear, the program was very interesting. The show also includes a lively music selection.

You can listen live each and every Friday at 5 pm EST (10:00 GMT) by going to their Shoutcast and listening to the streaming audio with your favorite player.

Mind Candy Secures $3m Investment

December 7, 2005 / Guy Parsons

Mind Candy, the team behind ever-popular ARG Perplex City, has just received a $3m investment from Index Ventures, a VC firm that invests in web companies such as Skype and Ofoto. It’s the first instance of an ARG-centered company receiving such a large investment – while several firms receive commissions from companies to create ARG-style games for marketing or training purposes, Perplex City operates through its own standalone revenue stream generated from sales of its signature puzzle cards.

“We were immensely impressed by both the creativity of the Mind Candy team and the enthusiasm of the players, who are in turn creating a global gaming phenomenon,â€ explained Danny Rimer, a partner at Index.

Meanwhile the Managing Director of Mind Candy, Michael Smith, gave credit to the broad, mass-market appeal of the game. “We cater to both the casual player, who wants to solve a few puzzles with friends, and the avid fan who is absorbed with the wider Perplex City mystery. We are extremely excited about this partnership and see enormous potential to build a global brand around puzzles and puzzle-solving.”

Another waypoint on Alternate Reality Gaming’s march to the mainstream, perhaps, but for now expect even bigger things from the Puppetmaster team – those who’ve witnessed them give presentations on the matter might have an inkling of their ambitious plans for the future.