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# ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network

Your first choice for ARG news.

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.argn.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [A Scavenger Hunt Sampler: From Credit Card Theft to Mayoral Races](https://www.argn.com/2026/10/a_scavenger_hunt_sampler_from_credit_card_theft_to_mayoral_races/) - An introduction to scavenger hunts of all kinds, touching on everything from NYC staples like Midnight Madness and Mamdani's hunts to game shows like Jet Lag.
- [The Witching Hour Might Be My New Favorite PostCurious Game](https://www.argn.com/2026/09/the_witching_hour_might_be_my_new_favorite_postcurious_game/) - PostCurious' new narrative puzzletale "The Witching Hour" confronts players with a puzzle-laden mystery to solve: why are the town's children disappearing?
- [Happy Escape Room in a Boxing Day!](https://www.argn.com/2017/12/happy_escape_room_in_a_boxing_day/) - It's Boxing Day! The day when thoughtful gifts from friends, family, and coworkers are exchanged for store credit, and when you start planning on how to convert that stack of gift cards into even more presents. Something to consider for puzzle fans: the escape room in a box. Comparing escape rooms in a box against
- [Tales From Woodcreek Turns Actual Play into an Immersive Sampler](https://www.argn.com/2026/08/tales_from_woodcreek_turns_actual_play_into_an_immersive_sampler/) - Tales From Woodcreek combines actual play TTRPG gaming, immersive theater, escape room puzzles, and Larp into a hybrid format. There's even an ARG, for season 2
- [Prelude to Doomsday: Are We Getting an Avengers ARG?](https://www.argn.com/2026/08/prelude_to_doomsday_are_we_getting_an_avengers_arg/) - Avengers Doomsday used a Latverian coffee popup and Robert Downey Jr's SDCC suit to teach fans how to read Latverian runes. But is that for an Avengers ARG, or easter egg?
- [Mark of the Spider-Man Lets Fans Walk a Mile in Parker's Shoes](https://www.argn.com/2012/02/mark_of_the_spider-man_lets_fans_walk_a_mile_in_parkers_shoes/) - Images by Phoebe S. When Sony released the official trailer for Marvel's franchise reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man, on February 4th, fans tapped into their inner spidey sense, barely perceptable letters spelling out "MARK OF THE SPIDER-MAN" at the 2:28 mark. This message led to a viral website displaying six static video feeds and a Twitter
- [Welcome Home and the Construction of Nostalgia Through Fandom](https://www.argn.com/2023/09/welcome_home_and_the_construction_of_nostalgia_through_fandom/) - Welcome Home is an alternate reality game centered around a fictional children's puppet show from the 1970s, starring Wally Darling. As players dig into the bright and colorful website, a darker story begins to emerge.
- [One of the Best Larps I Ever Played Was at a Theme Park](https://www.argn.com/2026/06/one_of_the_best_larps_i_ever_played_was_at_a_theme_park/) - Ghost Town Alive returns to Knotts Berry Farm with its interactive Wild West Larp, which acts as one of the best intros to role playing on the market.
- [The Backrooms Viral Marketing Noclips Into An Earlier Era](https://www.argn.com/2026/05/the_backrooms_viral_marketing_noclips_into_an_earlier_era/) - A24 has been running a viral marketing campaign for its upcoming film The Backrooms, opening a window to 1990s and bringing Kane Pixels' take on liminal horror to life.
- [SXSW 2011: Andrea Phillips on Blurring the Lines](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/sxsw_2011_andrea_phillips_on_blurring_the_lines/) - Andrea Phillips has excellent qualifications to talk about ethics in transmedia. In addition to designing a number of transmedia narratives, she, or rather, one of her transmedia campaigns, has been condemned by NASA. In 2009, Sony Pictures launched a website for The Institute for Human Continuity promoting 2012, their disaster movie for the year. Soon after
- [Close Enough: Welcome Back, Game Changer ARG](https://www.argn.com/2026/06/close_enough_welcome_back_game_changer_arg/) - As part of its crowdfunding for Game Changer Home Edition, Dropout found creative ways to engage with fans, including an ARG focused on navigating a phone tree to leave a voicemail.
- [Blair Witch and the Kickstarter That Wasn't](https://www.argn.com/2016/09/blair_witch_and_the_kickstarter_that_wasnt/) - Two years ago Lisa Arlington launched The Absence of Closure, a Kickstarter-funded documentary for her MFA thesis about people coping with ambiguous loss - the grieving process for people who go missing. The campaign ended up reaching its modest $10K goal, before Lisa herself turned up missing during production of the film. This might sound like yet
- [Mouth Taped Shut Wraps Up Final Package](https://www.argn.com/2011/12/mouth_taped_shut_wraps_up_final_package/) - Image by D. Christensen Columbia Pictures' The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will have its wide-release premiere on December 21st alongside two other blockbuster films, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Embracing its self-proclaimed status as the "feel-bad" movie of the season, David Fincher's adaptation of the best-selling Stieg
- [Peter Weyland Delivers Stunning TED Talk...in 2023?](https://www.argn.com/2012/03/peter_weyland_delivers_stunning_ted_talkin_2023/) - Sometimes the journey down the rabbit hole is an interesting one. In a recent Twitter post, Damon Lindelof linked to a sound file he deemed "Rad. Just Rad." The file in question, available for your listening pleasure at Soundcloud, is a remix which includes audio from a TED talk delivered by Peter Weyland. The message
- [This Boston Wedding Party Takes "Save the Date" Literally](https://www.argn.com/2026/05/this_boston_wedding_party_takes_save_the_date_literally/) - The Wedding Party is a "dinner theater escape room" by Secret City Adventures running in Toronto, Vancouver, and Boston that combines immersive theater and puzzles using a wedding reception as structure.
- [Playing Around With Your Health at Games for Health 2013](https://www.argn.com/2013/07/playing_around_at_games_for_health/) - Image courtesy thatdragoncancer.com Over the years, a number of alternate reality games and transmedia experiences have used their storytelling platform as a medium for serious gaming. In Conspiracy for Good, many of the game's live events were used as a lure to get players actively volunteering for non-profit organizations. In games like Indiana University's Skeleton
- [Six to Start Gets You in Shape for Zombie Apocalypse with "Zombies, Run!"](https://www.argn.com/2011/09/six_to_start_gets_you_in_shape_for_zombie_apocalypse_with_zombies_run/) - Six to Start have recently introduced their latest independent game, Zombies, Run!, and it has taken only days to reach the desired amount of pledges on Kickstarter to develop it by the first quarter of 2012. It is easy to see what has gotten gamers, runners and zombie aficionados so excited. Zombies, Run! is a
- [Return of the King in Yellow Minecraft ARG](https://www.argn.com/2026/04/return_of_the_king_in_yellow_minecraft_arg/) - Back in November, ARGNet covered Searching for a World That Doesn't Exist, a modern reinterpretation of Robert Chambers' The King in Yellow through the lens of a Minecraft Let's Play video. This reframing of the classic horror story is particularly fitting, as the titular King in Yellow isn't a typical eldritch horror. Instead, it's a
- [Gotta Catch 'Em All: The MIT Mystery Hunt as Puzzle-Based Spectacle](https://www.argn.com/2026/03/gotta_catch_em_all_the_mit_mystery_hunt_as_puzzle-based_spectacle/) - The 2026 Mystery Hunt's Pokemon-themed hunt featured everything from a Dropout puzzle with Sam Reich to a Hot Ones puzzle with actual hot sauces. But the hunt was at its best with its metapuzzles.
- [The King in Yellow as Found Footage Minecraft ARG](https://www.argn.com/2025/11/the_king_in_yellow_as_found_footage_minecraft_arg/) - Searching For A World That Doesn't Exist is a recent Minecraft ARG loosely based on the King in Yellow mythos, in which a YouTuber pieces together found footage from a Minecraft playthrough
- [Archer Scavenger Hunt Returns for Season 7](https://www.argn.com/2016/05/archer_scavenger_hunt_returns_for_season_7/) - Never give Dr. Algernop Krieger access administrative access to your website. Last year, the not-so-good doctor used a website for his side business to host screencaps of tentacle porn loosely based around his coworkers, livestreams from cameras hidden in public restrooms, and hacked cell phone pictures featuring coworkers in compromising positions. And those same coworkers
- [Know Hope: Will Bluebird Lead to Paradise?](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/know_hope_will_bluebird_lead_to_paradise/) - When I checked my mail today, I found an envelope from Australia amidst the typical stack of bills, circulars, and coupons to Bed Bath & Beyond. Since I don't typically receive correspondence from Oz, I snapped a few photographs before opening the letter. Inside was a letter and an employee badge with an attached USB
- [A Glimpse Behind The Curtain with Cisco's Game "The Hunt"](https://www.argn.com/2011/01/a_glimpse_behind_the_curtain_with_ciscos_game_the_hunt/) - In mid-August, I had the opportunity to work with No Mimes Media, one of the major players in the ARG/Transmedia-creation world, co-founded by ARGNet founder Steve Peters. My role: to "scrub" the websites and puzzles for an alternate reality game (commonly known as an ARG) - what I call "QA" in my day job, consisting
- [Start Slacking Off with MrBeast's Million Dollar Puzzle Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2026/02/start_slacking_off_with_mrbeasts_million_dollar_puzzle_hunt/) - Salesforce's newest Super Bowl commercial launched a Million Dollar Puzzle, in collaboration with MrBeast. The puzzles extend beyond the Big Game spot itself, promising to extend out into the real world.
- [A Return to Puzzlecraft, Just in Time for Gen Con](https://www.argn.com/2018/08/a_return_to_puzzlecraft_for_gen_con/) - Starting in 2004, puzzle designers Mike Selinker and Thomas Snyder wrote a column on puzzle design for Games Magazine called "Puzzlecraft". In 2013, the pair condensed a decade of commentary and learnings from the column into a book, the ambitiously titled Puzzlecraft: The Ultimate Guide on How to Construct Every Kind of Puzzle. The book
- [Stepping into Runner 5's Shoes with "Zombies, Run!"](https://www.argn.com/2012/04/stepping_into_runner_5s_shoes_with_zombies_run/) - A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try a new iOS app by Six to Start called Zombies, Run!, a "running game and audio adventure" that transplants its participants into a zombie apocalypse. The story begins: you are Runner #5, a refugee of a supply helicopter crash, with no identification to prove
- [The Immersive Side of Hawkins: From Scoops Ahoy to WSQK Radio](https://www.argn.com/2026/01/the_immersive_side_of_hawkins_from_scoops_ahoy_to_wsqk_radio/) - The final season of Stranger Things ended on January 1st, but WSQK Radio continued to broadcast online. The six week broadcast was one of many immersive extensions of the hit Netflix series.
- [Finding Hell's Master, Future Puzzles in Stranger Things' New Trailer](https://www.argn.com/2022/04/finding-hells-master-future-puzzles-in-stranger-things-trailer/) - Stranger Things slipped a hidden puzzle into their season 4 trailer leading to I Am Hell's Master, a puzzle-filled "interactive curiosity voyage".
- [Looking Back on a Year with the Bennets](https://www.argn.com/2013/04/looking_back_on_the_lizzie_bennet_diaries/) - Ricky Collins (Maxwell Glick), Charlotte Lu (Julia Cho), Lizzie Bennet (Ashley Clements), and Lydia Bennet (Mary Kate Wiles) at the final celebration, courtesy of Pemberley Digital It's been almost a year since Lizzie Bennet introduced herself to the internet through her video blog, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. With twice-weekly video updates serving as a voyeuristic
- [Stephen Sondheim Loved Puzzles More Than You](https://www.argn.com/2025/11/stephen_sondheim_loved_puzzles_more_than_you/) - Matching Minds with Sondheim is a book that explores the composer and lyricist's enduring passion for puzzles and games, and the lasting impact his works have left on the space.
- [Ministry of Lost Things Delivers a Box of Puns with a Side of Puzzles](https://www.argn.com/2025/10/ministry_of_lost_things_delivers_a_box_of_puns_with_a_side_of_puzzles/) - PostCurious' newest project Ministry of Lost Things: Finders Keypers is crowdfunding on Kickstarter for a pun-laden puzzle game perfect for logic puzzle fans looking for some tactile fun.
- [Masquerade: NYC's New Immersive Musical Launched With a Secret ARG](https://www.argn.com/2025/09/masquerade_nycs_new_immersive_musical_launched_with_a_secret_arg/) - Masquerade just brought Phantom back to Broadway. But even before Previews, Andrew Lloyd Webber's new immersive musical teased the show with an expansive ARG that drew the Opera Ghost to our world.
- [UPDATE: Dexter Game On More Than Just A SCVNGR Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/update_dexter_game_on_more_than_just_a_scvngr_hunt/) - When it was first announced, Dexter Game On appeared to be nothing more than a fun adventure through the streets of San Diego during Comic-Con, hopefully leading to either Dexter swag or DVDs. However, once players reached the last SCVNGR location, a "kill room" was found containing what appeared to be evidence of torture and
- [It's Been Here the Whole Time: The Boy Who Cried "Dropout ARG"](https://www.argn.com/2025/08/its_been_here_the_whole_time_the_boy_who_cried_dropout_arg/) - Game Changer's last episode of season 7 launched an ARG through Dropout's minigames that may just unlock the "real" finale. Although Dropout fans thought they found ARGs the last two seasons too...
- [Taylor Swift Loves Puzzles More Than You](https://www.argn.com/2024/05/taylor_swift_loves_puzzles_more_than_you/) - Taylor Swift ran an expansive campaign teasing The Tortured Poet's Department that was filled with easter eggs hinting at the eventual release of "The Anthology". And that's just the beginning.
- [Tim Kring and The Company P Team Up to Form a Conspiracy for Good](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/tim_kring_and_the_company_p_team_up_to_form_a_conspiracy_for_good/) - In the summer of 2008, Tim Kring and Christopher Sandberg were discussing the future of transmedia and community-based entertainment, standing on top of Isaac Mendez' iconic post-apocalyptic tableau painted on the floor of the Heroes soundstage. As a result of that conversation, The Company P signed on to help produceÂ Conspiracy for Good, a large-scale movement
- [The Peculiar Tale of Eroda, and the Allure of the Mystery Box](https://www.argn.com/2019/12/the_peculiar_tale_of_eroda_and_the_allure_of_the_mystery_box/) - In all the seas, in all the world, there has never been a land quite like the isle of Eroda. Starting in late November, the Eroda Tourism Board started running ads on social media inviting users to check out VisitEroda.com. Unfortunately, both website and advertisements failed to provide any information on where to find the
- [Those Who Watch: Rediscovering the Alternate Reality Game Show](https://www.argn.com/2019/09/those-who-watch-rediscovering-alternate-reality-game-show/) - Earlier this week, No Proscenium's Noah Nelson published an article discussing immersive productions through the lens of Those Who Make, Those Who Play, and Those Who Watch. In it, he argues that the broader immersive space can do a better job at providing rewarding experiences for people who want to experience immersive stories more passively.
- [Spycraft and Sundaes with the Stranger Things ARG](https://www.argn.com/2019/07/spycraft_and_sundaes_stranger_things_arg/) - Ahoy! Last July, Netflix released a teaser trailer for Stranger Things season 3...by releasing a period-appropriate commercial for Starcourt Mall, a recent addition to the town. Why worry about multi-dimensional portals to hell dimensions that might lie dormant under the town when thriving businesses like Sam Goody, Waldenbooks, and Chess King are just a stone's
- [BEN Drowned, Again...and Again...and Again](https://www.argn.com/2020/10/ben-drowned-again-and-again-and-again/) - Ten years ago, a college student purchased a used copy of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask from an old man at a garage sale. The blank cartridge had no label: just the word MAJORA written on it with a black permanent marker. Over the next few days, under the username Jadusable, the fate of
- [A Spoiler-Free Unpacking of Neil Patrick Harris' BoxONE](https://www.argn.com/2020/11/unpacking-neil-patrick-harris-boxone/) - There's an often-repeated contemporary folktale: if you try and place a frog in a boiling pot of water, it will immediately jump out. But if you place the frog into cool water and slowly turn up the temperature, it won't notice the gradual change until the water is boiling hot. This apocryphal tale may not
- [Diving Into Thickett to Re-Right Grimm Tales](https://www.argn.com/2020/11/diving-into-thickett-reright-grimm-tales/) - Long ago, in a world very different than ours, a princess convinced God and Death to write a book with the answers of how to live a perfect life. In response, the pair gave her The Book of Turns, a collection of stories providing guidance on how to live well. But after the princess spread
- [Satoshi Found: Perplex City Just Got A Little Less Perplexing](https://www.argn.com/2020/12/satoshi-found-perplex-city-got-a-little-less-perplexing/) - It's been almost fifteen years since Andy Darley entered Wakerley Great Wood in Northamptonshire with his trusty trowel in hand and dug up the Receda Cube, ending the first season of Mind Candy's alternate reality game Perplex City and claiming the game's Â£100,000 prize. While the game's main narrative was solved with the discovery of
- [PBHere For You: An Animated Escape](https://www.argn.com/2021/02/pbhere-for-you-animated-escape/) - In October 2020, the TikTok channel PBHere started posting videos from inside a seemingly abandoned facility. Over the next few months, player suggestions helped guide the alternate reality game's amnesic protagonist to learn more about why they were locked in a room there to begin with, and how to escape. Over the series' 31-episode run,
- [First Virtual Mystery Hunt Serves Up Puzzling MMO](https://www.argn.com/2021/02/first_virtual_mystery_hunt_serves_up_puzzling_mmo/) - The date: January 16th, 2021. A small group of crossword fans assembled for an online "fencing" tournament, a newly-minted format for PVP crossword showdowns. While traditional crossword tournaments involve players racing to complete crossword grids the fastest, "fencing" added a strategic twist to the format: both players competed on the same grid. One player starts
- [Letters to Margaret Paints a Cruciverbalist Love Story](https://www.argn.com/2021/03/letters-to-margaret-paints-cruciverbalist-love-story/) - Maggie A. Cross is a journalism student at Columbia University who runs a crossword blog along with her roommate Amanda, under pseudonyms. And while she doesn't realize it, her professor pseudonymously runs a rival crossword blog along with his teaching assistant, Derry Down. As if that wasn't complicated enough, when Maggie submits a crossword to
- [Unlocking the Secrets of Detective Mimo](https://www.argn.com/2021/07/unlocking_the_secrets_of_detective_mimo_pw_spoilme/) - Hopefully if you're reading this, you've already played through Detective Mimo. While this article will not provide a comprehensive walkthrough of the game, it does break down the game's two endings, as well as walking through the secrets contained inside the developers' secret room, pictured above. If you'd prefer to experience the game yourself, skip
- [Puzzles Designed for a Crowd at the MIT Mystery Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2023/02/puzzles_designed_for_a_crowd_at_the_mit_mystery_hunt/) - Recently, an alternate reality game called I'm looking for 3024 people released. And while 3024's core narrative and puzzle experiences are contained within a Steam game and the website FranksComputer.online, the puzzle that players are currently struggling through is one that plays out on the game's Discord server: in order to hack into a remote
- [ARG Coverage and Where to Find It](https://www.argn.com/2023/03/arg_coverage_and_where_to_find_it/) - ARGNet has been publishing news about alternate reality games and the extended immersive space for over twenty years now. But at no point in that history was it the only outlet reporting on the space: websites dedicated to the space like MovieViral, Web Series Today, 4DFiction, Despoiler.org, WonderWeasels, and Unfiction.com's own blog were complemented by
- [Excuse Me, There's A Puzzle on Your Jacket: The Wearable ARG Experience](https://www.argn.com/2023/04/excuse_me_theres_a_puzzle_on_your_jacket_the_wearable_arg_experience/) - During its third season, CSI: NY aired the episode Hung Out to Dry, revolving around a series of grisly murders. Each victim was found wearing a mythologically inspired t-shirt, with the logo Kodecon emblazoned on the collar. Solving the puzzles embedded in the shirt's design would reveal information about the motive for murder, both through
- [Great Gotham Challenge Goes the Extra Mile to Deliver Outdoor Puzzle Hunts](https://www.argn.com/2024/07/great_gotham_challenge_goes_the_extra_mile_to_deliver_outdoor_puzzle_hunts/) - Great Gotham Challenge is one of New York City's most extravagant outdoor puzzle hunts, where you might need to crawl into a delivery truck or wait for the right Times Square digital billboard ad to proceed.
- [Unpacking MatPat's New LoreFi ARG](https://www.argn.com/2024/07/unpacking_matpats_new_lorefi_arg/) - MatPat's newest YouTube channel "LoreFi" just launched with a slow burn alternate reality game mystery hidden in the marginalia of a lofi beats channel, hacked by a nefarious force.
- [KFC Launches Special Blend of 11 Secret Codes and Puzzles](https://www.argn.com/2025/07/kfc_launches_special_blend_of_11_secret_codes_and_puzzles/) - KFC's newest commercial celebrates the Colonel's obsessions by challenging solvers to 11 puzzles hidden in the video, using clues on The11Secrets.com ...and now I'm obsessed.
- [I'm Obsessed with Emerald Echoes' Narrative Hint System](https://www.argn.com/2025/07/im_obsessed_with_emerald_echoes_narrative_hint_system/) - Postcurious' narrative puzzle game Emerald Echoes features a narrative hint system, meaning even the answer-checking system tells a story. The Kickstarter campaign runs through August 14th.
- [Return of the Duck Cult: A Doors of Divergence ARG?](https://www.argn.com/2025/06/return_of_the_duck_cult_a_doors_of_divergence_arg/) - Doors of Divergence is a series of three escape rooms where your choices in the one room impacts your experience in the next. The NYC location closed in October 2023, but an ARG is teasing an eventual return.
- [Giving Escape Room Stories Room to Breathe through Theater](https://www.argn.com/2017/11/giving_the_escape_room_stories_room_to_breathe/) - Madame Daphne's Tarot Reading Room and Séance Parlor is hard to find without assistance, hidden away in a Houston artist's studio. An invitation from Madame Daphne herself provides instructions through the former rice packaging plant's stark white interior to the medium's lair, its lavish decor making it feel like a room out of place. Stepping
- [The Puzzling Rise of the Escape Room Game](https://www.argn.com/2015/02/the_puzzling_rise_of_the_escape_room_game/) - Image of Tomb's sarcophagus illumination puzzle. ©2015, 5 Wits Productions, Inc. Used by permission. The first time I visited Boston, I met up with a group of friends and broke into an ancient Egyptian burial chamber. The tomb's resident pharaoh was not exceptionally happy about our flagrant act of trespass, and forced our group of
- [I Still Love Bees: A Personal Reflection](https://www.argn.com/2025/06/i_still_love_bees_a_personal_reflection/) - Twenty-one years ago, ARGNet received a jar of honey in the mail, with a series of letters spelling out the phrase "I Love Bees". This is a reflection on some of the personal stories that experience created.
- [Dark Score Stories Hides King's Secrets in Bag of Bones Photo Essay](https://www.argn.com/2011/11/dark_score_stories_hides_kings_secrets_in_bag_of_bones_photo_essay/) - Image courtesy of Campfire In anticipation of A&E's upcoming adaptation of King's novel Bag of Bones airing December 11th and 12th, Campfire created Dark Score Stories, a deceptively simplistic photo essay that provides a glimpse at life in the unincorporated township of TR-90. High fidelity black-and-white images shot by award-winning photojournalist Joachim Ladefoged provide artful
- [MIT Mystery Hunt and the Case of the Shadow Diamond](https://www.argn.com/2025/05/mit_mystery_hunt_and_the_case_of_the_shadow_diamond/) - The MIT Mystery Hunt for 2025, "The Case of the Shadow Diamond", was a noir detective mystery featuring everything from a custom radio to a livestreamed escape room.
- [SCXR Academy: A New ARG Fashion Line?](https://www.argn.com/2025/05/scxr_academy_a_new_arg_fashion_line/) - SCXR Academy is the narrative ARG universe for an upcoming fashion brand by Angelina Zhang (AngelinaZHQ) that intends to hide easter eggs in both garments and packaging to tell a story.
- [I Think There Might Be an Official Phantom of the Opera ARG](https://www.argn.com/2025/04/masquerade-nyc-immersive-phantom-of-the-opera-alternate-reality-game/) - Masquerade NYC is launching an immersive theater Phantom of the Opera this summer. But the Opera Ghost is already making his presence known with letters, deaddrops, and newspapers.
- [The Devil is in the Paperwork: The SCP Foundation Has a New ARG](https://www.argn.com/2025/02/the_devil_is_in_the_paperwork_the_scp_foundation_has_a_new_arg/) - SCP Afterworld is a new ARG set within the SCP Foundation universe, where players piece together how the Foundation suffered a total containment failure.
- [The Flipbook Creator With a Hidden ARG](https://www.argn.com/2024/12/the_flipbook_creator_with_a_hidden_arg/) - For years, "Future Andy" visited the Andymation channel to check in on the present. Now, Future Andy is at the center of a post-apocalyptic alternate reality game.
- [The Ministry of Lost Things Takes PostCurious in an Episodic Direction](https://www.argn.com/2024/10/the_ministry_of_lost_things_takes_postcurious_in_an_episodic_direction/) - Ministry of Lost Things is PostCurious' newest foray into the narrative puzzle game space, where a Department of Returns seeks to help reunite people with lost objects of sentimental value.
