Tag: anniversary (Page 1 of 2)

Six years, 648 entries later, we still like ARGs

October 1, 2008 / Jonathan Waite

Birthday cake Whew! Just before the stroke of midnight, I’m ecstatic to say happy birthday to us! Yes, it’s been six years (give or take a few days) since this web site went live, and while the first article was the infamous sixteen word epic Forums Closed, it was really the second post on October 1, 2002 that kicked off what ARGNet (then ARGN) was to become.

Thanks to all of our wonderful staff members, our dedicated volunteers, and our network partners who continue to lend their hearts and minds to this site, and extra special thanks to the readers who visit for the latest info on the best damn game genre on the planet. We’re happy to keep on keepin’ on. To another year, huzzah!

(Oh, and lest we forget, this is also the five year anniversary of the wildly popular alternate reality game Metacortechs. Read all about it at the Unfiction forums archive. Stol!)

It’s Been Five Long Years and I Love You Just the Same

September 26, 2007 / Jonathan Waite

On September 26, 2002, this site was born with the groundbreaking news: Forums Closed. Yes, on that day, the Godfather of alternate reality gaming, Steve Peters, relayed the sad news that the ARGN forums were closing, but this led the way to new forums at Unfiction and a new direction for this site as a news source and, shortly thereafter, a hub for community resources. Along the way, Steve found work at 42 Entertainment, which is when I was fortunate enough to be asked to take the site under my wing. The site shifted from a community hub to a full-time ARG news resource in 2006, which is what you see today on our fifth anniversary.

While we don’t have any cake to share on this wonderful day, I do have some bouquets to pass along:

First and foremost, I’d like to thank all of the current and former staff who have made this site a wonderful place to be a part of. The tireless work of these hard-working volunteers has always impressed and amazed me, so they deserve their due.

Secondly, I will thank those leaders out there who continue to dedicate their individual efforts in making sure the ARG community is a warm, welcoming place to be a part of. While we are no longer an official ‘network’ of resources, the camaraderie of the community members proves that we are as much a family as a group of puzzle-solving instant-messaging story-loving people can be.

And last, but mostly, I want to thank all of you readers who continue to make us a part of your day and your life. As cliche as it may sound, without you we’re nothing. We continue to work for this genre because we love and care for this genre, and it’s not only because of the great games, it’s also because of the great people playing them.

So, with all of that said, help us to blow out the candles and celebrate another birthday as we look forward to many more celebrations in the future.

We’re Four! Let’s Eat Cake!

June 15, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

ARGN While things are simmering on medium heat in the world of Alternate Reality Gaming (we are in the midst of an in-depth look into Catching The Wish, so look for that in the next few days), we’d like to toot our own horn for a brief moment. In June 2002, “The Godfather” Steve Peters launched this site as a place where people could hang out and talk. Today, the Alternate Reality Gaming Network is not only alive and kicking, but taking great strides towards the future. There are a few projects that are being explored for development, including the ARG Archive and podcast interviews, so we hope our fifth year of existence proves to be another great year. Thanks go out to all of you who keep coming back and supporting our site!

The Fifth Anniversary of The Beast

April 11, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

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.

2nd Anniversary Puzzle Trail Completed

June 21, 2004 / Steve Peters

After three days of intense puzzle solving, a select few intrepid ARG’ers completed the 10 puzzles that comprised ARGN’s 2nd Anniversary Puzzle Trail. Dozens of players speculated, researched and contributed solutions to the puzzle series that culminated with tribute puzzles to Chasing the Wish, The Beast, Lockjaw, and finally Push, NV.

Puzzles were contributed by former puppetmasters, who were coaxed out of retirement to resurrect some old favorites. Special thanks go out to Scott Rossi (Plexata), Bill Shaw (Acheron), Jonathan Waite (JMX), Dave Szulborski (Chasing the Wish), Dan Carver (The Beast) and Derek Jensen (Lockjaw) for providing quality, fun, and sometimes nostalgic challenges.

To show our appreciation, we’re awarding prizes to the first players to have completed the trail, which required emailing a specific address here at ARGN. In order, the first three to cross the finish line:

1st Place – Omnie
2nd Place – JustinCase
3rd Place – Danman_d

Omnie will receive her choice of any item at the ARGN store, plus a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate, while JustinCase and Danman_d will each receive an ultra-cool ARGN sticker to adorn their favorite CPU. Congratulations go out to everyone who played. Maybe we should make this an annual event. Let us know your thoughts at [email protected].

Finally, for those of you who were following along, the trail consisted of 10 puzzles:

Puzzle 1 (The Beast)
Puzzle 2 (Lockjaw)
Puzzle 3 (Plexata)
Puzzle 4 (Metacortechs)
Puzzle 5 (Metacortechs) [user: malvolio / pass: innerdolphin]
Puzzle 6 (Acheron)
Puzzle 7 (JMX)
Puzzle 8 (Chasing the Wish)
Puzzle 9 (The Beast)
Puzzle 10 (Lockjaw)

All the spec and solves can be found in this Unfiction thread. Great job, everyone!

ARGN Marks 2nd Anniversary

June 12, 2004 / Steve Peters

kloo This month marks the Alternate Reality Gaming Network’s Second Anniversary!

It’s amazing to think it‘s been two years, already. What began as a single message board has become a network of multiple sites dedicated to the promotion and growth of Alternate Reality Gaming as a genre. This last year has seen successful ARGs come to completion, two ARG-Fest-O-Cons in Las Vegas and Orlando, and solid growth of the community. Thanks go out to ARG Planet, Cloudmakers, DeadDrop, Martha’s Boarding House, MetaUrchins, Unfiction, Varin and Jamesi for helping to build the biggest and best community of ARG afficianados around!

Now, it wouldn’t be an anniversary without some sort of celebration now, would it? So, we here at ARGN have been working on a little way to say thanks for all of your great support, and hopefully give you a little fun in the process. The result is a little walk down memory lane, if you will. We wanted to give those of you who’ve been around a while a little a bit of nostalgia, and those who are new to all this a little taste of what you may have missed. Consider it an homage trail.

Plus, there’s a little bonus: SWAG!! The first one to reach the end of our little trip down memory lane will receive their choice of any item available at the ARGN CafePress Store, along with a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate. Two runners-up will receive a spiffy ARGN Sticker (I know, try to contain yourselves).

“So, how do I get started,” you ask? Well now, that’s a really good question. 😉

[Edit: Discussion, hints and spoilers can be found in this discussion thread over at Unfiction.]