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Coming Soon: New Online Experience from JC Hutchins

July 9, 2010 / Jane Doh

This week science fiction thriller writer and transmedia novelist JC Hutchins announced on his blog the start of a “groundbreaking fiction experience” that will be free and completely online. The project has been couched in secrets, but Hutchins has confirmed that it is a spin-off of an undisclosed show that airs on a major cable television network frequented by science fiction fans and other “geeks.” Fans will have to be on the lookout, but according to Hutchins, the experience opens in a few days. Updates will be available from Hutchins’ Twitter stream and through the #NewHutchFiction hashtag.

What can fans expect from this project? In his teaser, Hutchins admits “It’s about the end of the world” but doesn’t go into much specific detail, although he provides a few images that suggest some kind of catastrophic disease is on the horizon. Hutchins hopes that this will be “an authentic and emotionally resonant experience” and briefly discusses the work behind the mysterious project, including collaboration with filmmakers and model makers.

JC Hutchins is probably most widely known for his popular podcast trilogy 7th Son and for his work on the transmedia thriller with Jordan Weisman, Personal Effects: Dark Art, published by Smith & Tinker. Hutchins has also contributed to Smith & Tinker’s online collectibles game for kids,Â Nanovor.

Click here for ARGNet’s interview with JC Hutchins.
Click here for our previous coverage of Personal Effects: Dark Art.

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers Bounds into the Limelight

July 7, 2010 / Brandie Minchew

At the stroke of midnight on July 7th, the first two videos of Jon M. Chu’s web series, The LXD, went live for viewing in the United States, and the international release should not be far behind. Beginning with its “Moments” trailer released last December, The LXD has been hard at work during the first half of the year promoting its dance team and raising awareness for the web series with performances at TED, the Oscars, and So You Think You Can Dance. Billing itself as “the world’s first online dance adventure”, The LXD promises a transmedia experience spanning multiple platforms, including instructional videos, live events, film, and television supplementing the web series.

In his talk at TED 2010, Chu described The LXD web series as “a living, breathing comic book series â€“ but unlike Spiderman and Iron Man, these guys can actually do it.” The LXD shows a world where dancers are superheroes with powers and abilities related to body movement and dance. A great battle between good and evil looms on the horizon in this world of superdancers, encapsulated in an event known as “The Uprising.” “There is a legion,” the unnamed series narrator tells us: “a legion of bravery, of hope, of the extraordinary. They lie amongst us, preparing for battle, waiting to rise and change things for good.”

The initial two videos offer a troupe of tropes from the “good vs evil” archives. There is Trevor, quiet and repressed but possessing secret powers of dance, a secret crush, and a demanding father. There is Illister, the villain, and the Observers, who are with the good guys and who protect “the son of the Drift.” There is also the conspiracy theorist reporter, determined to unlock the secrets of the LXD, and two best friends who will be torn apart by jealousy. Yet, in the story are some intriguing elements that rise above the tropes: what bestows these powers of movement on the dancers? what is really in the warehouse, who put it there, and why? And who is the Illister, my current personal favorite, described in the site’s character biographies as having “no side but his own”? (Except that his mission is to kill Trevor, so it sounds to me like he has a side â€“ an evil side.)

We Lost Our Gold: 3 Pirates, 1 Ninja, 10,000 Dollars

July 5, 2010 / Jane Doh

A poor, adorable pirate-and-ninja crew have misplaced their pirate booty somewhere in the five boroughs of New York City, and if you can find it, you might walk away with a chest filled with 10,000 gold-colored dollar coins. We Lost Our Gold is an eight-part web series that will contain clues to the location of the loot. To prevent complete chaos in the city, the organizers have asked that people not dig randomly, and instead watch the videos for clues because the spot will be marked. The We Lost Our Gold website itself will be the “treasure map” as the hunt begins in earnest on August 1.

Who has 10,000 dollars to drop somewhere in New York? The creators of We Lost Our Gold are keeping this kind of out-of-game information very close to the chest, and very little can be found about them despite mainstream coverage of the project on the Huffington Post. The pirates themselves have issued what might very well be the best press release ever written.

We Lost Our Gold will be aÂ true, modern-day treasure hunt: according to the creators, “We’ve always wanted to experience the excitement of searching for pirate treasure, so we decided to give that feeling to everyone else.” That the pirates (and ninja) have made an appearance on a Times Square billboard suggests some serious resources, and at least one social media blogger has suggested that We Lost Our Gold might be a promotion for New York City tourism.

Although We Lost Our Gold doesn’t start until next month, two trailers have been released, with another trailer scheduled for July 18. The three pirates and ninja can be reached over email, and two of them, the Captain and first mate Mulligan, have active Twitter accounts. The Captain is sharing his piratical wisdom in a series of useful “pirate tips,” and Mulligan has learned to navigate the city by subway. We Lost Our Gold also has a Facebook fan page for updates, and there’s some speculating over at the Unfiction forums.