- [A Fond Farewell to "This Is Not A Game"](https://www.argn.com/2012/02/a_fond_farewell_to_this_is_not_a_game/) - This Is Not A Game. This seemingly simple mantra, coined by a collective of Microsoft Game Studios employees, has served as a rallying cry for alternate reality gaming fans and developers alike. And yet, it is also one of the most misunderstood aspects of the genre. As alternate reality games have evolved, so too has
- [Ingress Anomalies Mix Live Events with In-App Gameplay](https://www.argn.com/2014/04/google_ingress_recursion_anomaly_event/) - Disclosure: Google paid for my flight and lodging for the Recursion event. The morning of March 29th, two rival factions gathered at Los Angeles' Grand Park in anticipation for a pitched battle. As noon approached, it became obvious to any passerby that something was going on. Hundreds of people prominently wearing blue and green streamed
- [A Look Back at Lewis Hamilton's Secret Life](https://www.argn.com/2011/01/a_look_back_at_lewis_hamiltons_secret_life/) - As reported previously at ARGNet, sexy Formula 1 racer Lewis Hamilton had been leading a double life: when he's not out leaving his competitors in the dust, he's recovering stolen art and returning them to their rightful owners. According to Hamilton, he just can't "resist a challenge," and after his first recovery heist, he was
- [Finding the Future Again at the Franklin Institute](https://www.argn.com/2016/11/finding_the_future_at_the_franklin_institute/) - Five years ago, Jane McGonigal locked me inside the New York Public Library overnight. I didn't particularly mind...after all, it did give me the opportunity to thoroughly explore the library while waiting for the building to open for business the next day. Did you know Charles Dickens had his deceased cat's paw taxidermied and affixed
- [Skyfall Viral Invites Players to Join MI6](https://www.argn.com/2012/10/skyfall_viral_invites_players_to_join_mi6/) - Last week, I posted a brief blurb about a package I received in the mail from "J," a man with an unwholesome fixation with barn swallows. In that relatively innocuous package, J sent over a Sony IC Reader pre-loaded with 18 seconds of birds chirping. While I did not know it at the time, the
- [Interview with Author Patrick Carman](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/interview_with_authorpatrick_carman/) - Below is an interview that Michael Andersen conducted with prolific multimedia author Patrick Carman. Over the past few years, Carman has released a number of projects that seek to redefine the novel. In addition to his Skeleton Creek series, Carman wrote The Black Circle, book five in the 39 Clues franchise. Carman released Thirteen Days
- [A Murder Mystery, Hidden Within the Silent Hill Historical Society?](https://www.argn.com/2024/09/a_murder_mystery_hidden_within_the_silent_hill_historical_society/) - Silent Hill Historical Society is an alternate reality game by Konami and Daiyonkyokai that challenges its players to solve a murder mystery by uncovering 36 hidden pages scattered throughout the website.
- [Gravity Falls and a Decade Long Education in (Bill) Ciphering](https://www.argn.com/2024/08/gravity_falls_and_a_decade_long_education_in_bill_ciphering/) - Alex Hirsch returned to the world of Gravity Falls with The Book of Bill, and used the book as an excuse to launch a new ARG that helps bring closure to the story of the one eyed sentient triangle.
- [Getting to Know The Tension Experience Before It Gets to Know You](https://www.argn.com/2016/07/getting_to_know_the_tension_experience/) - The Tension Experience is an immersive experience that is part game, part theater, part something extremely hard to put a finger on. Tension does not cater to the weak - Its themes run towards horror and the occult. You must be willing to receive phone calls, emails, and forum contacts from characters as well as
- ["The Optimist" ARG Draws Focus to Disney History](https://www.argn.com/2013/07/disney_arg_the_optimist/) - In 1923, Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded a company that would eventually become The Walt Disney Company. Out of respect for that seminal moment in the company's history, Disney's official fan club adopted D23 as its name. With the company's 90th anniversary fast approaching, Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development has partnered with
- [The Clock Without a Face Treasure Hunt: One Jeweled Number Remains](https://www.argn.com/2010/12/the_clock_without_a_face_treasure_hunt_one_jeweled_number_remains/) - The race is on to find the final emerald-studded number from the treasure hunt children's book, Clock Without a Face. Over the past seven months, treasure seekers have found eleven of the twelve numbers buried at highway rest areas across the United States. And the final hidden number, the twelve, is rumored to be more
- [Resistance Radio: Fighting Fascists Over Pirate Radio](https://www.argn.com/2017/03/resistance_radio_fighting_fascists_over_pirate_radio/) - The year is 1962. It's been 17 years since the United States surrendered to the Axis Powers after the Nazis dropped the Heisenberg Device on Washington, DC. The formerly United States of America is split with the Japanese Pacific States to the west, and the Greater Nazi Reich to the east. This is the world
- [This Horror Film Was Livestreamed: One More Round With Generation Loss](https://www.argn.com/2024/06/generation_loss_from_the_other_side/) - The Twitch streamer Ranboo launched Generation Loss; The Social Experiments as an interactive horror livestreamed event last year. A new "Founders Cut" is bringing the experience to VHS.
- [Jack Torrance Leads Players Through a Dance Macabre](https://www.argn.com/2018/07/jack_torrance_night_mind_a_dance_macabre/) - In a recent interview with the immersive entertainment podcast No Proscenium, Sean Stewart (one of the co-creators of the alternate reality gaming genre as we know it) described alternate reality games as a dance. "In ballroom [dance], they used to say, and forgive the gendered reference, the gentleman proposes the step, the lady decides whether
- [Domino, Start Recording: A Virtual Boomtown in Sanditon, CA](https://www.argn.com/2013/09/domino-start-recording-welcome-to-sanditon/) - Pemberley Digital's The Lizzie Bennet Diaries recently took home a Creative Arts Emmy for Original Interactive Program for its web adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The web series reframed Austen's classic in a modern setting, allowing the characters to live out their fictional lives outside the show's main YouTube channel, interacting freely across
- [Falling Down the Puzzle Hunt Rabbit Hole](https://www.argn.com/2018/03/falling_down_the_puzzle_hunt_rabbit_hole/) - "Puppy. Fried chicken. Puppy. Fried chicken. Aw, what a cute puppy!" A small group of people huddled together in a corner of an MIT classroom. As I rattled off proclamations of puppy-or-not-puppy, one fellow solver stared intently at the 20x20 grid of pictures to check my work while a third typed numbers into a grid
- [Project KURI: Interdimensional Doors in Your Neighborhood?](https://www.argn.com/2024/04/project_kuri_interdimensional_doors_in_your_neighborhood/) - A series of "interdimensional doors" have been popping up across North America, and seem to be linked to the KURI Project's dream research - a trailhead for an ARG themed around "The OA".
- [Hunting of the Shark: Bookish Highlights From Lone Shark Games](https://www.argn.com/2024/03/hunting_of_the_shark_bookish_highlights_from_lone_shark_games/) - Lone Shark Games is compiling a highlight reel of some of their favorite puzzle hunts and challenges from the last 20 years into "The Hunting of the Shark", a puzzle book. A crowdfunding campaign for its production runs through April 11th.
- [How to Lose Yourself in Unknown 9's Transmedia Sprawl](https://www.argn.com/2018/10/how_to_lose_yourself_unknown_9_ihk_transmedia_sprawl/) - Last month, the Institute for Higher Knowledge posted a seemingly innocuous online personality test asking people to discover their true potential. That simple test serves as an entryway into the strange world of Unknown 9, an ambitious transmedia franchise from Reflector Entertainment that plans on revealing its occult mystery across television, film, video games, podcasts, novels,
- [The Kickstarter to End All Maze of Games Kickstarters](https://www.argn.com/2019/03/the_kickstarter_to_end_all_maze_of_games_kickstarters/) - In 1897, Colleen and Samuel Quaice discovered a mysterious book in the Upper Wolverhampton Bibliotheque. As soon as the two siblings opened the book, the skeletal Gatekeeper emerged and pulled the pair into The Maze of Games. In 2014, readers discovered copies of The Maze of Games, documenting the sibling's passage through that labyrinth. Readers
- ["Real Escape Game" Returns with Mad Scientist, Online Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2012/06/real_escape_game_returns_with_mad_scientist_online_hunt/) - For Real Escape Game's North American debut, 9 out of 10 participants failed to escape from Werewolf Village in time. While this might sound like an abysmal failure rate, it's par for the course for Takao Kato's narrative puzzle experiences, inspired by online "Escape the Room" games. During Escape from the Werewolf Village, visitors to
- ["Real Escape Game" Locks Players in for Mystery](https://www.argn.com/2012/03/real_escape_game_locks_players_in_for_mystery/) - Over the last five years, Takao Kato has locked over 100,000 people in bars, clubs, cathedrals, and baseball stadiums with a deceptively simple challenge: solve the puzzles within the time limit, and escape. And between March 23rd and March 25th, Kato is taking his narrative puzzle experience, Real Escape Game: The Escape from the Werewolf
- [A Modern Day Lobby Lud: Wired's Manhunt for Evan Ratliff](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/a_modern_day_lobby_lud_wireds_manhunt_for_evan_ratliff/) - On August 13, 2009, Evan Ratliff wrote a feature article for Wired entitled Gone Forever: What Does It Take to Really Disappear? In the article, Ratliff profiles the disappearance and subsequent hunt for family man Matthew Alan Sheppard as well as the stories of other infamous missing people including Marcus Schrenker, the money manager who
- [BREAKING NEWS: Evan Ratliff Gets Caught](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/breaking_news_evan_ratliff_gets_caught/) - It appears that a penchant for gluten-free foods can cost you, as Evan Ratliff learned earlier today. As of 7PM EDT tonight, Jeff, the owner of Naked Pizza, the only gluten-free pizza shop in New Orleans, caught Evan redhanded. As a gracious gesture, Evan received the pizza free of charge. As we previously reported, Evan
- [The Solution to Cards Against Humanity's Puzzling Obsession with Bullshit](https://www.argn.com/2014/12/solving_cards_against_humanitys_holiday_bullshit/) - Images of the Reddit expedition to Hawaii 2 courtesy of Pewwer42 Shortly after Christmas, a group of Redditors met up, planning on making the trek to an uninhabited island near Lake Saint George Park in Maine. Previous expeditions to the island confirmed the presence of a wooden shed containing a massive safe at the southern
- [Sifting Through Field Studies Institute Records is Surprisingly Fun](https://www.argn.com/2024/02/sifting_through_field_studies_institute_records_is_surprisingly_fun/) - The Field Studies Institute is an alternate reality game themed around a pseudo-governmental agency investigating spacetime anomalies from alternate universes, tracing back to an incident in 1970.
- [A Backstage Pass to the 2012 MIT Mystery Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2012/06/a_backstage_pass_to_the_2012_mit_mystery_hunt/) - Image of the MIT Mystery Hunt Closing Ceremonies with permission from photographer Chris Ball "A dim witted love god." I was gazing at the dense, tall pine trees around us, a refreshing change from the dry brown and yellow landscape we had already driven past. My wife and I, both Boston natives, were driving south
- [Dungeons and Dragons Explores the Forgotten Realms of ARGs](https://www.argn.com/2018/05/dungeons_and_dragons_explores_the_forgotten_realms_of_args/) - Between June 1st - 3rd, Dungeons & Dragons is introducing a new adventure storyline to the franchise through the Stream of Many Eyes, a Los Angeles-based event that will be livestreamed on Twitch, featuring gameplay sessions with D&D streamers from popular tabletop shows including Adventure Zone, Dice, Camera, Action!, and Critical Role. And for the
- [Clue Chasing with Magic's Ravnica-Themed Puzzle Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2023/12/clue_chasing_with_magics_ravnica-themed_puzzle_hunt/) - Magic the Gathering's Clue-themed expansion "Murders at Karlov Manor" is going to feature a companion puzzle challenge with over a dozen puzzles, hidden in the sets themselves. Can you solve the mysteries?
- [It's Okay to Call Strange Phone Numbers...Sometimes](https://www.argn.com/2023/12/its_okay_to_call_strange_phone_numberssometimes/) - Tracker CBS is creating an in-world look into the network's upcoming drama, including a working phone number featured on a missing poster. But when should you call strange numbers on the internet?
- [Morrison Game Factory Delivers Gripping Story, Right Off the Assembly Line](https://www.argn.com/2023/10/morrison_game_factory_delivers_gripping_story_right_off_the_assembly_line/) - The Morrison Game Factory is PostCurious' newest narrative puzzle game, exploring the box from a now-defunct board game company to learn more about a former designer's secret side project.
- [BBC1 Presenters Play Hooky for "Great DJ Hunt"](https://www.argn.com/2023/07/bbc1_presenters_play_hooky_for_great_dj_hunt/) - BBC1 is running a massive manhunt for 30 radio DJs, with clues dropping on their social feeds. To "catch" a presenter as part of the Great DJ Hunt, just ask: "are you a Radio 1 DJ?"
- [Generation Loss Brings Analog Horror to Livestreaming](https://www.argn.com/2023/05/generation_loss_brings_analog_horror_to_livestreaming/) - Curious about the Times Square banners featuring a masked face and the message "SAVE HIM"? Generation Loss is a livestreamed analog horror experience created by Dream SMP's Ranboo, launching at 6pm EST on May 24th.
- [Immersive Nutcracker Show "Club Drosselmeyer" Gives WW2 Puzzling a Swing Dance](https://www.argn.com/2023/01/immersive_nutcracker_show_club_drosselmeyer_gives_ww2_puzzling_a_swing_dance/) - Club Drosselmeyer is a Boston-area immersive show: equal parts puzzle hunt and Larp, players navigate a World War 2 era nightclub to help tell the classic holiday tale of The Nutcracker
- [PostCurious' Adrift Transforms Puzzling into Artful Poetry](https://www.argn.com/2022/12/postcurious_adrift_transforms_puzzling_into_artful_poetry/) - Everything started when Jasmine Perodine's grandfather passed away, six months ago. While wading through heaps of old maps and newspaper clippings Jasmine stumbled across a series of four satchels marked with sigils, and felt compelled to take them home. That's when the dreams began. Without fail, the same sequence of dreams would haunt Jasmine's nights:
- [The Time Disney Parks Bought a Booth at NYCC](https://www.argn.com/2022/12/wonders-of-xandar-disney-parks-at-nycc/) - Disney Parks took Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind to NYCC with Wonders of Xandar, bringing a corner of the Marvel Universe alive through an alien outpost
- [Hollow Medium Takes Found Footage Haunts Back to the Wax Cylinder Era](https://www.argn.com/2022/08/hollow_medium_takes_found_footage_haunts_back_to_the_wax_cylinder_era/) - Hollow Medium is an analog horror podcast that follows Lenora Bowen's paranormal investigations in 1926, as told through a series of wax cylinder recordings recovered from an old trunk.
- [Arkham Asylum Files Brings "Why So Serious" Gameplay Home for the Holidays](https://www.argn.com/2022/07/arkham_asylum_files_brings_why_so_serious_gameplay_home_for_the_holidays/) - The company behind Batman's "Why So Serious" alternate reality game launched a Kickstarter campaign for The Arkham Asylum Files, a narrative puzzle adventure you can play at home.
- [Dinn's Card Game Mystery Draws on Legacy of TCGs to Elevate Story](https://www.argn.com/2022/06/dinns_card_game_mystery_draws_on_legacy_of_tcgs_to_elevate_story/) - The game Dinn is a fast-paced two-player card game. But dig a little deeper, and you'll find a mystery to solve: what happened to Natalie Neil, and why did she disappear?
- [Hidden Bats Returns Players to the World of AI: Somnium](https://www.argn.com/2022/05/hidden_bats_returns_players_to_the_world_of_ai_somnium/) - Kotaro Uchikoshi's sequel to "AI: The Somnium Files" started releasing daily puzzles through the Hidden Bats ARG, giving players a taste of what's to come with the Nirvana Initiative.
- [Riddle Me This: When Does Batman's Enigmatic Cipher Hunt Become an ARG?](https://www.argn.com/2021/12/riddle_me_this_when_does_batmans_enigmatic_cipher_hunt_become_an_arg/) - In August 2020, Warner Bros shared the first trailer for Robert Pattinson's debut as the caped crusader at DC FanDome. Attentive fans noticed that during that trailer, the Riddler carefully wrapped up a greeting card for Batman, posing an initial challenge: "What does a liar say when he's dead?" The card went on to say
- [10 Tapes ARG Tracks Down Paranormal VHS Cassettes Across Sweden](https://www.argn.com/2021/10/10-tapes-arg-tracks-down-paranormal-vhs-cassettes-across-sweden/) - 10 Tapes is a TikTok-based alternate reality game set in Stockholm that plays out as a narrative scavenger hunt for ten likely paranormal VHS tapes.
- [CyberFACED with the Future: Online Forums are Retro Now](https://www.argn.com/2022/03/cyberfaced_with_the_future_online_forums_are_retro_now/) - The alternate reality game CyberFACED explores a near future cybernetic future through the lens of a group of friends and an AI who thinks he's a Shiba Inu.
- [This Article Spoils Love Actually: Breaking Down a Mystery Hunt Puzzle](https://www.argn.com/2022/01/this_article_spoils_love_actually_breaking_down_a_mystery_hunt_puzzle/) - A close look at how the Mystery Hunt works, through the puzzle "Love, Actually". The 2022 Hunt featured everything from a Weird Al Yankovic cameo to CAPTCHA, Blaseball, and Eurovision puzzles.
- [Helios Saves the Planet by Farming Twitch Users for Resources (in a Good Way)](https://www.argn.com/2022/01/helios_saves_the_planet_by_farming_twitch_users_for_resources_in_a_good_way/) - In December 2021, Helios took over Twitch with an alternate reality game where players beat back an Extinction Level Event by playing an idle game.
- [Midnight Society's First Release: A Text Adventure FPS](https://www.argn.com/2022/01/midnight_societys_first_release_a_text_adventure_fps/) - Midnight Society (a AAA game studio co-founded by Dr Disrespect) launched an ARG that appears to be previewing the studio's debut FPS game through text adventure.
- [Swamp Motel's Isklander Hides Supernatural Thriller in Modest Beginnings](https://www.argn.com/2022/01/swamp_motels_isklander_hides_supernatural_thriller_in_modest_beginnings/) - Swamp Motel's three-part immersive sleuthing mystery Isklander is an ambitious remote experience that sends its players on a supernatural adventure, untangling the tendrils of a centuries-old secret society with the fate of the world on the line. But the entry point for the experience starts with surprisingly modest beginnings: players are invited to a meeting
- [The Light in the Mist Reveals Secrets One Tarot Card at a Time](https://www.argn.com/2021/09/light-in-the-mist-tarot-adventure/) - The Light in the Mist is a narrative puzzle game that uses a deck of tarot cards to guide players through a search through haunted woods for your missing friend.
- [RECON, Redux: The Virtual Escape Room Con is Back](https://www.argn.com/2021/08/recon_redux_the_virtual_escape_room_con_is_back/) - Reality Escape Convention (RECON) is a virtual escape room conference that will, for the second year running, contain a secret ARG...if you know where to look.
- [Neurocracy Turns Wiki Wrangling Into a Murder Investigation](https://www.argn.com/2021/07/neurocracy_turns_wiki_wrangling_into_a_murder_investigation/) - Neurocracy tells the story of a high-profile near future assassination through a series of wiki-style articles and updates, released as serial content through the Omnipedia web app.
- [Cat Detective Mimo and the Case of the Increasingly Meta Bank Heist](https://www.argn.com/2021/07/cat_detective_mimo_and_the_case_of_the_increasingly_meta_bank_heist/) - The mobile game Detective Mimo starts out as an escape room style puzzle game centered around a bank heist, but transforms into something that could only exist as a smartphone game
- [Don't Blink or You'll Miss It: Lonely Assassins Return in Found-Phone Game](https://www.argn.com/2021/06/dont_blink_or_youll_miss_it_lonely_assassins_return_in_found-phone_game/) - "They're coming. The Angels are coming for you. But listen. Your life could depend on this. Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink, and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you could believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and DON'T BLINK." The Weeping Angels are one of the most iconic villains introduced in
- [Pictures of Gwen Delivers Aesthetic ARG Dream](https://www.argn.com/2021/05/pictures_of_gwen_delivers_aesthetic_arg_dream/) - In this ARG, Gwen Thomas is a student who landed the job offer of a lifetime in the city of Torstow, before being thrust into a world of mystery and intrigue.
- [Mysterious Nashville Hides Cached Content in Tennessee](https://www.argn.com/2021/05/mysterious_nashville_hides_cached_content_in_tennessee/) - A series of flyers started popping up around Nashville, featuring an image of a door, kicking off Mysterious Nashville's geocaching adventure through the city.
