Tag: extended reality

ARG Netcast, Episode 10

argnetcast.jpgIt’s our tenth netcast, and as is the tradition, the roundtable discussion is both light-hearted and full of important game information. This week’s panel is made up of regular guests Jackie Kerr, Brooke Thompson, Sean C. Stacey and Jonathan Waite. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through FeedBurner or via iTunes.

Game News

  • The Vanishing Point game is over, and Sean was there in the flesh for the festivities. Get the skinny on the behind-the-scenes action!
  • Township Heights comes to a sudden and unexpected end. Was this a cash-grab or is the game still going, with the apparent endgame being part of the game?
  • Gumshoe is billing itself as an interactive radio play. It launches on Valentine’s Day, and we’ll be listening.
  • Meigeist kicks it old-school with enough content, puzzles and interaction to satisfy a multitude of players.
  • The Sector Seven/Transformers ARG viral campaign stalls. Fanboys and fangirls around the world really want this to be more than what it currently is.
  • Odina Nova will relaunch in March after a short hiatus. Our very own Jessica Price has the details on ARGNet.
  • The Heroes 360 experience launches for the hit NBC television series. Save the cheerleader, play the ARG?
  • The Library of Babel site for the Perplex City game holds what could be the final clue for finding the Receda Cube, after an article/advertisement in the London Sunday Times. Find it soon, please.
  • Monster Hunters goes live, a tie-in with the North American release of a South Korean movie called The Host. Did you get your Yeti in the mail?

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Regenesis Extended Reality Wins Gemini Award

gemini.jpgCongratulations are in order for Canadian production Xenophile Media as they captured the 2006 Gemini Award for Best Cross Platform Project at last week’s ceremonies in Toronto, Canada. Their ARG, the ReGenesis Extended Reality, won for the first time in the prize category, awarded to the “interactive project that best “enhances the users’ enjoyment of the television program/series through such platforms as mobile, the Web and other portable devices”,” according to a press release. ReGenesis is a Canadian bio-lab drama available in Canada and in syndication worldwide.

Shaftesbury Films, who produce the television series, has been forward-thinking in its attempts to connect to its audience, partnering with Xenophile to manage the alternate reality gaming model which has delivered real-time content that is directly related to the weekly series for both of the show’s seasons. In the second season’s Extended Reality, players were treated to hours of video clips which broadened the overall storyline of the show, and the show reciprocated (in a fine bit of pre-filmed trickery) by acknowledging the efforts of the players as they attempted to aid the scientists working at NorBAC labs in Ontario.

You can watch the Gemini awards gala will be broadcast on Canadian network Global on November 4th at 6:30 pm PST / 9:30 pm EST. The Gemini Industry Awards, which were awarded over a three night span, will be broadcast on Rogers Television in the Toronto area, so if you want to see the Xenophile folks accepting their awards, you’ll want to tune in on for the second of the three nights, dubbed the “Gemini Lifestyle, Children’s and Youth,” which will be shown at 6:00 pm EST on November 17th.

ReGenesis – Season Two to Debut

regen2.jpgWhen ReGenesis hit the airwaves last year, people were not sure what to expect with the “extended reality” that was built for the show. After all, this was the first time that a Canadian-made television series had attempted to try anything as large in scale as an Internet-based companion adventure. The end result, to the delight of many fans, was an interesting and immersive experience that showcased the talents of the team at Xenophile Media, creators of the game. Tonight, season two of ReGenesis will debut on The Movie Network/Movie Central, and with it comes a new extended reality game. This season, the game will hit the ground running, starting with tonight’s episode. Players will be able to participate on many different levels, and the worldwide audience will have greater access to key game elements, making it more accessible to people who are unable to view the series on television.

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ReGenesis: Relaunch and Award Nomination!

regenesis.jpgTwo bits of exciting information coming out of the ReGenesis camp this week, one concerning the relaunch of the series on public television, and the other regarding the nomination of the ReGenesis website for a major Canadian award.

We last reported on ReGenesis back in October of 2004 when the series was first aired on Movie Central and The Movie Network, both subscription-based cable networks in Canada. The series included an ARG element, or “extended reality” to it. Now, almost a year later, ReGenesis is enjoying a resurgence in popularity with the broadcast of Season One on Canadian public television channel Global. (Unfortunately, there is no current syndication deal for any networks outside of Canada.) With the re-airing of the series on Global comes the relaunch of the web-based ARG. This is the first instance of an “replayed” ARG — that is, the reset and replay of an ARG that had previously run its course.

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Still Life Extended Reality Game Announced

Adventure Gamers reports that Microids is creating an online Alternate Reality Game to promote their upcoming murder-mystery adventure Still Life, which is due to be released on April 14, 2005.

Microids is calling their game an Extended Reality Experience, and it will encompass multiple websites, centering around the characters from Still Life, along with some created specifically for the ARG. The story will evolve through various media as players follow hints provided by the alternate reality itself, and the marketing materials surrounding the game.

Clues are to begin appearing on the network of ingame websites soon. Keep an eye on the Still Life website (and ARGN) for further developments.

[EDIT: An apparent trailhead has been found. Check out Lombartech.com.]