While waiting for the madness to begin, I decided to email the Captain a few innocent questions. The Captain wasn’t too thrilled about it, but still I got quite the response, edited below as an interview for ease of reading.
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Dos Equis Cargo Hunt: The Most Interesting Man in the World Is Hiring

June 30, 2010 / Jane Doh

The Most Interesting Man in the World is the charming gentleman spokesperson for Dos Equis beer, and he is looking for five Personal Collectionneurs for a “research trip” in Mexico. But, there’s a problem: as the Most Interesting Man was transporting his amazing collection of treasures, the plane’s engine failed, and he had to “parachute” all his exotic goods, scattering them all around North America. Prove your mettle to the Most Interesting Man in the World by helping him recover his lost artifacts in the Dos Equis Cargo Hunt.

Since the Most Interesting Man in the World first appeared in 2009, he’s gathered a bit of a cult following. As described in this Slate article, the “well-made, amusing ads . . . somehow manage to blend absurd humor with suave sophistication.” The clever one-liners that accompany the retro/vintage footage of “The Man” in action are pithy, entertaining, and yes, maybe a little bit sexy. Â (“He can speak French… in Russian.”) Last year, Dos Equis also ran a companion extended experience project, The Most Interesting Academy, which might not have been as well-received as “The Man” himself.

By signing up at the Dos Equis Cargo Hunt site, players become “Cargo Hunters” and can collect virtual treasures in several ways: through the Cargo Hunter’s map on theÂ website, through codes on specially marked Dos Equis packaging, and at special promotional events this summer. So far, there was at least one event in May, there wasÂ another Cargo Hunt event on June 30th in San Antonio, withÂ more events near Houston in the future, promoted through a local radio station.

ARGFest is Almost Here

June 26, 2010 / Michelle Senderhauf

This year will mark the 8th anniversary of ARGfest, and this year’s conference promises to be the most ambitious yet. The format has changed and expanded to include four days of information, networking and game-filled fun. The two day conference will take place on July 15th and 16th and will be filled with presentations, panels and roundtables galore. And in the spirit of the conference’s new “Think! Play! Do!” theme, a gaming festival has been added July 17th and 18th, where festival-goers will be able to participate in street games, location-based games, storytelling events and ARG live events.

The full conference schedule has not yet been released, but some of the announced panels include one involving casual social games and one made up of ARG enthusiasts. Presentations include Brooke Thompson’s “Can Transmedia Save the Soap Opera” and Patrick MÃ¶ller’s “Follow the Rabbit”. The conference will also feature a return of the ARG Museum, a display of artifacts from past alternate reality games.Â In addition to the typical conference activities, this year’s ARGfest will include a writing workshop with Maureen McHugh of No Mimes Media, a mini game jam that will help participants create a working game prototype by the end of the weekend, and an organic panel session that will be shaped on the fly by the audience.

ARGfest 2010 will take place July 15th through the 18th at the W Atlanta-Midtown hotel. Multiple registration packages are available on the ARGfest website or at the door. Hotel reservations can be made on the website at the discounted group rate.

Editor’s Note:Â Tomorrow (June 27th) is the last day for ARGFest’s Regular Registration rates, so now is an ideal time to select the package that best reflects your interests.

Must Love . . . The Latest from Awkward Hug

June 19, 2010 / Jane Doh

Fictional funny-guy Timothy Scribbles is full of amazing inventions, and you can check them out at his blog, Super Great Ideas.Â Timothy Scribbles used his first Super Great Ideas post in almost a year to announce his new blog, Must Love Socks. A lot of people (and apparently robots) around the world wear socks, soÂ his most recent ideaÂ is bound to take off.

Opening soon, Must Love Socks is the latest project from independent transmedia production company Awkward Hug, the Brooklyn-based duo that created last year’s critically acclaimed ARG hit, Must Love Robots. Despite the title,Â Must Love Socks isn’t strictly a sequel to the highly successfulÂ Must Love Robots. According to Awkward Hug founder Jim Babb, “While the narrative isn’t a continuation of the narrative from MLR, we are using things we learned from MLR and expanding into new territory.”

The story in Must Love Robots followed the comedic, romantic travails of 011iver as he looked for love, “helped” along by his well-meaning human friend, Tim. 011iver is quite the catch and even has his own line of t-shirts.Â A high point in Must Love Robots was the speed dating event at ARGFest 2009 in Portland, Oregon, which also featured the official “Must Love ARGFest” t-shirt designed by gamer Rowan, who also had a special date with 011iver in New York City. Babb was vague when asked about possible tie-ins with ARGFest 2010 this July in Atlanta, Georgia: “You never know what is going to happen at ARGfest, there might even be some awesome games of ‘Overit.'”

So what can players expect in the upcoming Must Love Socks? According to Babb, Must Love Socks “involves so much transmedia, that it has the potential to surpass transmedia and become ‘transtransmedia’ or just ‘media.’ I donâ€™t want to blow anybodyâ€™s mind, but it will sort of be the iPad of ARGs.”

Must Love Socks opens very soon, and players can sign up at the Must Love Socks website and follow along at the Unfiction forums. Follow Tim and 011iver on Twitter for the latest developments.

EDITOR’S NOTE 06/23/2010: Jim Babb has subsequently set up a Kickstarter page to raise funds for the Socks, Inc. alternate reality game with the goal of raising $6,000 by Friday, August 6th. The page includes a video that explains further details about the project.