- [The Merchant's Quest Welcomes Resident Evil Fans to Dimitrescu's Domain](https://www.argn.com/2021/05/the_merchants_quest_welcomes_resident_evil_fans_to_dimitrescus_domain/) - In late April, the Resident Evil Twitter account shared a cryptic puzzle, leading curious solvers to discovering the Reddit account for Village Connoisseur, a simple merchant whose collection of books have been defaced by an unknown vandal. With the help of the merchant's assistant, players of this alternate reality game are tasked with helping recover
- [Searching For Higher Power with Coldplay's Alien Radio](https://www.argn.com/2021/04/searching_for_higher_power_with_coldplays_alien_radio/) - In New York City, a digital billboard featuring an alien language popped up over the CVS at the corner of Broadway and 49th Street. Similar advertisements around the world. A subway advertisement at Green Park Station in London. England. Another at Jamsil Station in Seoul, South Korea. And a digital crawl during a football match
- [The Aeternus Trailhead: Return to Center](https://www.argn.com/2020/09/the_aeturnus_trailhead_return_to_center/) - Yesterday, ARGNet received a letter in the mail from an anonymous party. Inside the outer envelope was a letter wrapped around an unsealed envelope, containing what I would soon learn is the trailhead to an alternate reality game centered around the company Aeternus Center. And within an hour of opening the letter, I mailed the
- [Satisfying Your Wanderlust at Mesmer and Braid](https://www.argn.com/2020/09/satisfying_your_wanderlust_at_mesmer_and_braid/) - On September 30th, Aconite is launching the story-driven puzzle game HoloVista, where players assume the role of a young artist documenting "an opulent building on orders from a mysterious architecture firm...[where] the house is getting to know you too, better than you know yourself." The game's trailer depicts a game of almost meditative exploration in
- [Beyond the Secret Society: It's Influencers All the Way Down](https://www.argn.com/2020/09/beyond-the-secret-society-its-influencers-all-the-way-down/) - I honestly couldn't tell you how many secret societies I've joined in the past decade. After going through a series of harrowing tasks, I've managed to accrue at least tentative membership status in secret societies like Sentry Outpost, the Jejune Institute, PLUS ULTRA, the Leap Year Society, the Gray Matter Sodality, the Koschei Society, Pizza
- [Sneak in Some Free Virtual RECON for Escape Room Con](https://www.argn.com/2020/08/sneak-in-some-free-virtual-recon-for-escape-room-con/) - In August 2021, a collective of escape room creators, reviewers, and enthusiasts will converge in Boston for Reality Escape Convention (RECON), a two-day long convention dedicated to the escape room industry hosted by a team of industry leaders. The event promises carefully curated talks from a list of industry leaders, followed by interactive discussion groups
- [Unlocking the Future at the New York Public Library](https://www.argn.com/2011/05/unlocking_the_future_at_the_new_york_public_library/) - Growing up, my parents had me convinced that one of the local librarians lived the building's basement. For years, Jim Caccamo was an archivist at the Hudson Library and Historical Society, and spent countless hours preserving the library's collection of artifacts. He spent so much time there, it was a relatively simple matter for the
- [Gaslamp Fantasy Meets Puzzles for the ASPMC's Cryptozoological Adventures](https://www.argn.com/2020/08/gaslamp-fantasy-meets-puzzles-for-aspmcs-cryptozoological-adventures/) - During the twilight years of the 19th century, a collective of Massachusetts residents organized a series of tea parties dedicated to the appreciation and conservation of the region's local wildlife. These parties eventually led to the foundation of the Audubon Society. Around the same time, a more magically inclined group of researchers and preservationists founded
- [CATAN â€“ World Explorers Takes Popular Game Off Tables, Into Streets](https://www.argn.com/2020/07/catan-world-explorers-takes-game-off-tables-into-streets/) - Following Niantic's breakout hit Ingress in 2012, the company has gone on a world tour of adapting beloved properties for the location-based gaming landscape. 2016 saw the release of PokÃ©mon GO, sending players on a nostalgic trek through local parks and gatherings. Enough people took to the streets catching first generation Pokemon together in those
- [PostCurious' Emerald Flame Burns Bright in Alchemical Puzzle Experience](https://www.argn.com/2020/06/postcurious_emerald_flame_burns_bright_in_alchemical_puzzle_experience/) - The Koschei Society is an organization of scholars and historical enthusiasts. In the course of their research, the Koschei Society stumbled across a handful of artifacts that just might set an enterprising researcher on the path towards a legendary alchemist's hiding spot, and the recipe for a transformative alchemical elixir. Are you wise enough, resourceful
- [Gotta Hand It To 'Em: A Creepy Doll Follow-up](https://www.argn.com/2020/02/gotta_hand_it_to_em_a_creepy_doll_follow-up/) - Last month, JC Hutchins received a creepy package in the mail containing a doll wrapped in vintage newspapers. ARGNet's coverage of this special delivery was given the light-hearted title, ARG or Not, Please Don't Send Me Creepy Dolls. Much to my co-workers' chagrin, our mysterious benefactor adhered to the letter of that request, if not
- [ARG or Not, Please Don't Send Me Creepy Dolls](https://www.argn.com/2020/01/arg_or_not_please_dont_send_me_creepy_dolls/) - Twelve years ago, science fiction author and podcast fiction phenomenon JC Hutchins received an envelope in the mail, sealed with a red wax stamp bearing the letters "tb", and containing a message written in a long-dead language. Over the next few days, more and more people reported receiving similar envelopes. Eventually, players decrypted the message
- [New Noology Network Goes Beyond the Jejune](https://www.argn.com/2019/10/new-noology-network-goes-beyond-the-jejune/) - Starting at the beginning of October, people across the United States started discovering flyers for a sleep study in search of volunteer subjects. "SEE YOUR OWN DREAMS RECORDED IN FULL COLOR", the signs brightly proclaim. The posters directed prospective volunteers to the New Noology Network website along with a Twitch channel that regularly broadcasts sleep
- [Refining the At-Home Escape Room Model with Flashback](https://www.argn.com/2019/09/refining-the-at-home-escape-room-model-with-flashback/) - Two years ago, I wrote a brief introduction to the world of escape room in a box games for Boxing Day after playing Wild Optimist's Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment. Juliana Patel and Ariel Rubin initially funded production of their game through a Kickstarter campaign, before partnering with Mattel to produce a
- [At The Rogues Gallery, Evil Is Its Own Currency](https://www.argn.com/2019/07/at-the-rogues-gallery-evil-its-own-currency/) - Note: ARGNet received a comped ticket for this show. Broken Ghost Immersives' newest hybrid experience The Rogues Gallery asks players to step into the roles of supervillains for an evening at Wildrence, forming villainous team-ups of two to three players bent on world conquest. And I'm a little nervous about how easily my friends and
- [Global Crypto Hunt Tracks Down "Satoshi's Treasure"](https://www.argn.com/2019/04/satoshis_treasure_global_scavenger_hunt/) - On April 16th, the first three keys to a global scavenger hunt with a million dollar prize were released. To winÂ Satoshi's Treasure, players must chase after 1,000 keys with clues scattered across the world. The first individual or team to assemble 400 of these keys will be able to stitch them together using Shamir's Secret
- [Going Beyond the Text with the Subtext Game](https://www.argn.com/2019/02/going_beyond_the_text_with_the_subtext_game/) - Jonathan is in trouble. After receiving a phone call warning that his apartment wasn't safe and needed to be evacuated, a guy in a black ski mask kidnapped him, and the next thing he knows, he finds himself locked up in an office building. There's a list of phone numbers there...and yours is one of
- [Literally Give Your Heart Away on Tender This Valentine's Day](https://www.argn.com/2019/02/tender_beta_arg_about_vampires_trust_no_more/) - Happy Valentine's Day! Are you single? Interested in not being single? If so, you should consider signing up for Tender. It's an AI-driven dating site designed to help you find your soul mate, and it almost certainly hasn't been co-opted by vampires looking to hunt down suitably compliant blood bags at the click of a
- [Back to Earth Makes Its Microtransactional Debut With an ARG Short](https://www.argn.com/2018/11/back_to_earth_makes_its_debut_with_starfate_cryptocurrency/) - StarFate Corporation is in the business of making mankind a better version of itself. The company's flagship product, the StarChip, allows its owners to record and analyze every experience they ever had, capturing details unassisted humans couldn't dream of securing. Just implant a simple little chip into the back of your neck, and the ability
- [MIT Media Lab Experiments with Remote Controlled People for Halloween](https://www.argn.com/2018/10/mit_media_lab_experiments_remote_controlled_people_halloween/) - This Halloween, the MIT Media Lab is launching BeeMe, a dystopic tale about an evil artificial intelligence named "Zookd". Starting at 11pm EST on October 31st, the story's protagonist will be tasked with stopping Zookd in real time. There's just one twist: in order to face off against Zookd, the protagonist will relinquish all free
- [MyMusic: NewsRadio for the YouTube Generation](https://www.argn.com/2014/02/mymusic_newsradio_for_generation_youtube/) - It's a familiar trope: a struggling production company staffed with a cast of eccentric and borderline incompetent employees takes on someone new to shake things up. Some of the best comedies on television start with that premise: WKRP in Cincinnati, NewsRadio, Just Shoot Me, even 30 Rock. But while the shows are about poking fun
- [#NOFILTER Imagines an Even More Dismal Social Media Hellscape for Us](https://www.argn.com/2018/09/nofilter_imagines_an_even_more_dismal_social_media_hellscape/) - Social media can be an absolute trashfire. But don't worry, starting on October 2nd, it's about to get a whole lot worse - that's when pseudonym productions is launching out #NOFILTER, a "horrifyingly satirical, totally narcissistic thriller starring YOU." For as little as $14, players can sign up to participate in a six-week long experience
- [A Return for a New and Improved Emma Approved](https://www.argn.com/2018/09/a_return_for_a_new_improved_emma_approved/) - Five years ago, Pemberley Digital released their first episode ofÂ Emma Approved, the Emmy-Award winning transmedia series that reimagined the character Jane Austen described as "a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like" as a modern-day advice coach turned vlogger. Over the course of the show's initial 72-episode run, Pemberley Digital painted a sympathetic and
- [A Tale of Two Trailheads: Charity Kong and the Golden Age Conspiracy](https://www.argn.com/2018/09/a_tale_of_two_trailheads_charity_kong_and_the_golden_age_conspiracy/) - In Seattle, a jodhpur-clad man wanders into a Seattle corner shop, using strips of gold foil as currency in order to send messages using the shop's antiquated Telex machine. In Indianapolis, Golden Age comic fans converge at a flea market just outside Indianapolis, chasing a rumor to find a shred of evidence that their beloved
- [Lessons on ARGs and Teamwork Through the Lens of Daedalus](https://www.argn.com/2018/09/arg_research_teamwork_through_the_lens_of_daedalus/) - Daedalus is an artificial intelligence built to solve humanity's greatest problems. And over the next few days, it will be recruiting teams of 5-7 players to participate in a week-long series of puzzles that play out across Daedalus' neural network, to "complete Daedalus' programming". While many of these tasks will take place on the game's
- [Bunker Buddies at the Wildrence, with Broken Ghost Immersives](https://www.argn.com/2018/08/bunker_buddies_at_the_wildrence_with_broken_ghost_immersives/) - Note: ARGNet received a comped ticket for this show. Fifteen people huddled together in the Bunker, arranged in a rough circle of couches and chairs. The room itself was a pastiche of Cold War era kitsch, just big enough to fit our group, but small enough to feel a little cramped. The Nostalgia Electrics refrigerator
- [Hybrid LARPs as Immersive Primer: On Dragon Thrones and the Blockbuster Renaissance](https://www.argn.com/2018/07/hybrid_larps_as_immersive_primer_dragon_thrones/) - All images courtesy of Allison Kern Photography Magic appears to have left the realm of Cambria, and many of its inhabitants, human and non-human alike, are struggling to cope with its unexpected absence. A scourge of the undead emerged throughout the land, and the machinations of the inscrutable "Godfather" appears to be spreading strife among
- [Reassembling Einstein's Brain By Post - The Gray Matter Sodality](https://www.argn.com/2018/06/reassembling-einsteins-brain-by-post/) - When Albert Einstein died in 1955, New England pathologist Thomas Harvey removed the noted physicist's brain without asking the family permission. Upon learning of the theft, Einstein's son Hans Albert gave Harvey permission to keep the brain as long as it was used for scientific research. Over the next few months, Harvey carefully preserved, sectioned,
- [Simulacra Games Masters Art of Puzzle Box Sales](https://www.argn.com/2017/12/simulacra_games_wilson_wolfe_affair_puzzle_box/) - Simulacra Games is selling a crate of 1930s era memorabilia from the early days of animation for a studio that never existed. It's not an elaborate counterfeiting scheme, but rather an elaborate alternate reality game in a box called The Wilson Wolfe Affair.Â Using the diary of a studio animator as a guide, players are guided
- [Acid-Wave Music Might Help Save the World](https://www.argn.com/2017/07/sledged-infant-acid-wave-music-save-the-world/) - Late last week, I received a package in the mail from Sledged Infant Records, featuring a double EP of acid wave music. You've probably never heard of it before, but the genre of music is typified by its "fuzzy mix of psychedelia, funk, jazz, synthesized electronica, and whole-band improvisation from eccentric artists cranking out dope
- [Stern Words from No Man's Sky ARG](https://www.argn.com/2017/07/stern_words_from_no_mans_sky_arg/) - On July 8th, Hello Games will run a radio advertisement on at least one of Howard Stern's Sirius channels, stations 100 and 101. The radio spot won't be promoting the company's game of interstellar exploration,Â No Man's Sky...at least, not directly. Instead, if past ads are any indication, it will serve as a signal to the
- [Bear 71 Takes Top Honors as FWA Site of the Year for 2012](https://www.argn.com/2013/01/bear_71_takes_fwa_site_of_the_year_for_2012/) - For over ten years, a panel of judges pulled from the ranks of advertising agencies and brand marketing teams have sifted through the best the web can offer on a daily basis for the Favorite Website Awards (the FWA). Their goal? To highlight a single online property that exemplifies cutting edge creativity as Site of
- [Yer A Witch, Christinia! A Magical ARG Launch](https://www.argn.com/2016/04/magical_arg_christinia_the_witch/) - Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet
- [The Tessera Promises a Spooky Primer to Computational Thinking](https://www.argn.com/2017/01/the_tessera_promises_a_spooky_primer_to_computational_thinking/) - The Computer History Museum in Mountain View has never been mentioned in a list of California's Most Haunted Locations. Its exhibits may celebrate ghosts of computers past and the remnantsÂ of now-defunct websites, but the museum has remained resolutely apparition-free...but thanks toÂ The Tessera, that's about to change. Because starting January 17th, the Computer History Museum in
- [Capture the Pheon: The Smithsonian's Latest Alternate Reality Game Debuts September 18](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/capture_the_pheon_the_smithsonians_latest_alternate_reality_game_debuts_september_18/) - Two warring factions, the Staves and the Knaves, try to restore balance after intruders from the "real world" (the Seers) have upset their virtual world called Terra Tectus. From the makers of Ghosts of a Chance, the Smithsonian's new game Pheon will debut this month with a live event at the Smithsonian American Art Museum,
- [Huntception and the Art of the Meta](https://www.argn.com/2016/02/huntception_and_the_art_of_the_meta_mystery_hunt/) - Once a year hundreds of MIT students, alumni, and puzzle enthusiasts converge in Cambridge for a weekend of almost impossible puzzles, tied together under a light narrative theme. In the five years I've been participating in the MIT Mystery Hunt, teams have been asked to turn to puzzles to put on a Broadway musical, rob
- [Everything You (Probably Don't) Need to Know About Cloverfield](https://www.argn.com/2016/02/everything_you_need_to_know_about_cloverfield/) - Bad Robot is releasing a new Cloverfield movie on 03-11-16, more than eight years after its cinematic debut. The film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, isn't exactly an official sequel to the original, but has been described by JJ Abrams as a "blood relative" to the film. Whether this blood relative will mark the return of the
- [Set Aside the Month of July for "The Runner"](https://www.argn.com/2016/07/set_aside_the_month_of_july_for_the_runner/) - Fourteen years ago, Ben Affleck and Sean Bailey worked on a show for ABC together. Secret phrases were hidden in each episode of the show, with a million dollar prize set aside for the first to solve. Push, Nevada was an ambitious project. But this article isn't about Push, Nevada. It's about the other project
- [Zombies Run Expands to Virtual Races, Board Games](https://www.argn.com/2016/08/zombies_run_expands_to_virtual_races_board_games/) - Lace up your favorite pair of running shoes. Pull up a playlist of some of your favorite songs. Finally, plug in your headphones. Now, you are Runner 5. Some of you have been Runner 5 for quite some time now. Zombies, Run is well into its fifth season, with 190 missions from Abel Township to
- [Okay, we get it!  Fringe has an ARG!](https://www.argn.com/2008/09/okay_we_get_it_fringe_has_an_arg/) - The much ballyhooed J.J. Abrams television series Fringe kicked off earlier this week, and with it came an update to a web site connected to the show, which in turn prompted quite a few of you to send in game tips about the apparent alternate reality game. We've heard you loud and clear, which may
- [Give Me Some Personal Space - No, Seriously](https://www.argn.com/2016/05/give_me_some_personal_space/) - Imagine an alternate timeline where space exploration is funded by reality television. Hard to believe, I know. But in this alternate universe, it didn't start out that way. In 1991, the American space program sent out the Overture hurtling out into deep space on a mission to reach a distant star. While most of the
- [Lonelygirl16? Here's What You Might Have Missed](https://www.argn.com/2016/06/lonelygirl16_heres_what_you_might_have_missed/) - Ten years ago, Bree Avery started vlogging on a relatively new social platform called YouTube. To celebrate that milestone, a new video was uploaded to her channel yesterday. So, let's try something a little different. Watch Bree's first video blog. Got it? Great. Now watch the most recent upload to the channel. Confused about how
- [Koatoa Marine Kicks Off with Misdirected Interstellar Mail](https://www.argn.com/2012/08/koatoa_marine_kicks_off_with_misdirected_interstellar_mail/) - The 23rd century is finally upon us. Humankind has mastered interstellar travel and has spread out to colonize 12 brave new worlds, forming a Union of planets with a vibrant trade network. Taking advantage of these breakthroughs in technology, someone went through the trouble of shipping empty cans of fish to me, courtesy of the
- [This ARG Brought to You by the US Intelligence Community?](https://www.argn.com/2013/03/iarpa_rfi_for_intelligence_community_arg/) - In recent years, the United States Government has launched a number of experiments in alternate reality games and collective intelligence. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of ARPANET in 2009, the Department of Defense hid ten red weather balloons across the countryÂ with a $40,000 prize to the first organization to verify the location of all ten
- [DIY Days 2013: Black Markets, Phenomenal Work, and Foster Care](https://www.argn.com/2013/05/diy_days_nyc_2013/) - My Sky is Falling image courtesy of Reboot Stories, from the Envision 2013 playthrough The elevator doors open. As I step out, a woman in a hazmat suit and surgical mask steps forward as our guide, offering surgical masks to our group. Masks firmly in place, we're guided to a classroom liberally strewn with backpacks
- [Take a Walk on the Wild Side with Six to Start's "The Walk"](https://www.argn.com/2013/12/six_to_start_the_walk/) - When Six to Start createdÂ Zombies, Run!, players were given the chance to plug in a pair of headphones and lose themselves in a rich narrative, where you're asked to run to survive. And whileÂ Zombies, Run!Â doesn't require its players to run, the story and many of its game mechanics are built around promoting running. After receiving
- [ARGFest Hosts 10-Year Reunion for Bee Enthusiasts in Portland](https://www.argn.com/2014/06/argfest_2014_ilovebees_reunion/) - Ten years ago, the website for Margaret's House of Bees started acting strangely. Many of the site's images were glitched beyond recognition, and nonsensical text covered up articles about the Napa Valley-based apiary. While many of the people who gathered to troubleshoot a bee enthusiast's website refer to themselves as "Beekeepers", a passion for the
- [Cards Against Humanity Releases Another Bullshit Puzzle](https://www.argn.com/2014/11/cards_against_humanity_releases_another_bullshit_puzzle/) - Cards Against Humanity doesn't approach its marketing efforts like most companies. Nominally, they sell a highly irreverent card gameÂ where players compete to find the most outrageous response to a prompt from their hand of cards. In practice, the Chicago-based company has used its past successes to finance a series of elaborate pranks to entertain its
- [Fragmented Stories in the Cloud Chamber](https://www.argn.com/2015/01/fragmented_stories_cloud_chamber/) - Image courtesy of Investigate North Kathleen Petersen, Deputy Director of Research at the Petersen institute, has gone missing. Hoping to learn what became of Kathleen, her co-workers Max and Thomas shared the footage of their investigations into the mysterious signal they were tasked with investigating at the Institute...the same signal that heralded Kathleen's gradual emotional
- [A Group of Friends, Mourning Brian Clark](https://www.argn.com/2015/07/a_group_of_friends_mourning_brian_clark/) - "All art movements start with a small group of friends...when historians look back on this phase in art, the movement that we will be a part of, what they will marvel at is how interconnected we are." Brian Clark was fascinated with the formation of movements and creating scenes, and was tireless in his efforts
- [Getting SuperBetter with Jane the Concussion Slayer](https://www.argn.com/2015/09/superbetter_with_jane_the_concussion_slayer/) - Four years ago, Jane McGonigal released Reality is Broken to make a case for the positive benefits of games, both as an anti-escapist outlet for personal growth and as a template for tackling serious societal challenges. The focus of Reality is Broken was on dissecting the core principles of game design, providing a series of
- [Cards Against Humanity Locks Dad in Basement for Holidays](https://www.argn.com/2015/12/cards_against_humanity_locks_up_dad_for_eight_sensible_nights/) - Cards Against Humanity gave their fans nothing for Black Friday this year. More specifically, they sold their fans nothing for $5 a person. It was quite the profitable venture for them, too...they earned $71K with their blow-out sale, giving the company's non-founding members a well-deserved holiday bonus. And they'll have earned it, after the logistic
- [A Day Pass for Boston-Area Puzzling at Boda Borg](https://www.argn.com/2015/10/a_day_pass_for_boston-area_puzzling_at_boda_borg/) - I have a problem. Years of playing alternate reality games and transmedia storytelling experiences have trained me to love room escape games. Getting locked in a room and relying on a group of friends to figure out what we're supposed to do to get out? Pretty much my dream come true. But there are a
- [PokÃ©mon Go into the Wild with Niantic's Latest Game](https://www.argn.com/2015/09/pokemon_go_latest_niantic_game/) - Three years ago, Google's Niantic Labs released Ingress. Since the game's launch, a lot has changed. The Ingress playerbase has swelled from a couple thousand beta testers to more than 12 million players, with over a million players logging in every day. Frequent live events at locations across the globe encourage hundreds of players to
- ["Zombies, Run" Now Free to Good Post-Apocalyptic Home](https://www.argn.com/2015/06/zombies_run_free_to_good_home/) - Four years ago, a little over three thousand people raised $72K on Kickstarter to make Six to Start's Zombies, Run a post-apocalyptic reality. The smartphone app allowed runners to step into the role of Abel Township's Runner 5, the largely silent protagonist collecting supplies for the town in a world infested with zombies. Three seasons
- [A Brief ESC into Eddie's Social Committee](https://www.argn.com/2015/03/esc_into_eddies_social_committee/) - You enter a dimly lit room. As you cross the threshold, you're handed a mobile device and directed to stand over a luminescent circle on the floor, facing the curved video screen taking up an entire wall. Colored lights stream down from overhead, dividing you and your fellow players into teams. After keying in your
- [ARG Behind Tim Kring's New Show DIG, Decoded](https://www.argn.com/2015/02/arg_behind_kring_raff_dig_decoded/) - Emma Wilson's journal, on digdecoded.com The premiere of Dig,Â Tim Kring and Gideon Raff's newest thriller on USA Network,Â DIG,Â isÂ only two weeks away. But in many ways, the 10-episode seriesÂ remains an enigma. In DIG,Â FBI agent Peter Connely (played by Harry PotterÂ veteranÂ Jason Isaacs) is stationed in Jerusalem, and finds himself tangled in a 2,000 year old conspiracy while
- [Road Trip into Terror: Dark Detour Revs Up for a Week of Chills and Thrills](https://www.argn.com/2014/10/dark_detour_roat_trip_week_of_chills_and_thrills/) - In the tarot card deck of Talbot Griffin's life, the first card on the table would most likely be The Fool, that familiar vagabond traveler blithely setting out into the unknown. Scrolling through his social media accounts, Griffin's audience can piece together a whimsical portrait of a happy-go-not-so-lucky young musician whose life has hit a
- [Google Rolls Out Ingress to iOS Devices](https://www.argn.com/2014/07/google-ingress-now-on-ios/) - In November 2012, Google introduced its Ingress scanner app to the Google Play store. And for almost two years, the central point of interaction for Google's deeply immersive alternate reality game has been an Android exclusive. That changes today: with the release of Ingress's scanner app to the iTunes Store, the world of Ingress has
- [Halo2 ILoveBees Game Ends With a Bang](https://www.argn.com/2004/11/halo2_ilovebees_game_ends_with_a_bang/) - November 4th brought the final chapter to the 16-week Alternate Reality Game that became known as I Love Bees. A promotional game for Bungie's eagerly anticipated game Halo2, Ilovebees caught the attention of thousands of gamers and media alike over the past few months. The journey culminated on November 4th, with a live event in
- [Endgame Variations: Multiple Play Styles for the End of the World](https://www.argn.com/2014/10/endgame_variations_end_of_the_world_play_styles/) - Tens of thousands of years ago, mankind's earliest civilizations were visited by extraterrestrial beings. Due to their superior knowledge and technology, these early visitors were treated as gods. Native Americans knew them as the Sky People. To the Sumerians, they were the Annunaki. Whatever they were called, these visitors came to earth and instructed mankind,
- [Five Years of Story Revealed Through Trials and Error](https://www.argn.com/2014/07/trials-fusion-riddle-game-within-a-game/) - RedLynx Studios' Trials games are pure, unadulterated evil. The basic premise of their motorcycle racing game has remained largelyÂ unchanged over the past decade: navigate through a series of unforgiving and often lethal obstacles to complete the track. More often than not, the "reward" for completing a track is to witness your rider explore new and
- [The Art Hunters Turns Springfield Art Museum Into Crime Scene](https://www.argn.com/2014/06/the_art_hunters_springfield_art_museum/) - The Springfield Art MuseumÂ has been plagued with some serious security problems this summer. Last week, George Caleb Bingham's Portrait of Fanny Smith Crenshaw went missing, transforming the painting's location into a crime scene. This week, it's Roger Shimomura's Kansas Samurai. If cracking the case meant tracking down art thieves unloading their inventory on the black
- [The Future is Fiction: Playful Future-Thinking About Climate Change with FutureCoast](https://www.argn.com/2014/02/futurecoast_playful_future_thinking_climate_change/) - Sometime in the near future(s), something will go awry with the voicemail system sending messages spiraling back through time, a phenomenon that is being referred to as "chronofall." These messages take the form of small, elegant crystalline structures referred to as "chronofacts" that can be decoded to reveal a taste of life in the future.
- [The Year (of Ingress) in Review](https://www.argn.com/2013/12/the_year_of_ingress_in_review/) - Ingress at a ZipCar location in Philadelphia. Sorry Ingress players, this is not a new passcode. It's been over a year since Google introduced the world of Ingress. At its core, the project is a locative mobile game spawned out of NianticLabs@Google, an internal skunkworks team based out of the search giant's San Francisco office.
- [Caught in an Infiniti Loop with Deja View](https://www.argn.com/2013/11/the-deja-view-infiniti-loop/) - A sharply dressed man and woman are lost on an empty stretch of road, with no memories of who they are or where they're going. The only clues to their identity are the personalized features programmed into their car, and your phone number in their phone's call history. The nameless man calls your number. For
- [Bringing Cronenberg's Films to Life with Body Mind Change](https://www.argn.com/2013/10/bringing_cronenberg_films_to_life_body_mind_change/) - Game enthusiasts are all about the games they play being "realistic," with higher resolution graphics and smarter AIs. One of the more alluring features of alternate reality games is their ability to blur the lines between reality and game to the point where you question where one ended and the other began, exemplified through the
- [A Puzzling Prelude to FestQuest 2013](https://www.argn.com/2013/07/a_puzzling_prelude_to_festquest_2013/) - Last year, William Sawtooth III embarked on a great experiment: he sold off 100 shares in his personhood in exchange for a billion dollars. Being a savvy investor, I managed to secure a 6% interest in Sawtooth prior to his untimely demise at the hands of a masked henchman from the Secret Games Society.Â Yesterday, I
- [What is the Blackhollow Project?](https://www.argn.com/2013/07/what_is_the_blackhollow_project/) - In 1943, the Office of Strategic Services deployed an agent to the European theatre of World War II on an assignment codenamed the "Archimedes Mission." His task: infiltrate the Soviet Union, and extract a man targeted by the Germans to a safe location. It's been 70 years since our unnamed American operative's mission. After the
- [ARGFest 2013 Highlights Another Side of Gaming in Seattle](https://www.argn.com/2013/07/argfest_2013_gaming_seattle/) - ARGFest-o-Con is a yearly conference that provides the opportunity for fans and creators of alternate reality games and transmedia experiences to gather together and reflect on the genre's evolution. This year, the roving conference will touch down in Seattle between Thursday July 25th and Saturday July 27th for a long weekend of panels, puzzles, and
- [Making a Deal with the Devil for Kobo eReader Puzzle Contest](https://www.argn.com/2013/05/deal_with_the_devil_for_kobo_ereader/) - An author sells his soul to Asmodeus, King of the Nine Hells for a shot at fame and fortune. Rebels seek to topple a warlord who set himself up as the mythical Minotaur in the land of Dis, a power station left abandoned after the world is struck low by an airborne virus that transforms
- [Entering Maze of Games' Victorian-Era Puzzle Adventure](https://www.argn.com/2013/02/maze_of_games_victorian_puzzles/) - Hidden within the storied halls of the Upper Wolverhampton Library in Victorian-era England, a musty book lies in wait, ready to entrap the first hapless souls to peer into its pages. While Colleen and Samuel Quaice fall victim to The Maze of Games, it's up to you, the reader, to lead the two children home
- [Psych Unleashes Killer Transmedia Reality Show for The S#cial Sector](https://www.argn.com/2013/02/psych_unleashes_killer_transmedia_reality_show/) - Friday, February 15th is a big night for Psych, USA Network's pineapple-loving homage to '80s pop culture. Starting at midnight, fans will don their Psych slippers, heat up a pineapple upside-down cake, and settle in for a marathon of 7 fan-selected episodes. And as a surprise addition to the day's festivities, USA is launching The
- [Fourth Wall Studios' "Dirty Work" Wins 2012 Interactive Emmy](https://www.argn.com/2012/09/fourth_wall_studios_dirty_work_wins_2012_interactive_emmy/) - Tonight, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards held its annual awards, where the Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Original Interactive Television Programming was awarded to Fourth Wall Studios for their interactive programÂ Dirty Work.Â The Emmy-winning show is a dark comedy featuring an LA-area clean-up crew as they go about their grisly business, featuring guest
- [Take A Walk On The Wired Wild Side with "Bear 71"](https://www.argn.com/2012/02/take_a_walk_on_the_wired_wild_side_with_bear_71/) - A bear walks through the Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies and is ensnared in a trap where she is tranquilized, tagged, and collared with a GPS device. She has now become Bear 71, and joins a group of wired wildlife who document the interactions between nature and their increasingly encroaching human neighbors.Â Bear 71Â is
- [Giving Voice to Novel eBook Experience, The Silent History](https://www.argn.com/2013/01/giving_voice_to_novel_ebook_experience_the_silent_history/) - The silent epidemic began in the year 2011. Children around the world were born without the ability to learn language. They didn't babble as babies. They didn't speak as they grew older. They couldn't understand what their parents were saying. They seemed to show no interest in using language at all. Parents became frustrated, trying
- [Television and Gaming Merge in Defiance for Transmedia War Zone](https://www.argn.com/2013/01/television_and_gaming_merge_with_defiance/) - Over the years, Rockne S. O'Bannon has transformed more than a few science fiction projects into cult classics: O'Bannon helped shape the futuristic worlds depicted in properties includingÂ Alien Nation, SeaQuest DSV,Â andÂ Farscape. With his newest project,Â Defiance, O'Bannon explores a future, post-apocalyptic Earth where aliens and humans are forced to cooperate in constantly-warring factions to survive. While
- [We Lost Our Gold: Pirate Booty Still at Large](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/we_lost_our_gold_pirate_booty_still_at_large/) - As reported previously on ARGNet, a befuddled pirate-and-ninja crew lost a treasure chest filled with 10,000 gold-colored US dollar coins somewhere in the five boroughs of New York City. This past Sunday, incidentally International Talk Like A Pirate Day, the final episode of the eight-part We Lost Our Gold web series aired, bringing the plot
- [Alt-Minds Serves Up Real-Time Mystery in Four Languages](https://www.argn.com/2012/12/alt-minds_serves_up_real-time_mystery_in_four_languages/) - Five brilliant young scientists collectively known as "MHD-6" disappear from Belgrade University. Shortly after, a video of the kidnapping makes its way to the foundation that sponsored them. A mysterious person known only as "The Donetsk Voice" feeds bits and pieces of information relating to the disappearance of the MHD-6. As the investigation progresses, the
- [2012 Year in Review: We're Still Here](https://www.argn.com/2012/12/arg_year_in_review_2012/) - Over the years, more than a few alternate reality games, transmedia storytelling projects, and advertising campaigns have warned that December 2012 would mark the end of the world. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise: you can't get much higher stakes than saving the world, and fighting against an ancient prophecy with its own
- [Byzantine Tests Add a Touch of Magic to "Hunted" Campaign](https://www.argn.com/2012/09/byzantine_tests_add_a_touch_of_magic_to_hunted_campaign/) - "We're not for everyone. Just the 1% that matters." Byzantium Security International's slogan embracing the financial elite's privileged role serves as an uncomfortably poetic accompaniment to the one-year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. And with an out-of-home advertisement proudly flaunting a company's exclusivity mere steps from Federal Hall in Wall Street, it's no
- [New Star Trek Trailer Hides Question: Are You the 1701?](https://www.argn.com/2012/12/new_star_trek_trailer_hides_question_are_you_the_1701/) - Yesterday, Paramount released its newest movie trailer for Star Trek: Into Darkness on iTunes. As the second film in JJ Abrams'Â re-imaginingÂ of Gene Roddenberry's original franchise, fans have been speculating wildly about whether Abrams would retell Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan or explore a different aspect of the mythos through the film's villain, John
- [Alert Vulcan, After the Fact](https://www.argn.com/2009/05/alert_vulcan_after_the_fact/) - The most recent Star Trek movie has been a rousing success, earning $76.5 million on opening weekend. And like many projects involving JJ Abrams, Star Trek was promoted using an alternate reality game, Alert Vulcan. While the game has wrapped up, one fan has created a video summarizing the experience, and five lucky players are
- [Imagineering New Transmedia Projects with Disney's Living Worlds Program](https://www.argn.com/2012/11/imagineering_new_transmedia_projects_with_disneys_living_worlds_program/) - Walt Disney Imagineering has been using the Disney theme parks and resorts as centers for innovation in storytelling for decades, finding interesting ways to create rich experiences that play out across media. And while the team may be better known for joining narrative with animatronics and special effects for rides like the Haunted Mansion, the
- [Are ARGs Dead? A Closer Look at a Common Refrain](https://www.argn.com/2012/11/are_args_dead_a_closer_look_at_a_common_refrain/) - Editor's Note:Â At this year's StoryWorld conference in Los Angeles, Fourth Wall Studios' Chief Creative Officer Elan Lee stated that alternate reality games are dead as part of the conference's final panel on "The Way Forward" for the transmedia industry. As one of the driving forces at Microsoft behindÂ The Beast, Lee's statement questioning the role of
- [Google's Niantic Project Hints at Smartphone-Fueled Portals](https://www.argn.com/2012/11/google_niantic_project_smartphone_portals/) - Comic-Con has served as the launch platform for more than a few alternate reality games in the past. At the San Diego convention,Â Why So Serious held its first live event promoting The Dark Knight at the convention in San Diego, using attendeesÂ as the Joker's patsies by getting them to don the criminal's signature clown make-up
- [An Ornithological Puzzle Worth Tweeting About](https://www.argn.com/2012/10/an_ornithological_puzzle_worth_tweeting_about/) - One of my favorite moments in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail is when the Bridgekeeper asks King Arthur, "what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?" The film never answers that question, although more than a few resourceful folks have put forward their best estimates. Before the end of this article,
- [TV Tropes' Echo Chamber Turns Self-Referential Attention to ARGs](https://www.argn.com/2012/10/tv_tropes_echo_chamber_turns_self-referential_attention_to_args/) - TV Tropes is an intimidating website. Over the past eight years, the community wiki has displayed frightening tenacity in indexing, codifying, and analyzing the tricks of the storytelling trade in an oftenÂ irreverentÂ manner. Remember the pilot episode of Community? The TV Tropes community flagged those 25 minutes of television for using over 46 different tropes ranging
- [Fourth Wall Studios Experience Infusion of Cash, Talent](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/fourth_wall_studios_experience_infusion_of_cash_talent/) - Earlier today, Fourth Wall Studios announced it received an initial $15 million round of financing from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, along with access to a fund of up to $200 million through the Soon-Shiong's California Capital Equity. VentureBeat reports that the "studio will be incorporated as a new company under the same name." A number of
- [ARGFest-o-Con: "The Institute" Blurs the Lines Around Jejune](https://www.argn.com/2012/08/argfest-o-con_the_institute_blurs_the_lines_around_jejune/) - For day two of ARGFest-o-Con in Toronto last month, attendees were treated to a "sneak peek" of The Institute, a film by Spencer McCall about Nonchalance's popular San Francisco ARG, The Jejune Institute. The film focused on the player experience of Jejune and the effect that it had on those who followed its path through
- [Susan Lucci Offers Ominous Warnings of Deadly Affairs](https://www.argn.com/2012/08/susan_lucci_offers_ominous_warnings_of_deadly_affairs/) - By all accounts, Robert and Gabby Spencer have a perfect life. Only a few weeks away from their 13th wedding anniversary, the biggest marital conflict the pair currently face can be boiled down to some good-natured ribbing about over-salted sloppy joes. On Thursday, the couple took their three children out to see Unicorns vs Mechadon
- [Ed Zed Omega: A Serious Game Visualizing New Approaches to Education](https://www.argn.com/2012/08/ed_zed_omega_a_serious_game_visualizing_new_approaches_to_education/) - "There's this expression, "zed omega." It means "so over." When you go zed omega, you are done." -Ed Zed Omega RevealedÂ When it comes to public or private education, everyone has an experience, everyone has a story, and everyone has an opinion. The internet is rife with pointed discussions about the problems in education, and
- [StoryWorld 2012 Goes Hollywood](https://www.argn.com/2012/08/storyworld_2012_goes_hollywood/) - For its second year, the StoryWorld Conference & Expo will be taking in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for three days of panels and presentations from October 17-19 exploring transmedia storytelling from the practitioner's perspective. Last year's conference in San Francisco managed to bring in an impressive lineup of practitioners in the space, and
- [Alternate History Serial "Balance of Powers" Launches](https://www.argn.com/2012/08/alternate_history_serial_balance_of_powers_launches/) - "Think of it as an alternate world Cold War era spy adventure, if that kind of thing included stuff like blood sacrifices packed with dark beings." - Andrea Phillips, Balance of Powers Kickstarter campaign video. Before Adrian Hon and Naomi Alderman took to Kickstarter to fund the mobile app Zombies, Run,Â there wasÂ Balance of Powers. The
- [Miracle Mile Paradox Builds Bridge to the Past Through Time Switch](https://www.argn.com/2012/08/miracle_mile_paradox_builds_bridge_to_the_past_through_time_switch/) - Something very strange happened to Rexford Higgs back in March. An aficionado of wondrous artifacts and things from bygone days, Rex uncovered by chance a set of blueprints for a strange device, hidden in a tin box in a construction site near LA's Miracle Mile. Fascinated by his find, Rex launched a Kickstarter campaignÂ to fund
- [A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling Takes Over Shelves](https://www.argn.com/2012/07/a_creators_guide_to_transmedia_storytelling_takes_over_shelves/) - Disclaimer: While I was interviewed for my thoughts about transmedia storytelling forÂ A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling, I received no compensation save for a review copy of the book. Andrea Phillips stumbled across alternate reality games 11 years ago when a friend pointed her towards a website for the Anti-Robot Militia. The website, part of
- [A Comic-Con Preview: SHIELD Returns for "Item 47"](https://www.argn.com/2012/07/a_comic-con_preview_shield_returns_for_item_47/) - On the Fourth of July, Marvel Entertainment released its "second screen" app for The Avengers DVD, two months prior to the release of the DVD itself. The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen Experience, available for the iPhone and iPad, is designed to provide supplemental content,Â syncedÂ up with the film. The timing of the app's release
- ["Suits Recruits" Throws Fans Into the Deep End at Pearson Hardman](https://www.argn.com/2012/06/suits_recruits_throws_fans_into_the_deep_end_at_pearson_hardman/) - On Thursday, June 14th, USA Network's legal drama Suits comes back for its second season. For some fans, however, the season started early with an application for an unpaid internship at Pearson Hardman, one of Manhattan's most elite law firms and the setting for Suits. Over the next five weeks, interns will work as paralegals
- [Tim Kring and AT&T Bring the Truth to Light in â€œDaybreak 2012â€](https://www.argn.com/2012/06/tim_kring_and_att_bring_the_truth_to_light_in_daybreak_2012/) - A van is careening down a winding road, followed in close pursuit by a police car, sirens blaring. The passenger of the van, Ben Wilkins, urgently questioned by the driver (not named in the chapter but later on we find out his name is â€œCharlesâ€), Â swears he doesnâ€™t know why theyâ€™re chasing him or what
- [ARGFest 2012 Toronto Locks in Dinner and a Movie](https://www.argn.com/2012/05/argfest_2012_toronto_locks_in_dinner_and_a_movie/) - ARGFest-o-Con, the annual conference dedicated to bringing together players and creators of alternate reality games and transmedia storytelling experiments, is heading north to Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada between July 26th and July 28th. Over the past 11 years, ARGFest has played host to city-wide puzzle trails, panels, and live events that allow attendees to
- [Showcase's "Continuum" ARG Kicks Off in Canada with a Bang](https://www.argn.com/2012/05/showcases_continuum_arg_kicks_off_in_canada_with_a_bang/) - Earlier today, I received a package in the mail from aspiring journalist and college student Tyler Cross containing evidence relating to a series of curious events taking place in Vancouver, Canada. It started in April when Cross was testing her reporting chops at Vancouver's Fan Expo and captured an activist organization's efforts to broadcast their
- [Lizzie Bennet Diaries Brings a Classic Spin to the Vlog](https://www.argn.com/2012/05/lizzie_bennet_diaries_brings_a_classic_spin_to_the_vlog/) - Lizzie Bennet's mother wants the best for her three daughters. Unfortunately for Lizzie, her mother's antiquated impression of what is best involves settling Lizzie and her two sisters down with the first rich, eligible bachelors to come along. She even printed out a motivational tshirt for poor Lizzie, broadcasting that "[i]t is a truth universally
- [Haxan Films Provides a Glimpse of the ARG That Could Have Been](https://www.argn.com/2012/04/haxan_films_provides_a_glimpse_of_the_arg_that_could_have_been/) - Haxan Films kicked off promotions for the limited release of its film Lovely Molly last week by mailing ARGNet a care package containing a cryptic disc leading to a series of puzzles and videos on the Lovely Molly website. Over the past few days, all but one of the puzzles have been solved, with a
- [Haxan Films Returns to Blair Witch Roots with "Lovely Molly"](https://www.argn.com/2012/04/haxan_films_returns_to_blair_witch_roots_with_lovely_molly/) - It's been over 13 years since Haxan Films screened its debut film The Blair Witch Project at Sundance. And while the "found footage" format used in the film quickly established its place as a cult classic, the film's innovative viral marketing campaignÂ that created extensive artifacts insisting on the film's reality fueled the movie's rabid fanbase
- [Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom: An Interactive, Location-Based Experience](https://www.argn.com/2012/03/sorcerers_of_the_magic_kingdom_an_interactive_location-based_experience/) - Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is a new interactive experience that debuted on February 22 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Jonathan Ackley, Senior Director and Show Producer Interactive of Walt Disney Imagineering, and his team spent four years designing and producing the game. Ackley gained early insights into interactivity as a
- [Telegraphs to an Alternate World with Tap Joint](https://www.argn.com/2012/03/telegraphs_to_an_alternate_world_with_tap_joint/) - A man sits at a Chinese restaurant, sitting in front of a telegraph machine enclosed in a wooden box. Carefully placing a pair of battered headphones over his ears, the unknown man uses a cipher key to decipher the message, "Welcome to the city." This is the scene that greets visitors to Tap Joint, a
- [NYC Post-Advertising Summit Provides Hands-On Look at the Future](https://www.argn.com/2012/02/nyc_post-advertising_summit_provides_hands-on_look_at_the_future/) - On March 29th at Cult Studios in New York City, marketing agency Story Worldwide will attempt to put the nail in the coffin of traditional advertising with the Post-Advertising Summit, an immersive, hands-on conference to explore the future of marketing designed for strategists and storytellers keen on producing branded content in a new age. With
- [Guidestones: A Mystery Stranger Than Fiction](https://www.argn.com/2012/02/guidestones_a_mystery_stranger_than_fiction/) - Sandy Rai, an Indian exchange student, comes to the journalism program at Toronto's Ryerson University and teams up with fellow student Trevor Shale for an assignment. However, what starts off as a college photojournalism assignment quickly plunges Sandy and Trevor into a deep mystery revolving around the suspicious death of a scientist, the enigmatic Georgia
- [Legends of Alcatraz Takes Fox's New Series to The Rock](https://www.argn.com/2012/01/legends_of_alcatraz_takes_foxs_new_series_to_the_rock/) - Image courtesy of Geoff May at Wikibruce On Monday, January 16, Alcatraz premiered on Fox. The time travelling drama focuses on the mysterious disappearance of 256 prisoners and 46 guards from Alcatraz in 1963. In 2012, the inmates suddenly begin to return. To kick off the premiere, Fox partnered with Ford to produce Legends of
- [2011 Year in Review: The Final Chapter](https://www.argn.com/2012/01/2011_year_in_review_the_final_chapter/) - In 2011, I tried an experiment: rather than write a single article attempting to sum up the year in alternate reality games, I'd split the daunting task up into four parts and pen my thoughts as the year progressed. This is the final installment in that series, covering the final quarter of the year: if
- [2011 Year in Review: The Year in Three Quarters, Nickels, and Dimes](https://www.argn.com/2011/10/2011_year_in_review_the_year_in_three_quarters_nickels_and_dimes/) - In the past three months, players have demonstrated their willingness to pay for alternate reality games. Taken in isolation, players reaching into their pocketbooks to pay money for alternate reality games is not news. Ever since the genre's inception, opportunities to pay money for ARGs have emerged. Majestic, Electronic Arts' venture into the world of
- [2011 Year in Review: Puzzling Through Half a Year](https://www.argn.com/2011/07/2011_year_in_review_puzzling_through_half_a_year/) - It's been three months since ARGNet's first look back at this year in alternate reality gaming, putting over half of 2011 behind us. Alternate reality games have continued to insinuate themselves into pop culture, spanning movies, television, music, video games, and books. The genre has stretched out beyond the entertainment industry to support social causes,
- [2011 Year in Review: Around the World in the First 90 Days](https://www.argn.com/2011/04/2011_year_in_review_around_the_world_in_the_first_90_days/) - It's been a little over 90 days since I wrote a Year in Review article on the state of alternate reality games in 2010, and 2011 is already shaping up to be another busy year. Read on for a summary of some of the major news items to hit ARGNet's radar. Industry News One of
- [Reality: Transforming USC Film Studentsâ€™ Freshman Year Into an Addictive Game](https://www.argn.com/2011/12/reality_transforming_usc_film_students_freshman_year_into_an_addictive_game/) - Image courtesy of Ben Chance By Nathan Maton and Rebecca Thomas School changed this year for the majority of freshman at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Driven, talented future media makers normally waited until their sophomore year to produce any major media through the program, but this year USC partnered with Ph.D. candidate Jeff
- [World Gold Council Takes Lost Ring Hunt to Twitter](https://www.argn.com/2011/12/world_gold_council_takes_lost_ring_hunt_to_twitter/) - On Miranda's recent vacation to New York City, she lost her gold wedding band in Times Square. And she's so desperate to recover the band, she's offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to its safe return. Miranda is encouraging good samaritans across the country to turn to Twitter to help her in her search.
- [Robot Heart Stories Sends Kids on Cross-Country Trek Fueled by Imagination](https://www.argn.com/2011/12/robot_heart_stories_sends_kids_on_cross-country_trek_fueled_by_imagination/) - Image by Mike Hedge and Tiffani Bearup Lance Weiler's most recent project began with a simple yet provocative question: can a robot reboot education? To answer that question, Weiler collaborated with fellow Workbook Project contributor Janine Saunders in creating Robot Heart Stories with a team of more than 50 creative professionals. For the project, students
- ["Vanished" Teaches Children to Save the Future with Science](https://www.argn.com/2011/11/vanished_teaches_children_to_save_the_future_with_science/) - Images courtesy of the MIT Education Arcade Scientists from the future reached out to present day scientists as part of Project Phoenix to investigate a natural disaster that wiped out the historical record as part of Vanished, an alternate reality game designed exclusively for children. The game was a collaboration between the MIT Education Arcade
- [Six to Start and BBC Bring Codebreaking Back to Bletchley Park](https://www.argn.com/2011/11/six_to_start_and_bbc_bring_codebreaking_back_to_bletchley_park/) - Image courtesy of the BBC On September 10,Â 2011, Pete Ryland cracked The Code and took home the coveted prize, a unique bronze and silver mathematical sculpture by Bathsheba Grossman. The lead-up to the tense finale was a collaborativeÂ transmedia treasure hunt centred around the three-part BBC2 show The Code, presented by Marcus du Sautoy. The game
- [Fourth Wall Studios Showcases Revamped RIDES Platform with Spooky Short Story "Home"](https://www.argn.com/2011/10/fourth_wall_studios_showcases_revamped_rides_platform_with_spooky_short_story_home/) - Earlier this week, Fourth Wall Studios relaunched its website with a preview of things to come for the company and its first new experience on the company's proprietary RIDES platform in over two years. The experience, Home: A Ghost Story, provides a proof-of-concept for storytelling that organically weaves video content with other media like email,
- [Prepare Yourself for Christy Denaâ€™s New Audio Drama: AUTHENTIC IN ALL CAPS](https://www.argn.com/2011/10/prepare_yourself_for_christy_denas_new_audio_drama_authentic_in_all_caps/) - In the coming months Christy Dena will release an audio drama titled AUTHENTIC IN ALL CAPS, guiding you through the story of a gambling philosopherâ€™s quest to earn a living as an autopsy pathologist. While still in development, Christy was kind enough to give us the scoop on her project: Nathan Maton: Hi Christy. Iâ€™ve
- [ARGFest 2011: A Stellar Puzzle Solution](https://www.argn.com/2011/09/argfest_2011_a_stellar_puzzle_solution/) - Last month, I presented you with a deceptively complex puzzle Stitch Media used to challenge ARGFest attendees. To date, only six puzzlers have managed to walk away with the solution. If you still want to attempt to join their ranks, stop reading here, because I'm finally going to reveal the solution below. The poem provided
- [Lazy 8 Studios Hard at Work on New Transmedia Project, Extrasolar](https://www.argn.com/2011/09/lazy_8_studios_hard_at_work_on_new_transmedia_project_extrasolar/) - Lazy 8 Studios has a new sci-fi themed interactive narrative experience in the works called Extrasolar. Lazy 8 Studios is the company behind Cogs, one of the thirteen indie games involved in the Portal 2 Potato Sack ARG earlier this year. Extrasolar's story involves the eXoplanetary Research Institute (XRI), a private agency that sent an
- [ARGFest 2011: Sandwiching Panels with Play](https://www.argn.com/2011/09/argfest_2011_sandwiching_panels_with_play/) - Image courtesy of Kevin Makice For almost a decade, ARGFest has gathered game developers, academics, and players in one spot to take stock of the industry, sharing insights into the development process, best practices for design, and personal anecdotes from past campaigns. As I have previously argued, however, one of the best ways to hone
- [StoryWorld Conference Brings Transmedia Practitioners to San Francisco](https://www.argn.com/2011/08/storyworld_conference_brings_transmedia_practitioners_to_san_francisco/) - Between October 31st and November 2nd, the StoryWorld Conference & Expo will be taking transmedia to San Francisco. Last month, I gave a WEBCast for the conference discussing three recent campaigns, and I'm pleased to announce that ARGNet is one of the event's media sponsors. The upside for you is the extension of our discount
- [ARGFest 2011: A Puzzle from Stitch Media](https://www.argn.com/2011/08/argfest_2011_a_puzzle_from_stitch_media/) - ARGFest is a yearly gathering of transmedia players, designers, and enthusiasts that has been going on for almost ten years. And while the gathering is now dominated by the series of panels and presentation that make up the conference, every year offers ample opportunities for attendees to settle down and tackle perplexing puzzles as a
- [Michael Grant Brings Character to the Forefront with "Go BZRK"](https://www.argn.com/2011/08/michael_grant_brings_character_to_the_forefront_with_go_bzrk/) - Michael Grant is a highly prolific author in the young adult fiction space, with over 150 books to his name. Grant worked on the popular Animorphs and Everworld series with his wife Katherine Applegate and recently went on to release the Gone series on his own. For his newest project, Go BZRK, Grant is trying
- [Get Ready to Play at ARGFest-o-Con 2011](https://www.argn.com/2011/08/get_ready_to_play_at_argfest-o-con_2011/) - Next week, from Thursday, August 18, to Sunday, August 21, alternate reality gamers and transmedia producers will descend on Bloomington, Indiana, for ARGFest-o-Con 2011. Led by this year's Grand Inquisitor Andrea Phillips, the schedule taps into the local game development talent as well as the strong academic presence at Indiana University, which features such names
- [Time Is Running Out for LA Time/Trip](https://www.argn.com/2011/08/time_is_running_out_for_la_timetrip/) - For the next few weeks, Los Angeles residents have a chance to do something many of us can only dream about: a little time traveling, courtesy of Superfreako Productions. Participants in time/trip LA are tasked with finding strategically placed QR codes located in 8 shops and stores around the Hollywood area, starting atÂ Meltdown Comics on
- [ARGNet's Michael Andersen to Present in StoryWorld Webcast](https://www.argn.com/2011/07/argnets_michael_andersen_to_present_in_storyworld_webcast/) - Digital Book World, an online community for publishing professionals and host to the StoryWorld Conference + Expo, will feature ARGNet owner and senior editor Michael Andersen in StoryWorld's July 27th WEBcast. The webcast is titled What's Possible with Transmedia: Case Studies in Successful Projects and will air at 1:00 p.m. EDT. According to Digital Book
- [A Walk Through Westeros: Retracing "The Maester's Path"](https://www.argn.com/2011/05/a_walk_through_westeros_retracing_the_maesters_path/) - Images courtesy of Campfire On Sunday, April 24th, HBO's newest show, Game of Thrones, brought viewers into the world of Westeros, a land flush with political machinations and magic. Based on George R.R. Martin's highly acclaimed Song of Ice and Fire book series, the franchise came pre-packaged with a committed fan base that has been
- [Six to Start and BBC Team Up for "The Code Challenge"](https://www.argn.com/2011/06/six_to_start_and_bbc_team_up_for_the_code_challenge/) - Six to Start and the BBC have teamed up to create a transmedia experience tied in with BBC Two documentary The Code, expected to air at the end of July. The Code is presented by Professor of Mathematics Marcus du Sautoy (Horizon on BBC2, The Beauty of Diagrams on BBC4) and explores how the world
- [Engage In Some Covert Affairs, Twitter-Style](https://www.argn.com/2011/06/engage_in_some_covert_affairs_twitter-style/) - USA Network is running a "tweetcast"Â called Mission: Budapest to promote their show, Covert Affairs,Â where players are recruited as remote CIA operatives and tasked with assisting operatives on the ground in Budapest. Players can follow one or all of four CIA agents as they work the mission in Budapest by viewing photos, files, and videos uncovered
- [ARGFest-o-Con 2011 - The 10th Anniversary ](https://www.argn.com/2011/06/argfest-o-con_2011_-_the_10th_anniversary_/) - It's the 10th anniversary ofÂ ARGFest-o-Con August 18th-21st in Bloomington, Indiana. Perhaps this seems inconsequential to you. Perhaps, you forget that 10 years ago an interactive experience called The Beast shook people's lives more than any church mass ever has. So, chew on this: what once seemed crazy is now a definitive part of the future
- [Dude, Where's Cesar's Car? The Super Civic Quest](https://www.argn.com/2011/06/dude_wheres_cesars_car_the_super_civic_quest/) - "Â¿Donde parke mi Civic?" No, this isn't a scene from the Spanish remake of Dude, Where's My Car: it's the call to action for an online puzzle hunt featuring champion Luchador Cesar, whose 2012 Rallye Red Civic Coupe went missing prior to his title match with el Burrito Caliente. As the online quest's video explains,
- [42 Entertainment Involved in Potential ARG for Wrigley](https://www.argn.com/2011/06/42_entertainment_involved_in_potential_arg_for_wrigley/) - Last week, cryptic print advertisements started to appear pointing readers to the TestSubjectsNeeded.com website. In last week's issue of the comic Flashpoint, morse code led the way. In the Seattle Weekly newspaper, it was a QR Code. Both paths lead toÂ a psychedelic movie introducing the viewer to the Human Preservation Project and then goes through
- [A Bloody Poker's Paradise from vm-people](https://www.argn.com/2011/05/a_bloody_pokers_paradise_from_vm-people/) - While it often goes unremarked here at ARGNet, Germany has a thriving community dedicated to alternate reality games. Leading the charge in the German-speaking world, vm-people created a landing page to welcome German-speaking players to the world of alternate reality games at Folge dem Kaninchen (Follow the Rabbit). Over the years, vm-people have successfully deployed
- [Win a Pocket Movie Camera Through Socks Inc. Twitter Contest](https://www.argn.com/2011/05/win_a_pocket_movie_camera_through_socks_inc_twitter_contest/) - To coincide with the launch of Socks, Inc., Awkward Hug has found it in their hearts to offer ARGNet readers a chance to win all the tools necessary to join the fun in style. So put your talents at tweeting to the test for a chance to take home a portable movie camera and Super
- [Socks Inc. Introduces Players to a World of Sockcraft](https://www.argn.com/2011/05/socks_inc_introduces_players_to_a_world_of_sockcraft/) - Prepare to work your socks off at Socks Inc.,Â the factory that makes Believe.Â Socks Inc. is the largest employer of sock puppets in the world and if you play your cards right, you too could be hired, starting today. To complete your employment application,Â create a sock puppet,Â go the Socks Inc. website, and register to join the
- [Current TV's Participation Tango, Bar Karma](https://www.argn.com/2011/05/current_tvs_participation_tango_bar_karma/) - An old man stands behind a bar.Â Half butler, half mad scientist, he sports a three-piece gray suit, an all-knowing smile, and the frayed messy grey hair of an aging genius.Â He withdraws a deck of cards labeled with simplistic circles and lines, slowly shuffling the deck before placing a handful of cards in front
- [Discover History at NYPL and Find the Future](https://www.argn.com/2011/04/discover_history_at_nypl_and_find_the_future/) - According to Jane McGonigal, gamers tend to read books more than they watch TV. Books give us big ideas and inform our imaginations, create new worlds and take us on amazing adventures. Oddly enough, the place where books are kept and made available, the library, does not usually fill us with the same sense of
- [Transmedia Experts Tell the Story to NABShow Attendees](https://www.argn.com/2011/04/transmedia_experts_tell_the_story_to_nabshow_attendees/) - For the second year in a row, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show hosted a panel of transmedia luminaries to discuss the state of the industry. This year's panel, Transmedia: Telling the Story through Narrative Content, Games and Real-World Adventures was hosted by Henry Jenkins (Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at the University
- [The End of "The Jejune Institute"](https://www.argn.com/2011/04/the_end_of_the_jejune_institute/) - Clear your schedule. Cancel all of your appointments and hop on the next plane to San Francisco. Head straight from the airport to 580 California Street and tell the receptionist you need to go to the Jejune Institute on the 16th floor. You don't have much time, as The Jejune Institute is closing its doors
- [IFP, Power to the Pixel Pair Up to Bring Cross-Media Forum to NYC](https://www.argn.com/2011/04/ifp_power_to_the_pixel_pair_up_to_bring_cross-media_forum_to_nyc/) - For the past five years, Power to the Pixel hosted a Cross-Media Forum at the London Film Festival, seeking to connect the film community with digital innovators exploring new methods of distribution, marketing, and financing for their projects. On April 19th, Power to the Pixel is partnering with the Independent Filmmaker Project to bring the
- [Tribeca Film Institute Establishes New Media Fund](https://www.argn.com/2011/04/tribeca_film_institute_establishes_new_media_fund/) - Making an independent film is an expensive proposition that can become even more costly for innovators interested in integrating transmedia storytelling into their projects. Increasingly, content creators are turning to crowdfunding services like Indiegogo and Kickstarter to produce their passion project on a budget that doesn't require maxing out credit cards. This fall, thanks to
- [Coming Soon: New Online Experience from JC Hutchins](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/coming_soon_new_online_experience_from_jc_hutchins/) - 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
- [A Little Taste of SerennAide from America, 2049](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/a_little_taste_of_serennaide_from_america_2049/) - In America 2049,Â the former land of the free has degenerated into the Divided States of America, where sexuality, religion, speech and culture are all controlled and restricted. On the upside: the entire population is on a drug Â that inhibits aggressive behavior called SerennAide,Â administered automatically through the water supply. This has led to a decrease in
- [The Smithsonian and MIT Help Your Kids Get "Vanished"](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/the_smithsonian_and_mit_helps_your_kids_get_vanished/) - There is a mystery afoot, and scientists at MIT and the Smithsonian are investigating. But they project that before the next full moon, they will need the help of middle-schoolers across the country to understand an impending environmental disaster, secrets that they alone can uncover. Vanished is a science-fiction themed alternate reality game launching on
- [Fools of the World Unite, Send a Cookie](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/fools_of_the_world_unite_send_a_cookie/) - Earlier today, I received an item in the post. It was postmarked with three stamps from Denmark, and was apparently so interesting that someone else saw fit to open both envelope and box, as it was ripped open when I received it. Inside was a box liberally taped together with the message "Fools of the
- [SXSW 2011: Fan to Fanatic: True Bloodâ€™s Marketing Hook](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/sxsw_2011_fan_to_fanatic_true_bloods_marketing_hook/) - Full disclosure: Dee Cook, a former associate editor at ARGNet, was employed by Campfire to work on Seasons One and Two of the True Blood marketing campaign. She also attended a SXSW panel dedicated to the campaign, and graciously agreed to post a summary of the conversation here. Some readers may recall a buzz back
- [World Robot Boxing League Presents History of "Real Steel"](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/world_robot_boxing_league_presents_history_of_real_steel/) - PAX East was held in Boston this weekend, and conference attendees that took the time to dig through their conference swag bags discovered cardboard cut-outs of a futuristic controller. If rumor is to be believed, this innocuous controller serves as the trailhead to 42 Entertainment's newest alternate reality game for the film Real Steel. Each
- [PC Studio "3:15 Stories" T-Shirt Giveaway](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/pc_studio_315_stories_t-shirt_giveaway/) - The Ides of March have almost arrived, and with them, the release of Patrick Carman's 3:15 Stories app. In honor of the release, Carman and PC Studio have graciously offered to give away fifteen 3:15 Stories t-shirts to ARGNet readers. And what better way to give away fifteen 3:15 Stories t-shirts than to have three
- [PC Studio Takes the Reading Experience Mobile](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/pc_studios_takes_the_reading_experience_mobile/) - Books as a form of entertainment are facing stiff competition from an increasing array of options. Patrick Carman, author and head of PC Studio, views this as particularly true with the younger generation, where mobile devices provide constant access to alternative content. As he explains, "if you're twelve . . . and you don't have
- [SCVNGR Wants You to LevelUp with Your Local Merchants](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/scvngr_wants_you_to_levelup_with_your_local_merchants/) - As previously reported on ARGNet, in the last year, location-based gaming start-up SCVNGR has been taking the smartphone app world by storm, partnering with giant entertainment companies as well as local businesses, nonprofits, and cultural institutions to build "a game layer on top of the world." Very much a driving force in the overall gamification
- [So You Want to Be a Villain?](https://www.argn.com/2011/03/so_you_want_to_be_a_villain/) - Finally, a chance to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a masked villain! At least,Â that's what I thought when I received a personal invitation from the mysterious T.S. to join the Villain Training Program. Some clever sleuthing from the online community discovered the game's website. The siteÂ features a villain's silhouette artfully framing a YouTube video
- [You Thought It Was Cold Now?  Get Ready for The Big Chill](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/you_thought_it_was_cold_now_get_ready_for_the_big_chill/) - As yet another entry in the serious gaming genre, Ready For The Big Chill asks a "chilling" question: would you be ready in the event of a catastrophic event such as the eruption of a super-volcano or an asteroid impact that blocked the sun, throwing the world into a new Ice Age? Several ARG and
- [Coast to Coast with "Focus Rally: America"](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/coast_to_coast_with_focus_rally_america/) - Like many red-blooded Americans, the idea of going on a cross-country road trip has an undeniable allure for me. I have fond memories of piling into the car for family vacations, and years of watching road movies have convinced me that there's no better way to experience personal growth. I'm also a fan of living
- [Patrick Carman Grabs Young Readers with "Trackers"](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/patrick_carman_grabs_young_readers_with_trackers/) - Adam Henderson is a technical wizard. Growing up working and tinkering at his father's computer repair shop located in the shadow of Microsoft meant Adam had access to the latest and greatest technology. By fifth grade, Adam was engaged in white-hat hacking, finding and reporting security holes to companies. By sixth grade, his attention focused
- [W.A.T.C.H. Out as "Battle: Los Angeles" Strikes Home](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/watch_out_as_battle_los_angeles_strikes_home/) - Yesterday, I received irrefutable photographic evidence delivered to my doorstep that proves my home has been destroyed in the opening salvo of a war against space invaders. Photos don't lie, so it's obviously too late for me. but you can still save yourself by enlisting in W.A.T.C.H. The "largest UFO intelligence organization that assesses planetary
- [Snow Town Library: Beware the Librarian](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/snow_town_library_beware_the_librarian/) - Wow, you really can't let those library due dates slide. Imagine my surprise when I received not just one, but four overdue library notices from the Snow Town Library in Snow Town, Maine. I must have had snow on my mind when I took out The Snow Man by Hans Christian Andersen, Blizzard by George
- [Strong Arm Your Way into the Ring of Dishonor: Q&A with Master Thief Mike Selinker](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/strong_arm_your_way_into_the_ring_of_dishonor_qa_with_master_thief_mike_selinker/) - As previously reported on ARGNet, Wired magazine and Lone Shark Games have created a special "Underworld Exposed" issue to delight and confound puzzle-solvers and would-be thieves eager to join the nefarious Ring of Dishonor, a special place for the craftiest of puzzlers. Frustrated by the secret ciphers hidden in the magazine, available both in print
- [Lone Shark Games and Wired Want You to Join Their Ring of Dishonor](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/lone_shark_games_and_wired_want_you_to_join_their_ring_of_dishonor/) - In this month's Wired, Lone Shark Games is presenting a unique challenge to puzzlers, techies, and . . . thugs? Promising "A Guided Tour of the Dark Side," this special "Underworld Exposed" issue includes fascinating articles about real-world crime and other things hidden from plain sight. Along these lines, the magazine, available both in print
- [Odd Jobs for Old Soldiers](https://www.argn.com/2011/02/odd_jobs_for_old_soldiers/) - While going through his company's archives, an employee using the moniker "LOKI" discovered evidence of a conspiracy. After contacting the FBI, Loki took his typewriter out of storage, drafted a cover letter explaining his situation, and sent a package of information to me and others as security. Unfortunately, he "forgot" to load the typewriter ribbon,
- [Ford Shifts into Overdrive with "Focus Rally: America" Campaign](https://www.argn.com/2011/01/ford_shifts_into_overdrive_with_focus_rally_america_campaign/) - Reality show audiences can often support their favorite contestants by calling in votes. Focus Rally: America is taking audience participation to another level by bringing fans directly into the action by solving puzzles and completing challenges to help their favorite teams and accumulate points for a series of prize drawings. The Ford Motor Company partnered
- [Your Princess is in Another Game: The 2011 MIT Mystery Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2011/01/your_princess_is_in_another_game_the_2011_mit_mystery_hunt/) - Editor's Note: Alex Calhoun shares his experience participating in the 2011Â MIT Mystery Hunt in this guest post. Calhoun's team, Codex Alimentarius, was the first to finish this year's Hunt, earning the privilege to design the 2012 Hunt. The time is 12:17pm on Friday, January 14th, 2011. A string quartet is playing in Lobby 7 at
- [A Commentary on Jane McGonigal's New Book, "Reality is Broken"](https://www.argn.com/2011/01/a_commentary_on_jane_mcgonigals_new_book_reality_is_broken/) - In 2008, Jane McGonigal delivered a rant at the Game Developer's Conference entitled "Reality is Broken" that galvanizedÂ developers into tackling real-life problems. McGonigal has since refined her thesis through presentations delivered at venues ranging from South by Southwest to TED. She has also put her theories to practical use with alternate reality games and interactive
- [Sundance Film Festival is Ground Zero for Lance Weiler's "Pandemic 1.0"](https://www.argn.com/2011/01/sundance_film_festival_is_ground_zero_for_lance_weilers_pandemic_10/) - There is an empty lot in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Madison Avenue, located at 41.410806Â° North, 75.654259Â° West. Despite its wholly unremarkable appearance, the site may be ground zero for a pandemic that will consume the planet. To find out the truth, exercise this opportunity to make the trek to Park City, Utah, where Lance Weiler's
- [A Look Back at the Year in Alternate Reality Games: 2010 Edition](https://www.argn.com/2010/12/a_look_back_at_the_year_in_alternate_reality_games_2010_edition/) - At the end of every year, I like to set aside some time to take stock of the alternate reality gaming space. Last year, I satisfied this rather unwholesome urge by making a list of some of the most talked-about alternate reality games of 2009: I even checked it twice. This year, I'll be focusing
- [The Elephant in the Room: Talking Transmedia at the eBook Summit in NYC](https://www.argn.com/2010/12/the_elephant_in_the_room_talking_transmedia_at_the_ebook_summit_in_nyc/) - This week, I attended the eBook Summit, an event organized by Mediabistro, GalleyCat, and eBookNewser, here in New York City, aiming to usher in the "New Era of Publishing" with a program of experts through a one-day extravaganza of digital publishing. Although geared more toward professionals in the "traditional" book publishing industry, a few overarching
- [Media Theorist Douglas Rushkoff on Alternate Reality Games](https://www.argn.com/2010/12/media_theoris_douglas_rushkoff_on_alternate_reality_games/) - Author, media theorist, teacher, and winner of the first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, Douglas Rushkoff is well-known for his insightful books and documentaries about how cultures, people, and institutions shape values in the digital age. Since his 1994 observational book Cyberia, Rushkoff has often been at the forefront of
- [Flynn Lives Reaches End of Line with Final Puzzles and Free Screenings](https://www.argn.com/2010/12/flynn_lives_reaches_end_of_line_with_final_puzzles_and_free_screenings/) - On December 8th,Â Flynn Lives treated players to a final live event as the alternate reality game promoting the upcoming release of Tron: Legacy came to a close. As the previously discovered Digital Pulse timer hit 00:00, the site updated with information about multiple transmissions that members of the Flynn Lives organization had discovered and believed
- [Flynn Lives Goes Through an Epiphany](https://www.argn.com/2010/12/flynn_lives_goes_through_an_epiphany/) - The week following Thanksgiving is usually a slow one as folks readjust to their daily routine post-turkey and gravy, but Flynn Lives players found themselves back in the thick of things. After a week's hiatus, presumably to give thanks for all the buzz fans have been creating, Flynn Lives was back with some flash today;
- [Flynn Lives: END OF LINE?](https://www.argn.com/2010/11/flynn_lives_end_of_line/) - It has been a busy two months for Flynn Lives, which has been a nice change of pace for players who had been growing anxious for activity following the two month lull post San Diego Comic Con. In early October players noticed a new puzzle on the Flynn Lives Facebook page that, once cracked, led
- [ARG vs. MMORPG: More Real, and More Social](https://www.argn.com/2010/11/arg_vs_mmorpg_more_real_and_more_social/) - Editor's Note: over the past year, Priscilla Haring conducted a series of interviews with players of alternate reality games ("ARGs") and massively multiplayer online games ("MMORPGs") to delve into the motivations that drive player involvement. Haring kindly agreed to share a summation of her findings, provided below. For her full thesis and other related papers,
- [A Peek Behind Previously Closed Doors with Power to the Pixel](https://www.argn.com/2010/11/a_peek_behind_previously_closed_doors_with_power_to_the_pixel/) - Unless you've presented a slide deck to potential production partners and financiers, the process of pitching a transmedia property probably seems like a foreign concept. Since 2007, Power to the Pixel's Cross-Media Forum has sought to make this process more transparent. The centerpiece of the conference was The Pixel Pitch, where nine transmedia projects were
- [Jeff Gomez Reveals Secrets to Transmedia Franchise Development at CineKid](https://www.argn.com/2010/11/jeff_gomez_reveals_secrets_to_transmedia_franchise_development_at_cinekid/) - This past week, Amsterdam played host to Cinekid, the annual international film, TV, and new media festival for young people. The festival also provides separate sessions for professionals working in these entertainment media. One of these sessions, the Junior Cross Media Market, brings together producers of transmedia content for children with international financiers and co-producers,
- [Elect Garrison Medill: The Next Mayor of Chicago](https://www.argn.com/2010/11/elect_garrison_medill_the_next_mayor_of_chicago/) - We're just now recovering from the mid-term elections here in the United States, but Garrison Medill is making a fierce run to become Mayor of Chicago. This "outside the Beltway" candidate, a Pratt University graduate with an MFA in sculpture, calls himself a "forward-thinking mayor." At his campaign kickoff party, Garrison Medill took a firm
- [PICNIC on Crowdsourcing Cars and Apple Stores](https://www.argn.com/2010/11/picnic_on_crowdsourcing_cars_and_apple_stores/) - We return to ARGNetâ€™s coverage of PICNIC 2010 with more coverage from day one of the conference, themed "Redesigning Design." The first speaker of the afternoon section, Tim Kobe, is founding partner of Eight Inc., referenced as "8_" throughout the presentation (and for the rest of this article).Â 8_ is a combination of many different things,
- [DevLearn10: Paging Dr. Strangelearn](https://www.argn.com/2010/11/devlearn10_paging_dr_strangelearn/) - Life as a Mad Scientist can be really, really tough.Â Sometimes it's difficult to get the other Mad Scientists to sign on to your amazing discovery, your new way of doing things, your "Eureka!" moment. Â Everyone has experienced bureaucratic inertia, office politics, and personal opposition to new ideas and innovation, but atÂ Dr. Strangelearnâ€™s Learning Laboratory, you
- [How to Build Legends Out of Stories](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/how_to_build_legends_out_of_stories/) - During the Netherlands Film Festival the brand new transmedia event From Story to Legend was held in Utrecht as an initiative of both the Dutch Organisation for Professionals in the Movie and TV Industry (NBF) and the transmedia agency Dondersteen Media. The goal of FSTL was to introduce professionals in the TV/movie industry to transmedia
- [SCVNGR Unleashes Zombie Horde Through Social Check-In Feature](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/scvngr_unleashes_zombie_horde_through_social_check-in_feature/) - Geo-locative check-in app SCVNGR has pulled off some crazy stunts in the past few months. Modernista used the app to lead Dexter fans to a kill room set up at Comic-Con in San Diego, and the New England Patriots used it to help nose tackle Vince Wilfork recover his Super Bowl XXXIX ring. But this
- [Exploring the World of Collapsus with Director Tommy Pallotta](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/exploring_the_world_of_collapsus_with_director_tommy_pallotta/) - In March of 2010, the Dutch broadcasting company VPRO released the documentary Energy Risk as part of its Future Affairs programming. The Dutch-language documentary explored the impending transition from fossil fuel to alternative energy sources. Recognizing that the average documentary viewer is over the age of 55, the network approached SubmarineChannel to create a more
- [Will Wright's Bar Karma: One Step Closer to Collaborative Entertainment?](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/will_wrights_bar_karma_one_step_closer_to_collaborative_entertainment/) - How often have you thought to yourselfÂ I could have written that better after watching an episode of your favorite television show that fell below your expectations? Game designer Will Wright's new television series may give you the chance to do just that. Earlier this month, Current TV announced its new tv series, Bar Karma, scheduled
- [Players Fund The Haunted Majora's Mask ARG](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/players_fund_the_haunted_majoras_mask_arg/) - It is a scenario ARG players are all too familiar with. Just when things start to get interesting, the grassroots puppetmaster comes forward with an apology to the players. The game can no longer go on because of lack of funds or time. Some players are disappointed. Others are angry. Most move on looking for
- [MTV's Savage County Exposes More Bloody Secrets Through Alternate Reality Game](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/mtvs_savage_county_exposes_more_bloody_secrets_through_alternate_reality_game/) - When MTV chose to add a horror movie to its programming schedule, it was with the understanding that the film would be a stark departure from the reality shows that currently dominate the network. The venture was carefully fleshed out and the pulse of the people was examined: MTV used Eventful.com to see if 100,000
- [Pistolsniffer Industries: Head into the Woods with Earl and Randy](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/pistolsniffer_industries_head_into_the_woods/) - The two adorable hicks depicted in the above video sell Sticky Itchers Shower Scrub, a men's shower scrub so manly it's "like a hand grenade wrapped in bacon," and in the past 2 years they've developed something of a cult following in the ARG community. Just recovering from a bout of undeath from a previous
- [Anthony Zuiker Takes <em>CSI</em> to the Next <em>Level 26</em>](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/anthony_zuiker_takes_csi_to_the_next_level_26/) - Images courtesy of Level 26 It's been over a year since CSI creator and executive producer Anthony Zuiker unleashed the grim world of Steve Dark upon readers with the release of his first digi-novel, Level 26: Dark Origins, and on Thursday October 14th, Zuiker is returning to the Level 26 universe with the release of
- [Open Source Convention Planning: ARGFest 2011 General Meeting This Sunday](https://www.argn.com/2010/10/open_source_convention_planning_argfest_2011_general_meeting_this_sunday/) - Every year, alternate reality game developers and players assemble at ARGFest to talk shop, discuss recent innovations in the field, and find exciting new locations to discuss future plans while partaking of drinks sporting umbrellas. This year, ARGFest's planning committee is aiming for transparency throughout the process, and will be holding a General Meeting this
- [Dexter Game Concludes with a "Bang"](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/dexter_game_concludes_with_a_bang/) - Just in time for Sunday's premiere, the Dexter alternate reality game ended on September 23rd with the Infinity Killer's death. The game's conclusion was appropriate for a game riddled with references to the inevitability of fate. Driscoll Connor, also known as the "Infinity Killer" and "F8," arranged to meet the self-professed "Serial Huntress" Dee Pratt
- [PICNIC: Everything We Know About Transmedia Is Wrong](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/picnic_everything_we_know_about_transmedia_is_wrong/) - This installment returns to our coverage of PICNIC with one of the "PICNIC Specials" sessions, and advanced masterclass entitledÂ Everything We Know About Transmedia Is Wrong! It's worth noting that some speakers referred to the session as Everything You Know About Transmedia is Wrong!, a subtle distinction.Â The panel was moderated by Seth Shapiro, two-time Emmy Award
- [An Arcade Classic Comes to Life, Secret Blueprints Revealed](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/an_arcade_classic_comes_to_life_secret_blueprints_revealed/) - An important and much hyped event in the Flynn Lives! ARG came to fruition May 6th--the public unveiling of Encom International's online version of their 1981 arcade classic "Space Paranoids," which debuted at San Diego's Comic Con 2009 for the Flynn's Arcade event. As a prelude to its release, a special countdown teased the game's
- [Comic-Con Recap: ComiTRON](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/comic-con_recap_comitron/) - In 2008, Disney came to Comic-Con with some early conceptual footage for a movie that, at that time, was called TR2N. It received such strong support and generated so much excitement from the Comic-Con crowd, Disney greenlighted the project.Â Flash forward to the 2009 Comic-Con, where Disney presented additional footage for the now-titled TRON: Legacy. Fans
- [Redesigning the World with PICNIC](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/redesigning_the_world_with_picnic/) - This article is the first installment in ARGNet's coverage of PICNIC 2010. Over the coming days, DaniÃ«l van Gool will provide summaries of the sessions he attended as part of ARGNet's media partnership with PICNIC. PICNIC reinvented itself once more this year. The self-proclaimed largest conference on innovation and creativity in Europe, held annually at
- [From Story to Legend Initiative Brings Together Transmedia Talent](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/from_story_to_legend_initiative_brings_together_transmedia_talent/) - Do you know what distinguishes a legend from a mere story? A legend is a storyÂ that is carried by its audience, often gaining some of the audienceâ€™s own perspective. This definition resonates with the working definition for transmedia storytelling. To discuss and expand on this topic, several parties in the Dutch professional film industry
- [Seeing Red with Webishades: An Introduction to a Few Web Series](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/seeing_red_with_webishades_an_introduction_to_a_few_web_series/) - Images courtesy of No Mimes Media Last week, I got a phone call from Felicia Day . . . and you can too. It all started with an interview with No Mimes Media by Jenni PowellÂ posted on Tubefilter, a news site dedicated to web television. While Tubefilter's primary focus is web television, alternate reality games
- [HBO Brings Blood Copy Back From the Dead for True Blood Season 2](https://www.argn.com/2009/05/hbo_brings_blood_copy_back_from_the_dead_for_true_blood_season_2/) - UPDATE 09/12/2010: Welcome to ARGNet, True Blood fans! The BloodCopy.com website appears to be experiencing server issues due to the finale. If you're interested in learning more about the viral marketing behind the show, check out our previous coverage, or read about the mysterious package that launched the campaign back in May 2008. Last year,
- [Be on the Lookout for the Red Seal](https://www.argn.com/2008/05/be_on_the_lookout_for_the_red_seal/) - Over the past few days, a wide variety of people have been finding mysterious envelopes in the mail. Identified only by a customized stamp with a red seal labeled "tb", the envelope contains one of four different letters, each encoded in a different ancient language. In addition, each letter includes a rather striking red seal
- [Interview with Mystery Guest 2010 Creator Heather Owings](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/interview_with_mystery_guest_2010_creator_heather_owings/) - This August, the Finksburg Library in Carroll County, Maryland, finished up Mystery Guest 2010, its second alternate reality game to encourage summer reading for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers in the area.Â Linked with the summer reading program, players earned Library Bucks to use at the Auction Wrap-Up Party where there were prizes like a hockey puck signed
- [ARG Workshop for Teens in London](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/arg_workshop_for_teens_in_london/) - Going to the Thames Festival in London this week?Â Got a bored teen or two on your hands?Â Bring them to the BBC's Blast tour stop where they can register for a variety of workshops, including one on creating their own alternate reality game. The BBC tells us that "[t]he workshop is suitable for young
- [F8 Comes Knocking at My Door: Dexter ARG Hits Close to Home](https://www.argn.com/2010/09/f8_comes_knocking_at_my_door_dexter_arg_hits_close_to_home/) - This morning, a knock on my door woke me up. A package greeted me on my doorstep, addressed to ARGNet (care of Celina Beach). Inside was a tiny, elegant package and a postcard with the picture of a grisly kill room and a bloody infinity sign. This was familiar. This was F8. We'veÂ reported on
- [Animism: The Gods' Lake Project Attends Fan Expo, Sends Package](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/animism_the_gods_lake_project_attends_fan_expo_sends_package/) - On August 28, former Oxbridge University Doctor Declan Grey gave a lecture at the Folklore Academics Network Exposition (FAN Expo) discussing his research on animism at God's Lake in Canada. Professor Declan seemed blissfully unaware that Oxbridge University is a mythical conceit spawned from the mind of 19th century English author William Makepeace Thackeray, and
- [The Hunt for the Infinity Killer Heats Up in Dexter Game](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/the_hunt_for_the_infinity_killer_heats_up_in_dexter_game/) - Photo credit: James Hamilton The hunt for a serial killer is nothing new in the world of alternate reality games. However when this experience is backed by a major broadcasting company, it invariably spills out of the computer screen and into the real world. The culprit in this case is the Showtime television seriesÂ Dexter. The
- [ARGs 101: ARGNet Owner Featured on The Digital Cowboys Podcast](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/args_101_argnet_owner_featured_on_the_digital_cowboys_podcast_/) - Since 2007, The Digital Cowboys, with lively hosts Alex and Tony, have aired weekly podcasts on gaming, and this week ARGNet's own Michael Andersen was their featured guest. Covering both past games and current campaigns, The Digital Cowboys Episode 166 is a must-listen for anyone interested in ARGs. Newcomers should find the interview a particularly
- [Help Edna? Maxis Cooks Up an ARG for Genre-Switching Darkspore Game ](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/help_edna_maxis_cooks_up_an_arg_for_genre-switching_darkspore_game_/) - Image courtesy of EA Games In 2008, Maxis released the video game Spore for the PC and Mac, describing the game as giving players "their own personal universe in a box." Since then, Electronic Arts and Maxis have taken the franchise to the Nintendo DS, Wii, mobile phone, and Facebook. Coming in February 2011, Maxis
- [Jurassic Park Slope: Dinosaurs, Hipsters, and Bill Murray](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/jurassic_park_slope_dinosaurs_hipsters_and_bill_murray/) - Caitlin Burns and Steele Filipek are on the hunt for Bill Murray. When they're not at their day jobs at Starlight Runner Entertainment, the transmedia producers are covering Williamsburg, Brooklyn with flyers in hopes of attracting the attention of the comedian. Burns and Filipek are developing Jurassic Park Slope, an interactive transmedia experience about urban
- [A Super 8 Update: Rocket Poppeteers Blast Off at Comic-Con, Into Your Homes](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/a_super_8_update_rocket_poppeteers_blast_off_at_comic-con_into_your_homes/) - Image from the Rocket Poppeteer twitter account Details about theÂ project code-named Super 8, a new film by J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg, are still ensconced in mystery. And while the movie's viral campaign offers scintillating tastes of what the film may eventually offer, putting those pieces together is a daunting task, made even more difficult
- [SCVNGR: Now Playing, Somewhere Near You!](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/scvngr_now_playing_somewhere_near_you/) - A relative newcomer to smartphone location-based gaming, SCVNGR is taking the United States by storm and threatens to shake up the geo-location game market. Similar to games like Gowalla or Foursquare, players use their smartphones to check in at locations. Unlike anything else on the market, however, SCVNGR players are presented with location-specific "challenges" that
- [The Scariest Thing I Ever Saw: Another JJ Abrams Viral](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/the_scariest_thing_i_ever_saw_another_jj_abrams_viral/) - Editor's Note: for information on events since this article's publication, check out ARGNet's follow-up article on the Super 8 alternate reality game. Over the past few weeks, rumors have been floating around about Super 8, a new movie by JJ Abrams. Many speculated the film would be the newest installment in the Cloverfield universe. Abrams
- [The Earthly Frames' Debut Album Invites Remixing and Chaotic Fiction-Making](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/the_earthly_frames_debut_album_invites_remixing_and_chaotic_fiction-making/) - The Earthly Frames is a one-man band from Maryland spawned from the mind of web game developer Gabriel Walsh. Combining live guitar and vocals with samples from country, folk, and pop music, Walsh's sound is a thick, heavy, and brooding experience pierced with beautifully melodic moments. Earthly Frames, Volume 1, is an album only available
- [Conspiracy for Good: Into the Belly of the Beast to Confront Blackwell Briggs](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/conspiracy_for_good_into_the_belly_of_the_beast_to_confront_blackwell_briggs/) - Image courtesy of stevecadman This past May, Tim Kring launched Conspiracy for Good, and as the summer comes to a close, the events of the past few months are coming to a head for one final event this weekend in London. If you can make it to Bloomsbury Square Gardens in London on August 7,
- [ARGFest 2010: Hotlanta Recap](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/argfest_2010_hotlanta_recap/) - Near, far, wherever you are - ARGFest 2010 in Atlanta, GA was a blast. Whether at ARGFest or its virtual Twitter counterpartÂ #PretendARGFest, the annual conference dedicated to alternate reality games was filled with informative panels and discussions, hands on gaming, mysteries, and social and professional networking opportunities.Â While the player community in attendance was less
- [Dastardly We Lost Our Gold Pirates Start Revealing Location of Misplaced Booty ](https://www.argn.com/2010/08/dastardly_we_lost_our_gold_pirates_start_revealing_location_of_misplaced_booty_/) - The We Lost Our Gold treasure hunt has begun in earnest with the first episode of the weekly web series released today. As ARGNet reported last month, these absent-minded pirates buried their treasure of ten thousand gold-colored US dollar coins somewhere in New York City but can't remember where they hid it. This eight-part web
- [PICNIC 2010: A Preview of Things to Come](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/picnic_2010_a_preview_of_things_to_come/) - PICNIC will be holding its fifth annual conference at the Westergasfabriek in AmsterdamÂ from September 22-24 this year.Â PICNIC is a conference/festival in beautiful Amsterdam that started out as the â€œCross Media Week Festival.â€ And while it is becoming harder to define every year, PICNIC describes itself as â€œa festival that blurs the lines between creativity, science,
- [Amid Controversy, Echo Bazaar Will Soon Bring Fallen London to Facebook](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/amid_controversy_echo_bazaar_will_soon_bring_fallen_london_to_facebook/) - Failbetter Games' casual browser-based gameÂ Echo Bazaar is coming to Facebook.Â Described inÂ The Guardian as "a beautifully moody and lusciously written faux-Victorian game,"Â Echo Bazaar takes place in an alternative 19th-century London that exists a mile beneath the surface of the earth. Fallen London is a place where, in the words of EB's creators, "laudanum-sipping hedonists rub shoulders
- [Salt Your Unfolding History with Hope or Doom on an Expedition with Mr Mirrors: An Adventure at This Monthâ€™s Victoria & Albert Museum Friday Late](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/salt_your_unfolding_history_with_hope_or_doom_on_an_expedition_with_mr_mirrors_an_adventure_at_this_months_victoria_albert_museum_friday_late/) - An Expedition With Mr Mirrors is a collaboration between Failbetter Games and A Door In A Wall (ADIAW), designed for Hide&Seek's Sandpit Night on Friday, March 26, at the storied and majestic Victoria & Albert Museum. Expedition will be one of several games in this monthâ€™s V&A Friday Late, themed "Playgrounds," where possibly thousands of
- [Help New England Patriot Vince Wilfork Recover His Stolen Super Bowl Ring!](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/help_new_england_patriot_vince_wilfork_recover_his_stolen_super_bowl_ring/) - Be sad for New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork (#75). Someone has stolen his precious Super Bowl XXXIX ring, and now Big Vince needs your help to get it back. Help Vince is an local interactive marketing game for the New England Patriots that integrates SCVNGR, a location-based, check-in style smartphone app. A few
- [Gentrification: The Game! Comes to Toronto Next Week](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/gentrification_the_game_comes_to_toronto_next_week/) - Image by Alex Raynes-Goldie On July 25, Atmosphere Industries will bring Gentrification: The Game! to life at the Pedestrian Sundays event at the Kensington Market in Toronto, Canada. This critically acclaimed public space game has already been hosted in New York and at the Hide & Seek Festival in London and has won multiple awards,
- [The Smithsonian and the Boy Scouts of America Team Up for ScoutQuest This Weekend](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/the_smithsonian_and_the_boy_scouts_of_america_team_up_for_scoutquest_this_weekend/) - This year, the Boy Scouts of America celebrates its 100th anniversary and has teamed up with the Smithsonian Insitution to create ScoutQuest, an "interactive citywide hunt" this Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25, in Washington, DC. Uncovering "links between Scouting and some of our greatest national treasures," participants will seek out QR codes in eleven locations
- [Comic-Con Buzz:  Dexter and SCVNGR Challenge You to â€œGame On" at Comic-Con or at Home](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/comic-con_buzz_dexter_and_scvngr_challenge_you_to_game_on_at_comic-con_or_at_home/) - Launching viral campaigns at San Diego Comic-Con is no longer a surprise, and has become almost expected. Some campaigns have even managed to incorporate participation from those not at Comic-Con,Â allowingÂ playersÂ atÂ homeÂ to provide assistance to those on the ground. Showtime, however, has upped the ante with its viral campaign for the hit series Dexter by giving non-Con
- [The Pixel Market Is Open: Compete for the Â£6,000 ARTE Pixel Pitch Prize](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/the_pixel_market_is_open_compete_for_the_6000_arte_pixel_pitch_prize/) - This October, after the 2010 London Cross-Media Forum, Power to the Pixel will be holding The Pixel Market, a chance for producers to pitch transmedia projects to industry heavyweights and to compete for the Â£6,000 ARTE Pixel Pitch Prize. The application deadline is August 6, 2010, and extensive instructions are available at the Power to
- [Life on the Lawn Got You Down? Join the IFILR](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/life_on_the_lawn_got_you_down_join_the_ifilr/) - They're everywhere: garden gnomes, pink flamingos, andÂ "yard art" of people bending over.Â But think of how horrible it is to stand there, day after day in all kinds of weather. Well, the gnomes aren't going to stand there any more, and they're fighting back. Headed by General Secretary Gnome Choamsky, the IFILR (the International Front for
- [Getting Wired For Your ARGNet Fix: The New Decode Subsite](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/getting_wired_for_your_argnet_fix_the_new_decode_subsite/) - Puzzle aficionados and alternate reality game players have a new resource for the latest news and views about puzzles, alternate reality games, scavenger hunts, geocaching, and other sources of "harrowing mental torments." Wired recently launched its new subsite,Â Decode,Â in the wake of Wired's National Magazine Award for best special-topic issue, which recognized the magazine for its
- [We Lost Our Gold: 3 Pirates, 1 Ninja, 10,000 Dollars](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/we_lost_our_gold_3_pirates_1_ninja_10000_dollars/) - 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 Legion of Extraordinary Dancers Bounds into the Limelight](https://www.argn.com/2010/07/the_league_of_extraordinary_dancers_bounds_into_the_limelight/) - 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
- [Dos Equis Cargo Hunt: The Most Interesting Man in the World Is Hiring](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/dos_equis_cargo_hunt_the_most_interesting_man_in_the_world_is_hiring/) - 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"
- [ARGFest is Almost Here](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/argfest_is_almost_here/) - 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
- [Must Love . . . The Latest from Awkward Hug](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/must_love_the_latest_from_awkward_hug/) - 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
- [PICNIC '08, part five: Virtual things in a virtual world are so passÃ©!](https://www.argn.com/2008/11/picnic_08_part_five_virtual_things_in_a_virtual_world_are_so_pass/) - Editor's Note: DaniÃ«l van Gool, an administrator at the Unfiction forums, was on the scene at PICNIC '08 on behalf of ARGNet. We were impressed with DaniÃ«l's work covering PICNIC '07 and, as media partners of the annual cross-media festival, were invited to a number of special events in addition to the speaker sessions. This
- [Six to Start Makes a Game Out of Wired UK Issue](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/six_to_start_makes_a_game_out_of_wired_uk_issue/) - Wired UK has teamed up with alternate reality game designers Six to Start, creators of the 2010 SXSW Best Game Award winner Smokescreen, to make this month's issue of Wired UK a platform for a transmedia game contest. Six to Start's immersive transmedia games have been widely recognized for high-quality storytelling and entertaining game play.
- [Breathe Revived as Recurring Event](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/breathe_revived_as_recurring_event/) - Yomi Ayeni's Breathe was an interactive experience taking place over 3 weeks in October 2009, resulting in the creation of a movie released in 3 parts. At its height, it included immersive live events such as a club night following an initiation ceremony for a secretive, clandestine society. The game attracted a dedicated core following
- [Local Summer Reading ARG: The Mystery Guest](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/local_summer_reading_arg_the_mystery_guest/) - Last month, the Finksburg Library in Carroll County, Maryland, started its second alternate reality game tied to its summer reading program. The Mystery Guest is a strange, out-of-place fellow who has fallen out from the pages of a book, and local teens in Finksburg are trying to find a way to put him back. They
- [ARG Tools for iPhone: Pocket-Sized Power](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/arg_tools_for_iphone_pocket-sized_power/) - Netninja.com released the ARG Tools iPhone app this weekâ€”a well thought-out collection of tools, resources, and links for alternate reality gamers of all levels. Included in this free app are helpful interactive tools for solving substitution ciphers, base64 encoding, VignÃ¨re ciphers, and much more. The homegrown app also features cheat sheets for other reference materials,
- [A Call to Action for Alternate Reality Game Developers: Play ARGs](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/a_call_to_action_for_alternate_reality_game_developers_play_args/) - In recent weeks, a number of alternate reality game developers have called for some changes. Brooke Thompson, the chair of the International Game Developer's Association ARG special interest group, asked developers to make postmortems of completed games publicly available to foster an environment for constructive criticism. No Mimes Media co-founder and ARG Netcast host Steve
- [The Secret Is Out There: Coca Cola Creator Doc Pemberton Stars in "Secret Formula" Campaign](https://www.argn.com/2010/06/the_secret_is_out_there_coca_cola_creator_doc_pemberton_stars_in_secret_formula_campaign/) - The Coca Cola Company has enlisted the aid of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland to create an integrated marketing campaign exploring the history and mythology behind Doctor John Stith Pemberton, the inventor of Coca Cola. The Secret Formula campaign launched with the above video bears many of the trappings of an alternate reality game, with links leading to
- [Cocorico! For ARGs in France: A Point of View on Supernatural Oddities](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/cocorico_for_args_in_france_a_point_of_view_on_supernatural_oddities/) - Â«Â JC, my brother, I havenâ€™t forgotten you. Goodbye â€“ FredÂ Â». This message, hidden in an encrypted note found in a Parisian hotel room, finally gave some closure for JC, the protagonist in Supernatural Oddities.Â JC embarked on a journey to investigate the supernatural after his brother JC disappeared 20 years ago, driven by the mottoÂ :
- [Global Competition Awards Millions to Digital Media and Learning Projects ](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/global_competition_awards_millions_to_digital_media_and_learning_projects_/) - This month, winners are being announced for the third annual MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition, who will share over $1.7 million in funding to pioneer the use of games, mobile phone applications, virtual worlds, and social networks in education and learning. Launched in collaboration with President Obamaâ€™s Educate to Innovate Initiative, the Learning Lab
- [Aguatero Industries: Message in a Bottle, or SOS to the World?](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/aguatero_industries_message_in_a_bottle_or_sos_to_the_world/) - Earlier today, I received a package containing a message in a bottle from Aguatero Industries. The company was so excited to announce its expansion into the Las Vegas and Los Angeles markets, it sent me a message secreted inside their newer, more eco-friendly bottle design. On the inside of the bottle cap, I could faintly
- [Iamamiwhoami: Those Who Play in Mud Grow Mandrakes](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/iamamiwhoami_those_who_play_in_mud_grow_mandrakes/) - Imagine that in todayâ€™s tough economy you were forced to sell gizmos to as wide of a population as you can reach. And, all things being equal, your gizmos are not really that unique. Other salesmen are out there trying to sell their similar gizmos to a wide demographic as well. What do you do?
- [The Twisperers](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/the_twisperers/) - Meet Harold Procter. He's an ex-soldier, he served in Iraq, and he's in possession of a mysterious jewel-encrusted box. Let's just say things aren't going terribly well for Harold. Recently, my Twitterverse has been filled with the back-and-forth of some strange charactersâ€”a bartender in Maine, an antiques dealer, several Iraq War veteransâ€”all from the small
- [Lewis Hamilton Completes His First Mission](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/lewis_hamilton_completes_his_first_mission/) - Earlier this year, Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton sent out a call for help, but not with his racing career - he uses his globe-trotting lifestyle to track down and recover stolen works of art, and his latest case was proving a tough nut to crack. Thus began Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life, brought to you
- [Lost Souls: Burning Sky Opens New Trilogy for Young Adults](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/lost_souls_burning_sky_opens_new_trilogy_for_young_adults/) - 2012 marks the end of the world in the Mayan calendar, and, in Lost Souls: Burning Sky, 13-year-old Nathan Richards must play the Game of Lost Souls to win mankind a place in the new world cycle. But apparently, Nathan is barely passing the 7th grade and doesn't know how to play this game. To
- [66 Letters: A Mystery from the Not-So-Distant Past](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/66_letters_a_mystery_from_the_not-so-distant_past/) - Several German ARG players, along with two Americans, myself included,Â were sent vintage cassette tapes made in "Western-Germany." On the cassette, a man plays a Mozart sonata on the piano but is interrupted by the phone. Irritated, in English the man tells "Sally" to answer the phone then continues to play. We find that he has
- [Halo ODST: Discovering Sadie's Story](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/halo_odst_discovering_sadies_story/) - "Prepare To Drop" Those words have been resounding through the gaming community for months, and the clashing drums of excited gamers are growing as the release date for Halo 3: ODST draws nearer. But there's something more in this video game release that's attracting attention. Back in 2004, an ARG milestone was achieved with the
- [2010 Webby Winners Announced:  Letters to the Future, District 9, and True Blood Take Home Honors](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/2010_webby_winners_announced_letters_to_the_future_district_9_and_true_blood_take_home_honors/) - Yesterday, the winners of the 14th Annual Webby Awards were announced, recognizing excellence in "interactive design, creativity, usability and functionality on the Internet." This year, a trio of alternate reality gaming projects came home with accolades. So congratulations to the teams behind Love Letters to the Future (Xenophile Media), District 9 (Trigger LLC), and True
- [8th Wonderland: A Virtual Nation Up in Arms](https://www.argn.com/2010/05/8th_wonderland_a_virtual_nation_up_in_arms/) - How do you fight a country that doesn't exist? Scattered all over the world, everyday people are sick and tired of political systems and being controlled by the media. They decide to create a virtual state and restore democracy, but "real" states view them as terrorists. An extended experience to accompany the 8th Wonderland film,
- [66 Letters: A German Psychothriller ARG](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/66_letters_a_german_psychothriller_arg/) - An online literary puzzle, 66 Letters,Â is a psychothriller alternate reality game opening in May. Players will collaborate and test their detective skills to investigate a cold case, and clues will offer a previewÂ for a new book that will soon be published by German publisher Bastei Lubbei. 66 Letters is the latest project of viral marketing
- [Whimsical French ARG and Transmedia Experience Supernatural Oddities Redefines Normal in ARGs](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/whimsical_french_arg_and_transmedia_experience_supernatural_oddities_redefines_normal_in_args/) - In February, freelance graphic designer JC DÃ©nariÃ© started documenting paranormal experiences in France on his videoblog, but heâ€™s been interested in the supernatural for 20 years, ever since his brother Fred disappeared mysteriously. In addition to writing an encyclopedia about aliens, demons, and other strange things, JCâ€™s findings have since been picked up by a
- [On April 23rd, London Becomes the Game Board for Nike Grid](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/on_april_23rd_london_becomes_the_game_board_for_nike_grid/) - UK runners will take to the streets in less than a week to compete with other runners across London in Nike's new interactive street game, Nike Grid. TheÂ urban gameÂ will launch on April 23, 2010 at 8pm and will last 24 hours. No more, no less. Nike is no stranger to developing interactive programs for runners.
- [Primeval Evolved and Reservoir Hill Win 2010 International Digital Emmy Awards](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/primeval_evolved_and_reservoir_hill_win_2010_international_digital_emmy_awards/) - Transmedia storytelling was well received at this year's International Digital Emmy Awards.Â Primeval Evolved and Reservoir Hill received Emmys for their innovative storytelling, while Heroes creator and executive producer Tim Kring received this year's Pioneer Award at the award show in Cannes. This past year has been particularly goodÂ for Primeval Evolved developerÂ Hoodlum. In September, the
- [Exercise Your Spirit of Adventure: Facebook's First Soap Opera](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/exercise_your_spirit_of_adventure_facebook_soap_opera/) - Helen Hobbes, forty-nine-year-old British homemaker, has a quiet and charmed life with her husband of twenty-eight years Bruce and two grandchildren, but she is restless and yearning for excitement beyond deciding what to make for dinner. While reading a second-hand copy of Madame Bovary, Helen discovers three worn diary pages inside, narrating what might have
- [Valemont Wins Streamy Awards for Best Interactive, Mobile Experiences](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/valemont_wins_streamy_awards_for_best_interactive_mobile_experiences/) - Image courtesy of Nina Bargiel Yesterday, the Streamy Awards kicked off its Streamy Craft Awards Ceremony, recognizing excellence in original web television programming. While the Streamy Awards Ceremony will take place on April 11 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, tonight's ceremony at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre recognized innovation in the craft of digital
- [Producers Guild of America Adds Transmedia Producer Credit](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/producers_guild_of_america_adds_transmedia_producer_credit/) - Yesterday, Deadline Hollywood broke the news that the Producers Guild of America would be adding "Transmedia Producer" to the PGA's Producer Code of Credits. This Code of Credits is used to ensure production credits are accurate and precise, and to resolve credit disputes. According to Nikki Finke, this unprecedented decision marks the first time theÂ PGA
- [Return of the ARG Practicum: A Three For One Deal](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/return_of_the_arg_practicum_a_three_for_one_deal/) - Last year, the University of Texas at Dallas' Emerging Media and Communications program offered a practicum in ARG design taught by Deus City developer and UT-Dallas professor Adam Brackin. Over the course of the semester, the class developed and produced the Electron Innovations alternate reality game. This year, Brackin's ARG practicum, affectionately referred to as
- [Sentient Silicon: A Nanovor Primer](https://www.argn.com/2010/04/sentient_silicon_a_nanovor_primer/) - Inside your electronic devices, pre-historic silicon-based monsters are locked in a constant cycle of battle and resurrection. Hanover High School student Lucas Nelson discovered these "Nanovors" using a microscope he cobbled together using his cell phone, some 9V batteries and a laptop computer, and realized the Nanovor could be controlled by zapping them with tiny
- [Encom to Hold Press Conference, Flynn Lives to Infiltrate](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/encom_to_hold_press_conference_flynn_lives_to_infiltrate/) - This Friday at 8PM in San Francisco, Encom's Executive Consultant Alan Bradley will address invited press and employees regarding a brand new Encom product. Little does he (and hopefully the Encom security) know that his audience will also include many intrepid members of the Flynn Lives organization posing as Encom employees. Several weeks ago, the
- [Come Out and Play in Brooklyn this June](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/come_out_and_play_in_brooklyn_this_june/) - Get ready for another exciting edition of Come Out and Play!Â This New York-based public games festival is gearing up for its 2010 edition, which will be headquartered at the Lyceum in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood June 4-6.Â The Festival has extended its deadline for submitting games to April 19th, so if you have an
- [What Happened to Sarah?](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/what_happened_to_sarah/) - Something spooky. In the middle of the night, we watch as Sarah wakes and slowly walks down to the lake behind her house. There, a mysterious glowing orb is just beyond the edge of the dock. She reaches out to touch it... and in a flash she disappears. What Happened to Sarah? (officially called The
- [Lewis Hamilton's Secret Life](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/lewis_hamiltons_secret_life/) - There's a lot to envy about Formula 1 driver and former World Champion Lewis Hamilton: competing in the fastest sport in the world, being surrounded by beautiful women and earning ridiculous amounts of money while doing so. It turns out however, that even this life isn't exciting enough for Mr. Hamilton, and that is why
- [An Inside Look at the EVOKE Network](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/an_inside_look_at_the_evoke_network/) - During her talk at TED 2010, Jane McGonigal argued that game developers have a responsibility to change the world for the better by harnessing the efforts of gamers to improve the real world. Her dream is to see a game developer win the Nobel Prize by 2032. EVOKE, McGonigal's most recent foray into the serious
- [BREAKING NEWS:  Artiforg Defaulters Ciji and Usman Caught](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/breaking_news_artiforg_defaulters_ciji_and_usman_caught/) - On Monday night, Lone Shark Games, Evan Ratliff, and Repo Men runner Usman Akeju joined the ARGNetcast to talk about their cross-country hunt for four runners carrying artiforgs from the Union. Yesterday, Repo Men hunter Geneva Conventional caught both Usman Akeju and Ciji Thorton at Seabrook Roller Skating Rink in Lanham, Maryland. Â Prior to his
- [Valve Fans Triumphant:  Glimmerings of a Portal ARG](https://www.argn.com/2010/03/valve_fans_triumphant_glimmerings_of_a_portal_arg/) - In 2007, Valve galvanized the gaming industry when it released the video game Portal. Although ostensibly a first-person shooter built upon Valve's Source engine, the game's quirky puzzles, catchy soundtrack, and unreliable narrator GLaDOS quickly captured the hearts and minds of gamers.Â Yesterday, Rock Paper Shotgun reported that Valve Software released a specialÂ update for Portal,Â noting
- [Repo Men Launches: Tracking Down Artificial Organs for Fun and Profit](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/repo_men_launches_tracking_down_artificial_organs_for_fun_and_profit/) - Ciji Thorton is a 26-year old woman with an artificial eye. Will LaFerriere is a 27-year old former military man with an artificial heart. Alex Gamble is a 22-year old female with an artificial liver. And Usman Akeju is a 27-year old software consultant with an artificial kidney. For the next month, three simple words
- [The Repo Men Are Coming: Do You Have What It Takes to Disappear?](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/the_repo_men_are_coming_do_you_have_what_it_takes_to_disappear/) - Last fall, Lone Shark Games and Wired Magazine conducted a month-long, nationwide manhunt for reporter Evan Ratliff, with $5,000 on the line. After 25 days on the run, Ratliff's love of gluten-free pizza spelled his downfall when the owner of Naked Pizza caught him in New Orleans. This time, it's your turn. Lone Shark Games,
- [Flynn Lives Welcomes You To The Pit Cell](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/flynn_lives_welcomes_you_to_the_pit_cell/) - As we reported earlier, ZeroHour reached the end of its countdown at 11AM EST (4PM GMT) and had players all over the globe sitting by their computers, compulsively pounding their F5 keys to see when their city's listing would go live and a drop location would be revealed.Â Chicago, Orlando, and Paris were the first
- [UPDATE: Flynn Lives ZeroHour is Live](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/update_flynn_lives_zerohour_is_live/) - As previously covered, the fine folks at Flynn Lives, ever vigilant in their quest to find the lost Kevin Flynn, released a countdown 8 days ago.Â Yesterday, an email was sent to players who had previously signed up on the Flynn Lives site reminding them of the quest and a request for "operatives" in 25
- [Repo Men:  Countdown to the Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/repo_men_countdown_to_the_hunt/) - Lone Shark Games, Wired, and Universal have selected four applicants to attempt to disappear for the next month.Â According to the teaser page for the campaign, the hunt for these four volunteers begins February 25 at the stroke of midnight, Eastern Standard Time (Feb 24 at 9PM, PST). As Repossession Specialists, hunters will be seeking
- [UPDATE:  Flynn Lives Gradually Revealing a List of City Names](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/update_flynn_lives_gradually_revealing_a_list_of_city_names/) - Shortly after the countdown began at FlynnLives.com/zerohour, players noticed that what appeared to be a picture was slowly forming, pixel by pixel, beneath the binary countdown.Â That image, although not complete, has started to reveal a list of city names, a good portion of which can be deduced.Â Washington DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, San Diego,
- [Flynn Lives (Again): Countdown to Tron Legacy Viral](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/flynn_lives_again_countdown_to_tron_legacy_viral/) - Last summer, a number of movie bloggers received a flash drive along with two tokens for Flynn's Arcade. By decoding and compiling code hidden within five different .gif files, players were lead to www.flynnlives.com, while text printed on the coins lead to www.homeoftron.com. These websites lead Comic-Con attendees on a merry blacklight-lit chase throughout San
- [Saving the World, One EVOKE at a Time](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/saving_the_world_one_evoke_at_a_time/) - Wouldn't it be great if, during times of crisis, there was a way to access a network of experts ready and able to help avert the crisis? Starting March 3rd, the Evoke Network goes live and available for all your crisis-averting needs! EVOKEÂ was developed by the World Bank Institute, the educational branch of the World
- [Centian Is Looking Forward to Playing with Humans Again](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/centian_is_looking_forward_to_playing_with_humans_again/) - Centian misses playing games with humans...wonâ€™t you oblige? By playing with Centian, you could win a registration badge for the 2011 Interactive festival at SXSW. Run by the folks at Sweb Development, the points-based contest ends March 15, and the central hub for the game is the Centian Games Ning site. Centian Games incorporates multiple
- [Lekhaâ€™s Journey: An Interactive Experience Battles Political Oppression](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/lekhas_journey_an_interactive_experience_battles_political_oppression/) - Free speech, a fundamental human right? Yes, of course, you'd say. A universally granted human right? Absolutely not, even in the 21st century. Confronting 5,000 years of reading, writing, and the politics of censorship, Lekha's Journey is a fictional interactive experience tied to the four-part documentary series, Empire of the Word, which aired in November-December
- [Cathy's Book App Contest: Win an iPod Touch](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/cathys_book_app_contest/) - On September 12, 2006, authors Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman released Cathy's Book, an experiment in transmedia publishing, under the Running Press imprint. The book and its accompanying evidence packet provided a window into the life of Cathy Vickers, a fashion-conscious teenage girl with a penchant for daydreaming and doodling. Readers could follow a series
- [Interview with Cathy's Book Co-Author Sean Stewart](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/interview_with_cathys_book_co-author_sean_stewart/) - Below is an interview that Michael Andersen conducted with Sean Stewart regarding the release of the Cathy's Book app for the iPhone.Â In addition to co-authoring the transmedia storytelling experiment Cathy's Book, Stewart worked on ARGs including The Beast, i love bees, Last Call Poker and Year Zero. MA: How did you and Jordan come
- [Bank Run: Climbing the Corporate Ladder Can Be Fatal](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/bank_run_climbing_the_corporate_ladder_can_be_fatal/) - SilkTricky, a Portland-based digital agency, will preview Bank Run: Someone Has to Pay, their soon-to-be-released interactive movie and iPhone game app, on Tuesday, February 16, at The Living Room Theaters in Portland, OR at 7:00 pm and 8:15 pm. In the completely live-action Bank Run experience, you control the choices and actions of Evan Sharpe,
- ["Something" Is Here, and the Contingency Foundation Wants You! ](https://www.argn.com/2010/02/the_something_is_here/) - In April 2009, Staff of the Magi Productions (SotM) opened their second project, "Something Is Coming", set in Harperâ€™s Ford, a fictional town in the Pacific Northwest trapped under some kind of barrier with all manner of ravenous plants and beasties. With Harperâ€™s Ford under martial law, Dave Dolan runs a pirate radio show, sending
- [Looking Back at Scholastic's Transmedia Efforts for 39 Clues](https://www.argn.com/2010/01/looking_back_at_scholastics_transmedia_efforts_for_39_clues/) - On September 9th, 2008 Scholastic published The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The book debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and marked the beginning of Scholastic's 10-book experiment in transmedia publishing. On February 2nd, Scholastic is releasing the
- [Fight the Apocalypse: A Supernatural ARG for the UK](https://www.argn.com/2010/01/fight_the_apocalypse_a_supernatural_arg_for_the_uk/) - The fifth season of Supernatural is coming to the UK this February. To raise awareness for the show's return,Â LIVING launched Fight the Apocalypse, an alternate reality gameÂ running from todayÂ untilÂ March 3rd. UK and Eire residents 18 years or over can join the game by registering at LuciferisComing.com and following the @fightapocalypse twitter account. The playerÂ whoÂ collects the
- [Hello There, Seeker:  A Look Into the Future With Interdimensional Games](https://www.argn.com/2010/01/hello_there_seeker_a_look_into_the_future_with_interdimensional_games/) - On January 1, 2010, Interdimensional Games Inc. (iDGi) issued a press release announcing their discovery of a means of exporting the human consciousness into another dimension by using a satellite, 'iDGi-1', orbiting the moon. By accessing the company's homepage at InterDimensionalGames.com and waiting for a solar eclipse, visitors can take a peek at the future
- [The Lonelygirl15 Universe Returns 01/11/10 With LG15: Outbreak](https://www.argn.com/2010/01/the_lonelygirl15_universe_returns_011110_with_lg15_outbreak/) - It's been over three years since a young girl named Bree started posting YouTube videos under the lonelygirl15 username. The webseries has since released three seasons and spawnedÂ a number ofÂ spin-offs both domestically and internationally. The latest addition to EQAL's Lonelygirl15 franchise, LG15: Outbreak, premieres tomorrow at LG15.com/OutbreakÂ and will be showcased on theÂ lonelygirl15 Youtube channel. EQAL
- [Lance Weiler's <i>HiM</i> Selected For Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Lab](https://www.argn.com/2009/12/lance_weilers_him_selected_for_sundance_institutes_screenwriters_lab/) - Artwork by Reinier Clabbers. Between January 21-31, cinephiles and celebrities will converge on Park City Utah for the annualÂ Sundance Film Festival, immersing themselves in a rich tapestry of stories from independent filmmakers around the world. However, the immersion will start a few days early for Lance Weiler. Seize the Media's upcoming transmedia project HiM
- [The Game's Afoot](https://www.argn.com/2009/12/the_games_afoot/) - The new Sherlock Holmes movie comes out Christmas Day, but before then, fans of the Great Detective have a chance to try out their own sleuthing skills with a slick game promotion put out by AKQA and Hide & Seek in the UK, called 221B. While I wouldn't go as far as calling 221B an
- [DARPA Network Challenge: Seeing Red?](https://www.argn.com/2009/12/darpa_network_challenge_seeing_red/) - If you see an 8-foot wide red weather balloon floating on the horizon during your commute tomorrow, don't worry. You haven't been transported into a Nena music video shoot. As we previously reported, DARPA will be deploying ten weather balloons across theÂ United StatesÂ as part of its Network Challenge, with $40,000 at stake. A number of
- [GO FORTH, O PIONEERS! A Reflection on Levi's Go Forth Campaign](https://www.argn.com/2009/12/go_forth_o_pioneers_a_reflection_on_levis_go_forth_campaign/) - "You have built a community in Grayson's name and created cameraderie in his image. That this continues to be his legacy so many years after his vanishing is all he ever hoped for." After digging a hole 27 paces away from a rock in Zion National Park (located at N 27'10.043" W 113'10.650"), Laura Hall
- [DARPA Network Challenge: Celebrating 40 Years of Internet](https://www.argn.com/2009/11/darpa_network_challenge_celebrating_40_years_of_internet/) - On October 29, 1969 at 10:30PM, UCLA student Charley Kline sent the letters "LO" from UCLA to the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park using the ARPANET. Forty years later, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is celebrating the birth of the Internet with a contest that tests its capabilities to bring people together.
- [Mail Call:  Go Forth and Buy Some Charcoal Briquets](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/mail_call_go_forth_and_buy_some_charcoal_briquets/) - Over the weekend, I posted an article about Levi's upcoming treasure hunt, the Go Forth Fortune Experience. The hunt is scheduled toÂ begin atÂ 5PM PST tonight. TheÂ treasure huntÂ raises a $100,000 question: who was Grayson Ozias IV, and where is his fortune? I received a few answers today in my mailbox, althoughÂ the information I receivedÂ raised just as
- [Love Letters to the Future: The Time Capsule Talks Back](https://www.argn.com/2009/11/love_letters_to_the_future_the_time_capsule_talks_back/) - Over the next few weeks, Love Letters to the Future will be collecting text, image and videos from users around the world sending love letters to future generations. And on December 13, 2009, the 100 most popular messages as selected by the site's users will be sealed in a time capsule at the UN Climate
- [Recap: DIYDays Fireside Chat with Jan Libby and Steve Peters](https://www.argn.com/2009/11/recap_diydays_fireside_chat_with_jan_libby_and_steve_peters/) - Freshly triumphant from their most recent transmedia projects, Steve Peters of No Mimes Media and Jan Libby, recently of Levi's G.O. IV Fortune campaign, took the stage at DIYDays LA to talk about their experiences designing Alternate Reality Games. Steve and Jan began as players in the emerging genre that we call ARGs. BothÂ made the
- [LEGO: We Come in Pieces](https://www.argn.com/2009/11/lego_we_come_in_pieces/) - Two weeks ago a set of mysterious signals from deep space led to a startling discovery. On November 7th a group of Scientific Researchers from the Bradford Rant Institute of Cosmic Kinesis (B.R.I.C.K.)Â were the first to intercept and decode the signals, which Â contained detailed coordinates. Following the coordinates, the researchers soon found themselves within
- [Exoriare: Exploring the Darknet](https://www.argn.com/2009/11/exoriare_exploring_the_darknet/) - BoingBoing suggested it. The Guardian praised it. Jay is Games recommended it. And now, I'm adding my voice to the resounding chorus: if you like alternate reality games, you should check out Smoking Gun Interactive's new transmedia experience, Exoriare. While the experience has only recently launched, it has already drawn together successful elements from a
- [ARGNet on "The Digital Edge"](https://www.argn.com/2009/11/argnet_on_the_digital_edge/) - ARGNet's own Associate Editor Marie Lamb appeared on South African marketing podcast The Digital Edge this past week to discuss alternate reality games. Marie was joined by alternate reality gamingÂ developersÂ Ken Eklund (World Without Oil), McKinney's Chris Walsh (Art of the Heist), and Cherryflava's Jonathan Cherry (Can You Twist). The Digital Edge produces weekly podcasts on
- [Ditch the Tech: Potential Dollhouse ARG for the Hiatus](https://www.argn.com/2009/11/ditch_the_tech_potential_dollhouse_arg_for_the_hiatus/) - In its second season on air, Joss Whedon's Dollhouse has reportedly been averaging fewer than 3 million viewers per episode. In light of these figures, Fox decided to put the show on hiatus until December 4th, after November sweeps. Undeterred, Whedon posted the following commentary on Whedonesque: "Howzabout that schedule? Well, I'm not as depressed
- [PICNIC â€™09: Day 3, Rebuild](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/picnic_09_day_3_rebuild/) - The final day of PICNICâ€™s three day conference was themed â€œRebuildâ€ and focused on world-changing developments and the visionary people behind them. The day started with Start Breathing, a short presentation by independent writer and consultantÂ Linda Stone. Stone told us about the importance of breathing and the dangers ofÂ a phenomenon called â€œE-mail apnea.â€Â E-mail apnea
- [PICNIC â€™09: Peter Molyneux on Innovation in Entertainment](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/picnic_09_peter_molyneux_on_innovation_in_entertainment/) - InÂ our previous coverage of day 2 of the PICNIC conference, I skipped over Peter Molyneuxâ€™s session called Innovation in Entertainment because it warranted additional attention. In case you're unfamiliar with his work, Molyneux is a computer/video games mogul who has been working in the games industry for over 20 years now. His workÂ pioneered several genres
- [Interview with Tom Salamon, Accomplice Co-Creator](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/interview_with_tom_salamon_accomplice_co-creator/) - Below is an interview that ARGNet's own Michelle Senderhauf conducted with Tom Salamon, co-creator of Accomplice: New York, Accomplice: The Village, and Accomplice: Hollywood. You can find details on participating in Accomplice at AccomplicetheShow.com. MS: What made you decide to do theatrical performances in the wild rather than in a traditional theatre setting? TS: A
- [Puzzles for the Apocalypse](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/puzzles_for_the_apocalypse/) - A little birdie recently pointed me in the direction of a puzzle trail called Third Realm. The site has a labyrinth of puzzles and an apocalyptic countdown ending on November 2nd. TheÂ players' goalÂ is to free the Yellow King with the help of a self-proclaimed "Prophet in the Wild" through his twitter account, thirdrealm. The Prophet
- [Prank Marketing and the Toyota Matrix: How Far Is Too Far?](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/prank_marketing_and_the_toyota_matrix_how_far_is_too_far/) - In 2008, Toyota Motors paired up with Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles to release Your Other You, an advertising campaign promoting the Toyota Matrix. Targeting male twentysomethings, the campaign crafted an elaborate transmedia prank experience to overcome the demographic's strong aversion to advertising and corporations. Saatchi's creative director told OMMA Magazine that the campaign was
- [Out of Breath: A Night at Pleasure Principled](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/out_of_breath_a_night_at_pleasure_principled/) - Lewis Murphy agreed to share his spine-tingling experiences at Pleasure Principled: A Night of Xcess in this guest post. So sit back and listen to his harrowing tale...if you dare. On October 14th, the first part of Yomi Ayeni and Expanding Universe's Breathe was shown for the first time at the Power to the Pixel
- [Pixel Pitch Award Helps Desedo Turn "Heart of the City" Daydream Into Reality](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/pixel_pitch_award_helps_desedo_turn_heart_of_the_city_daydream_into_reality/) - Power to the Pixel's Cross-Media Film Forum at The Times BFI London Film Festival has come to a close. Capping off the event, Power to the Pixel announced that Desedo Films won the 2009 Babelgum Pixel Pitch Award for their project Heart of the City, taking home a Â£6,000 prize to turn their pitch into
- [Accomplice Hollywood: Oh Nikki, Youâ€™re So Fine!](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/accomplice_hollywood_oh_nikki_youre_so_fine/) - Steve Peters is a guest writer for ARGNet and founder of No Mimes Media. A few weeks back, I was able to head to Hollywood to take part in Accomplice: Hollywood, a new interactive experience produced by Neil Patrick Harris, Tom Salamon and Betsy Salamon-Sufott, that takes place entirely on foot throughout Hollywood Boulevard and
- [Not Your Ordinary PICNIC: Exploding Media, Part II](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/not_your_ordinary_picnic_exploding_media_part_ii/) - This articleÂ resumes our PICNIC coverage on day two of the conference, which focused on theÂ theme of "Exploding Media." The second half of PICNIC'sÂ Exploding Media coverage explores brandingÂ campaigns, location-based entertainment, andÂ the development of special effects.Â Jessica Greenwood, deputy editor of trendwatching magazine Contagious, took the audience on a tour of innovative branding and marketing campaigns that
- [Not Your Ordinary PICNIC: Exploding Media](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/not_your_ordinary_picnic_exploding_media/) - Itâ€™s time for day two of PICNIC, and a new day means a new theme: Exploding Media. The theme brought with it an exciting schedule, filled with more on social media, but this time focusing on trying to find parallels between social media and brands and marketing strategies, as well asÂ on games and interactivity. The
- [Evelyn Offscreen: A Brief Clarification](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/evelyn_offscreen_a_brief_clarification/) - Halloween makes everything weird. At any other time, a substantial number of overlapping clues would mean that two campaigns were linked in some sort of way. But throw Halloween into the mix, and what appeared to be a logical conclusion to a group of facts turns out to be nothing more than a set of
- [Breathe With Me](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/breathe_with_me/) - Last December, ARGNet announced plans for an upcoming game courtesy of Expanding Universe that promised to draw players into the underground club scene. The idea of a London-based murder mystery spanning several nightclubs piqued the interest of the ARG community,Â while the way Expanding Universe planned to incorporate and immerse players into that mystery drew national
- [Special Delivery](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/special_delivery/) - Fans of 2K Games' viral campaign, Something in the Sea had a strange encounter this past Saturday. Several players reported that they had received a mysterious telegram from the game's hero, Mark Meltzer, advising them to be on the lookout for a package from him within the next day. The telegram itself was more than
- [Levi's G.O. IV Fortune Treasure Hunt:  Who Was Grayson Ozias IV?](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/levis_go_iv_fortune_treasure_hunt_who_was_grayson_ozias_iv/) - Back in July, advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland unveiled a new direction for Levi's with its Go Forth campaign. Drawing heavily upon the poetry of Walt Whitman and the frontier spirit, the campaign seeks to bolster flagging spirits (and blue jean sales) with tag lines such as "strike up for the new world," "this country was
- [A New "Trick" from Universal Studios: Evelyn Offscreen Presents a Real Treat](https://www.argn.com/2009/10/a_new_trick_from_universal_studios_evelyn_offscreen_presents_a_real_treat/) - Halloween is fast approaching, bringing with it costumes, candy, and the macabre. If you live in Orlando, it appears as though Universal Studios is bringing one final "treat" to your homes with the launch of its horror-themed alternate reality game Evelyn Offscreen, a new "interactive Halloween adventure" that is being run to promote Universal Orlando's
- [After Purity Towers: Confessions of a Double-Crosser](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/after_purity_towers_confessions_of_a_double-crosser/) - Sometimes, the most interesting games are also the most controversial. They push the limits of expectations and possibilities, presenting new challenges and opportunities for participatory play. Purity Towers, the latest campaign from Funnel Productions, operated on two levels of controversy. First, the producers created a competitive game environment between two divergent camps: the hegemonic Proscript
- [Not Your Ordinary PICNIC: Turning Points, Part 2](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/not_your_ordinary_picnic_turning_points_part_2/) - Onwards to part two of the first day of the PICNIC conference schedule--this section of three consecutive panels and presentations was all about the shifts in demographics: the role that race and ethnic background play in producing theatre on Broadway and in emerging online communities, and the role of a changing audience and the way
- [Not Your Ordinary PICNIC: Turning Points](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/not_your_ordinary_picnic_turning_points/) - Not your ordinary PICNIC:Â thatâ€™s the tagline I found plastered all over the Westergasfabriek terrain during PINIC â€™09. And PICNIC indeed is something quite out of the ordinary.Â I arrived Wednesday around 11:00am, a few hours before the official opening of the conference part of PICNIC, which meant that I could take some time to
- [PICNIC '09:  A Preview](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/picnic_09_a_preview/) - Wednesday September 23rd is a day a lot of people in the creative industry have been looking forward to, as tomorrow the fourth installment of PICNIC will kick off in sunny Amsterdam.Â Previous incarnations of this intangibly sparkly conference were self-defined as a â€œcrossmedia conferenceâ€ but this year, the organization of PICNIC didnâ€™t even try
- [Dharma Wants You Wins Primetime Creative Arts Emmy](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/dharma_wants_you_wins_primetime_creative_arts_emmy/) - ABC, the producers of LOST, and Australian digital entertainment company Hoodlum walked away from last night's Emmy Awards with the award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Fiction for their work on the alternate reality game Dharma Wants You. ABC secured a win from its NBC competition, beating out bothÂ The 30 Rock Digital
- [Dharma Needs A Few Gullible Men (and Women)](https://www.argn.com/2008/05/dharma_needs_a_few_gullible_men_and_women/) - It should be no surprise to anyone who has been following the show LOST that there would be something special during the season finale. Fans were not disappointed. Close to the end of the episode, a mysterious commercial branded with "Paid for by ABC" aired, advertising a recruiting event for a company called Octagon Global
- [Riese the Series: Delivering Transmedia with a Side of Steampunk](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/riese_the_series_delivering_transmedia_with_a_side_of_steampunk/) - The dystopian kingdom of Eleysia has its priorities in order: rather than developing automobiles, telecommunications technology, or a democratic political structure, its citizens have perfected the use of tinted goggles as a fashion accessory. Starting later this week, members of an Eleysian religious cult known as The Sect will start proselytizing their ways to our
- [Accomplice Hollywood: "Legendary" ARG Experience with Neil Patrick Harris](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/accomplice_hollywood_legendary_arg_experience_with_neil_patrick_harris/) - This article is the second in a series on â€œsecret tourismâ€ spots: cities that provide immersive experiences to residents and tourists alike, as long as you know where and what to look for. He's played a genius child doctor and a likable womanizer. He's hosted the Tony's and will do the same for the Emmy
- [Digi-Novel "Level 26: Dark Origins" Goes Live Today](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/digi-novel_level_26_dark_origins_goes_live_today/) - Level 26: Dark Origins, the first installment in CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker's new "digi-novel" series, hit the bookshelves today.Â The novel, co-written by Duane Swierczynski and published by Penguin's Dutton imprint, follows former FBI agent Steven Dark as he hunts down a serial killer known as "Sqweegel" as part of an elite, unnamed investigations unit.
- [ROCHESTER, NEW YORK:  Picture the Impossible](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/rochester_new_york_picture_the_impossible/) - This article is the first in a series on "secret tourism" spots: cities that provide immersive experiences to residents and tourists alike, as long as you know where and what to look for. The Rochester Institute of Technology and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper are teaming up with Microsoft Bing to transform Rochester, New
- [PICNIC '09: Not Your Ordinary Picnic](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/picnic_09_not_your_ordinary_picnic/) - Question: What do you get when you combine interesting speakers, special events, hands-on labs, two contests, networking opportunities, an Ignite event, and dinner? Answer: The PICNIC event in Amsterdam, which kicks off its fourth annual festival in just under three weeks! Once again, ARGNet is proud to be a Network Sponsor of the event, which
- [The Mosaic Collective: What Did You See?](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/the_mosaic_collective_what_did_you_see/) - For 2 minutes and 17 seconds, the world was plunged into unconsciousness - and awakened with a vision from 6 months in the future. What did you see? The Mosaic Collective would like to know... but why? The Collective states that it wants to piece together everyone's visions, or FlashForwards, to try and piece together
- [An ARGNet Update:  Same Site, Different Owner](https://www.argn.com/2009/09/an_argnet_update_same_site_different_owner/) - As you may aleady know, Jonathan Waite has stepped down as owner and senior editor of ARGNet, after almost four years at the helm. Both Jonathan and ARGNet's original owner, Steve Peters, have left someÂ dauntinglyÂ bigÂ shoes to fill. Luckily,Â ARGNet still has anÂ incredible staff of volunteers, andÂ Jonathan will continue to run weekly shows at the ARG Netcast.
- [Is There Something in the Sea?](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/is_there_something_in_the_sea/) - In March of this year posters began showing up on the east coast warning of an undersea threat. The posters ended with a URL that led the curious to Something in the Sea: and for the past six months, the rabbit hole has wound deeper and deeper. While the website originally only displayed a map
- [A Second Chance With Maddison Atkins](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/a_second_chance_with_maddison_atkins/) - Second chances are hard to come by. But Jeromy Barber's media design company 12th Street House decided to give his audience a second chance to saveÂ the characters Maddison Atkins and Adam Wilmott fromÂ their grisly deaths with theÂ launch of Maddison Atkins 2.0, a reboot of the alternate reality game Maddison Atkins 1.0. Barber explained at ARGFest
- [A Tribute to Dave Szulborski](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/a_tribute_to_dave_szulborski/) - After a long fight with Leukemia, our dear friend and alternate reality game developer, Dave Szulborski, Â lost the battle. In honor of his memory, Michelle Senderhauf and Dee Cook collaborated with the ARG community to create a tribute video to Dave. From the beginning, Dave was a pivotal force in the community. In addition to
- [Purity Towers: Funnel Productions' Crown Jewel](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/purity_towers_funnel_productions_crown_jewel/) - Have you ever wanted to be Luke Skywalker, a rebel fighting for the cause of the oppressed? How about a master spy, the kind who prefers his martinis shaken, not stirred? If either of these roles tempts you, Funnel Productions has an ARG with your name on it. Purity Towers offers players a chance to
- [ComicCon Wrapup Part 2 - The IHC](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/comiccon_wrapup_part_2_-_the_ihc/) - As reported earlier, The Institute for Human Continuity (or IHC), a promotion for the movie "2012",Â went live in November of last year, and visitors to their website were offered the ability to enter a Global Survival Lottery for a spot in one of their "initiatives" to save at least a portion of humanity from the
- [The End... is the Beginning?](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/the_end_is_the_beginning/) - You know when you get that feeling that you should have done something last week but you forget what it was? Today was one of those days for me, but luckily a little birdie reminded me about The Institute for Human Continuity, an ARG that launched (gasp!) in November 2008 in connection with the movie
- [Sweet nDreams: Life After Xi](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/sweet_ndreams_life_after_xi/) - Earlier this year, the Xi alternate reality game invaded the Playstation Home community-based service with cryptic clues scattered across the virtual playspace that Home provides. The game was billed as the first console-based ARG, and put nDreams (the company behind the game) into the spotlight. Recently, the company announceda return to the Home community with
- [ComicCon Wrap Up Part 1: Flynn's Arcade](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/comiccon_wrapup_part_1_flynns_arcade/) - It's been a while since the end of the ARGFest-O-ComicCon Hardcore Summer Tour, and I think I'm finally recovered enough to start recapping some of the crazy events that occurred! For this, the first in a series of Comic-Con 2009 recaps, here is the recap of the live event for the Disney movie, Tron: Legacy
- [Six to Start Puts Up "Smokescreen" for Online Privacy](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/six_to_start_puts_up_smokescreen/) - In 2008, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg proposed a social networking analog to Moore's Law, which states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every two years. "Next year," Zuckerman posited,Â "people will share twice as much information as they share this year . . . [t]hat means that people are using Facebook, and
- [For Everything You Gain, You Lose Something Else](https://www.argn.com/2009/08/for_everything_you_gain_you_lose_something_else/) - Well folks, here comes the day I know I'm going to look back on and think, "Wow, I wish I had written something much more insightful and interesting." Starting September 1, 2009, I will no longer be the senior editor and owner of ARGNet. This is a decision I've reached after a great deal of
- [Fury of Solace:  Doing Evil So You Don't Have To ](https://www.argn.com/2009/07/fury_of_solace_doing_evil_so_you_dont_have_to_/) - Emmett Furey, co-creator of the web-series Bumps in the Night and a staff writer for Comic-Book Resources wondered, "[d]id Bruce Wayne become Batman because he saw his parents murdered in an alley, or were his parents murdered in an alley to facilitate him becoming Batman, the protector that Gotham needed?" To explore the question, Furey
- [ARGFest-o-Con 2009 Only Days Away, Auction Tomorrow](https://www.argn.com/2009/07/argfest-o-con_2009_only_days_away_auction_tomorrow/) - As most of you are undoubtedly aware, ARGFest-o-Con 2009 starts this Friday in Portland, Oregon, and those attending are in for an amazing time. With a Must Love Robots speed dating event, a stellar line-up of panel discussions and presentations on Saturday, and a keynote dinner featuring Jordan Weisman of Smith & Tinker, this year's
- [Zombie Truth: Preparing for the Z1 Pandemic](https://www.argn.com/2009/07/zombie_truth_preparing_for_the_z1_pandemic/) - Since news of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus broke this past March, the world has been watching and waiting for signs of the next devastating pandemic. But what if H1N1 is only one mutation of a human-engineered virus more deadly and infectious than any that has yet emerged? One group of researchers has turned to
- [Power to the Pixel Pitch](https://www.argn.com/2009/07/power_to_the_pixel_pitch/) - Cross-Media will be king at this year's London Film Festival on October 14-16. For the third year in a row, Power to the Pixel will be holding a forum that will allow digital innovators to rub shoulders with fellow practitioners and get in touch with potential finance partners through workshops, the conference, and a think
- [42 Entertainment Wins Prestigious Grand Prix Award at Cannes](https://www.argn.com/2009/06/42_entertainment_wins_prestigious_grand_prix_award_at_cannes/) - Congratulations are in order to 42 Entertainment and all of the staff involved in the alternate reality game 'Why So Serious?' for taking home the coveted Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Cyber Lions ceremony on Wednesday, June 24. According to an article by Ed White, Lars Bastholm, the Chief Digital Creative Officer at Ogilvy
- [Coral Cross: Awareness Is Spreading ](https://www.argn.com/2009/06/coral_cross_awareness_is_spreading_/) - Vigilance. Coral Cross has finally launched, with the goal of "gaming a pandemic for greater public vigilance." At the community level, the game aims to outpace infections with awareness. Pursuant to that goal, the main page features a map of "the progress of pandemic awareness in real time." Upon registration, players take a simple 12-question
- [Anatomy of an Implosion](https://www.argn.com/2009/06/anatomy_of_an_implosion/) - Editor's Note: The original byline for this article had to be changed, as have some details in this article. Please see this article for an explanation. If you've been playing indie ARGs for more than a couple days you've probably experienced a game that started off with a bang but ended with a whimper and
- [Getting Played](https://www.argn.com/2009/06/getting_played/) - Recently, I've learned that the author of a article here on ARGNet isn't who he said he was. According to this post at the Unfiction forum, the person we thought was Martin Aggett isn't really a person at all; it turns out that Martin Aggett is a persona, a character to be featured in an
- [A Particularly ARGish Summer Reading List](https://www.argn.com/2009/06/a_particularly_argish_summer_reading_list/) - The idea of cross-media convergence is anything but a new concept. In the introduction to Rethinking Media Change, media studies scholar Henry Jenkins noted that in the 11th century, the Bayeux tapestry "combined both text and images, and was explicated in spoken sermons--a multi-media bridge between the oral culture of the peasants and the learned
- [Chasing Down a Healthier Heart: Cryptozoology is Hard Work](https://www.argn.com/2009/06/chasing_down_a_healthier_heart_cryptozoology_is_hard_work/) - I saw a ninja rabbit this weekend. Even for San Francisco, that's a little out of the ordinary. But if Jane McGonigal and the American Heart Association have their way, you'll be seeing a lot more of the elusive ninja rabbit and its cryptid compatriots over the coming months as part of Cryptozoo. Cryptozoo (pronounced
- [Mazda 33 Keys - The soul has been found](https://www.argn.com/2009/06/mazda_33_keys_-_the_soul_has_been_found/) - On May 15th, 2009, over 60 participants in the Mazda 33 Keys ARG met in a Montreal warehouse, led by Pat Martin. Their goals: defeating the Unifos (the ARG's bad guys), liberating Xira and, ultimately, to finally understand that the soul they were given the mission to recover by Reperio was none other than the
- [Spring Cleaning, Part Two](https://www.argn.com/2009/05/spring_cleaning_part_two/) - As promised, here is our second installment of the spring cleaning of the ARGNet inbox, with game tips and news items dating back to the beginning of the week. Enjoy! May 21: "N" sent us in the following game tip which he found on "this new site online": I found this article below on this
- [Spring Cleaning - Game tips, news and more](https://www.argn.com/2009/05/spring_cleaning_-_game_tips_news_and_more/) - It's been a whirlwind of activity for us here at ARGNet, and the inbox is overflowing! We haven't had much of a chance to look into most of these, but every rabbit hole is worth taking a peek into, so here's what we have from the past few weeks: April 22nd: A reader named Laura
- [Slicing Code for PIE Theory:  A Sun Microsystems ARG](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/slicing_code_for_pie_theory_a_sun_microsystems_arg/) - Baron Rude and Hector Macchiato are quickly establishing themselves as the arbiters of all things paranormal on YouTube. The pair of nerds offer caustically humorous analyses of paranormal sightings. These Paranormal Investigations Experts (colloquially referred to as "the PIE Guys") are looking for evidence of legitimate paranormal activity to support their theory. The PIE Guys
- [Skynet Research: Resist or be Terminated](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/skynet_research_resist_or_be_terminated/) - This past Tuesday, Twitter birds that were following Skynet Research got several frantic messages advising them to ignore the "audio interference" on the Skynet homepage. Skynet, apparently afraid that the Twitter-verse would not get the word out fast enough, followed up with a mass e-mail warning visitors of "technical difficulties" that had created said audio
- [Stephen Colbert Speaks With JJ Abrams, Gets Ideas](https://www.argn.com/2009/05/stephen_colbert_speaks_with_jj_abrams_gets_ideas/) - On the May 4th, 2009 episode of the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert spoke with writer, director and producer J.J. Abrams about his directoral role in the upcoming Star Trek film. Scattered throughout the episode were clues to a puzzle of a slightly different sort. No stranger to alternate reality gaming, JJ Abrams has made a
- [Looking for Lube in All the Wrong Places](https://www.argn.com/2009/05/looking_for_lube_in_all_the_wrong_places/) - Fans of the The Beast alternate reality game will recall one the game's themes was the question of sentient rights.Â Did artificial intelligences have the right to chart their own destiny?Â The vote was a resounding yes, and the freed robots took off, albeit with a rocket ship instead of a mule. In today's society,
- [A Second Look at Coral Cross:  When Life Imitates ARG](https://www.argn.com/2009/05/a_second_look_at_coral_cross_when_life_imitates_arg/) - Back in April, the Hawaii State Department of Heath kicked off a public engagement initiative to raise awareness about the state's pandemic priorities. The planned campaign included community meetings, a live TV panel, and Coral Cross: an alternate reality game. Things have changed. News reports providing detailed coverage on the recent outbreak of the H1N1
- [Remembering Dave Szulborski](https://www.argn.com/2009/04/remembering_dave_szulborski/) - Today is an extremely tough day for fans and friends of Dave Szulborski. Dave has passed away after battling leukemia for a long time, and he is remembered by his wife Marianne, his son Tyler, and so many people across the world. Beyond his reputation as a consummate professional and an innovative, creative designer and
- [LonelyGirl15 - Is She or Isn't She?](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/lonelygirl15_is_she_or_isnt_she/) - The white-hot spark of a YouTube user named LonelyGirl15 has set the dry timber of the summer internet community ablaze. Ostensibly the video blog of a teenaged American girl named Bree, the 23 videos posted so far have chronicled a budding romance with a boy named Daniel, but there's a twist: Bree's family is very religious, she is home-schooled, and she has pledged a "purity bond" with her father. Even stranger is the fact that Bree's religion is never named, and in fact on various comments on YouTube she has said that it is not mainstream - "We're not Christian or Buddhist or Hindu or anything like that." There's also a mysterious picture of famous occultist Aleister Crowley on Bree's bedroom wall, above a candelabra which she's vehement that Daniel not light. And wait - that Crowley picture is new - it used to be something else (could that possibly bear a resemblance to Baphomet?) A dark twist, indeed.
- [Charlotte is Becoming Real ARG sends players to Germany](https://www.argn.com/2009/04/charlotte_is_becoming_real_arg_sends_players_to_germany/) - Two of the players of the Charlotte is Becoming Real ARG are frantically packing their bags for a free, last-minute weekend trip to Berlin, Germany. Others are cursing the fact that they let their passport expire four years ago (ahem). It all started a little over a month ago when several ARGers received scuffed up
- [Coral Cross:  Pandemic Preparedness from the Hawaii Department of Health](https://www.argn.com/2009/04/coral_cross_pandemic_preparedness_from_the_hawaii_department_of_health/) - Dystopic literature often turns to the threat of pandemics for inspiration. From Albert Camus' La Peste to Stephen King's The Stand, authors create global pandemics in their stories to confront issues raised by a threat to human survival that strikes at the very fabric of our society. In order to open a dialogue about Hawaii's
- [Electron Innovations Inc:  Much Ado About a Paperweight](https://www.argn.com/2009/04/electron_innovations_inc_much_ado_about_a_paperweight/) - Earlier today, I received a press release from Cray Cook promoting the launch of her new company, Electron Innovations, Inc. The company purportedly aims to compete with One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) to provide affordable computers to children with their EI2 model. The EI2 team plans on searching for talented individuals to join their team
- [Harperâ€™s Globe â€“ TV never looked so deadly ](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/harpers_globe_tv_never_looked_so_deadly_/) - An islandâ€™s quiet life is rocked by a brutal murder -- that is the beginning of the story behind Harperâ€™s Island, the new TV series by CBS set to air starting on April 9th. But even before the series premiere, the curious among us can already immerse themselves into the narrative by participating in the
- [The Architect - Israel's First Alternate Reality Game ](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/the_architect_-_israels_first_alternate_reality_game_/) - A few weeks ago, the biggest mystery in Yoni Grishman's life was why the people of Tel Aviv so despise the members of his chosen profession - that of a parking attendant writing tickets for the hapless drivers of Israel. Now, he's got a lot more to worry about. His girlfriend has disappeared, suspiciously soon
- [Rachael Webster Is Calling Me a Liar:  Meet Her at GDC](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/rachael_webster_is_calling_me_a_liar_meet_her_at_gdc/) - Remember how I insisted a few months ago that Rachael Webster, the video game blogger behind PixelVixen707.com, was fake? The folks at GameSetWatch and I were convinced she was all part of an elaborate yet eloquent ruse to get people to buy JC Hutchins' new book, Personal Effects: Dark Art. Rachael Webster called us out.
- [No Mimes Media: New company, familiar faces](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/no_mimes_media_launched_by_former_42_entertainment_creatives/) - While the news hasn't been all peaches and cream in the world, what with companies finding themselves in financial trouble and the what not, here's a feel-good story for fans of alternate reality games: a new start-up called No Mimes Media has been officially launched, and there are some pretty heavy-duty names attached to the
- [SXSW Interactive awards for TDK ARG, We Tell Stories, Lost Zombies](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/sxsw_interactive_awards_for_tdk_arg_we_tell_stories_lost_zombies/) - Image courtesy of the SXSW Interactive Web Awards site. It's a big night for three campaigns tonight, as the teams behind The Dark Knight ARG, Lost Zombies and We Tell Stories have won major awards at the 12th annual SXSW Interactive Web Awards. The awards were handed out earlier tonight at the Hilton Austin Downtown,
- [A novel idea: Dot Robot has its own secret website](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/a_novel_idea_dot_robot_has_its_own_arg/) - It was about a month ago when we received a game tip about the web site doyouknowanysecrets.com, which was found in the book Dot Robot by Jason Bradbury. In the context of the novel, which is geared towards a younger demographic, the web site is discovered by one of the protagonists. Arriving at the site,
- [Stop TARP ARG protests to rock SXSW?](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/stop_tarp_arg_protests_to_rock_sxsw/) - It would seem that there is trouble brewing at the SXSW Interactive festival in Austin this week, and it's a very persistent kind of trouble - protesters. On March 11th, Steve Peters posted the following on his Twitter account: Hmm, some group is protesting our SXSWi panel?? RT @StopTarpARG Alternate Realities are set to destroy
- [Our down time, explained](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/our_down_time_explained/) - If you've arrived at the site in the past few hours and had some trouble connecting, there's a good reason. Our lovely (and I'm not being snarky, I do like them a lot) hosts at Dreamhost have been responding to my support emails about intermittent downtime today, and they have offered to move the site
- [Deepwell: Tell It to Someone Who Cares](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/deepwell_tell_it_to_someone_who_cares/) - The Institute for the Future once again opens a window into tomorrow's world, this time letting us peer into 2010 where in the town of Deepwell a woman's mysterious will has the townsfolk in an uproar. On December 7, 2009, the citizens of Deepwell learned that a woman named Ruby Wood left a "substantial" sum
- [JC Hutchins thinks you should be taken to the brink and committed](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/jc_hutchins_thinks_you_should_be_taken_to_the_brink_and_committed/) - Last November, podcast novelist and author JC Hutchins spoke with ARGNet about his upcoming transmedia novel Personal Effects: Dark Art, produced by Smith & Tinker. In the interview, Hutchins explained that a number of online-based transmedia experiences would be released prior to the book's release that would leverage his strengths as both a storyteller and
- [Six Minutes to Midnight: Watchmen goes interactive (sort-of)](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/six_minutes_to_midnight_watchmen_goes_interactive_sort-of/) - A mere two days before the release of The Watchmen, the highly anticipated film version of the famous graphic novel, another viral web site has launched, and this time, participants are thrust into the middle of a narrated peek at the six main characters of the story. Six Minutes to Midnight is the latest in
- [Roller coaster enters phone booth, exits as alternate reality game](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/roller_coaster_enters_phone_booth_exits_as_alternate_reality_game/) - Up in the sky! Itâ€™s a birdâ€¦itâ€™s a planeâ€¦itâ€™s the New Superman ARG! A new project set in the world created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932, this alternate reality game is taking an interesting shape. Within the boundaries of the game, the existence of Superman is recognized, but
- [ARG Lab:  UT Dallas Class Offers Practicum in ARG Design](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/arg_lab_ut_dallas_class_offers_practicum_in_arg_design/) - Last fall, veteran alternate reality game designer Adam Brackin taught a class on alternate reality gaming at the University of Texas at Dallas' Emerging Media and Communications program. The course required graduate students interested in the developing field to read a series of academic works on the subject, learn about the history of the genre,
- [The rift between ARGs and interactive storytelling](https://www.argn.com/2009/03/the_rift_between_args_and_interactive_storytelling/) - As the Watchmen ARG (and for the purposes of this article I will assume itâ€™s still an ARG) neared the movieâ€™s release date, it became clear to the players that this was not necessarily an alternate reality game with something for them to do. It was more of a story, promoting the movie by giving
- [Skynet Researchâ€™s Glowing Gift](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/skynet_researchs_glowing_gift/) - Remember Skynet Research? On Friday the 13th the mysterious Terminator site went live, and users who had previously signed up for updates returned to find a fully functional website with company bios, contact information, testimonials and outreach efforts. There was also a robotic community page that detailed Skynetâ€™s Enhancement Module 101, a product guaranteed to
- [Skeleton Creek](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/skeleton_creek/) - For those of you looking for a great cross-media spooky mystery comes Skeleton Creek, a half book, half movie experience by best selling author Patrick Carman. Published by Scholastic Press, the book serves as the doorway to the world of Sarah Fincher and Ryan McCray as they try to solve the mystery of Skeleton Creek.
- [Available for a Limited Time, CLUE Goes Cross-Media](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/available_for_a_limited_time_clue_goes_cross-media/) - According to a recent press release, Hasbro is taking board gaming to the next level with the upcoming release of CLUE: Secrets & Spies Edition. Setting aside their ropes, knives, and candlesticks, the iconic characters from Hasbro's classic board game will embark on a "globetrotting adventure to foil the plans of the Criminal League for
- [IU's "Skeleton Chase" Gives Students the Runaround](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/ius_skeleton_chase_gives_students_the_runaround/) - A few months ago, I wrote about Indiana University's exciting new alternate reality gaming research project, Skeleton Chase. The game was a collaboration between professors Anne Massey (Kelley School of Business), Jeanne Johnston (Kinesiology Department), and Lee Sheldon (Telecommunications Department). Now that the game is over, the three professors took the time to describe the
- ["Save Hazel":  Fox Launches Official Dollhouse Alternate Reality Game](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/save_hazel_fox_launches_official_dollhouse_alternate_reality_game/) - Dollhouse, Joss Whedon's newest drama, is premiering on Fox this Friday at 9PM EST. In case you're interested in getting immersed in Whedon's new universe a little early, Fox Broadcasting Company has launched "Save Hazel", an official participation drama for the show at rprimelab.com. According to the game's website, "Save Hazel" allows you to "jump
- [The next phase of Heroes Evolutions is the iStory ](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/the_next_phase_of_heroes_evolutions_is_the_istory_/) - Editor's note: This article deals with the television show Heroes. If you are not up to date with the most recent episode, and you don't want to be spoiled by details, you may want to turn back now. So there I was, watching Heroes on NBC tonight, when I saw a commercial about Rachel. Rachel,
- [Acts of kindness, secret dances keep citizens entertained](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/acts_of_kindness_secret_dances_keep_citizens_entertained/) - Not every project we write about here starts with an attractive brunette female in trouble, and in the case of these two campaigns, we don't even know where the game starts and real life ends. First up, we have Akoha, a company that describes itself as one that believes that "community is not only the
- ["Routes" Alternate Reality Game Explores the Human Genome with Infectious Fun](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/routes_alternate_reality_game_explores_the_human_genome_with_infectious_fun/) - In 2003, the Human Genome Project completed the sequencing of the human genome. This herculean achievement has already had far-reaching effects in the fields of science, medicine, and bio-ethics. And on January 29th, the UK's Channel 4 Education officially released the alternate reality game Routes, an eight-week experience exploring cutting-edge issues involving the human genome.
- [You don't know J.A.C.K.](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/you_dont_know_jack/) - As we continue to play catch-up from the past two weeks of email, we're intrigued by a new campaign coming from Brazil. According to tipster Alessandra, there's a new ARG out there just waiting to be had called Follow Your Instinct 2.O: J.A.C.K. We must have missed the original FYI ARG, launched in 2006 to
- [TNT launches "episodic Flash game" for Leverage](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/tnt_launches_episodic_flash_game_for_leverage/) - We received a game tip early in January from the fine folks at TNT TV regarding their new original series Leverage. According to Seth Miller, the Senior Manager of Digital Partnerships at the network, "[t]he games take elements and storylines of from the show, add on a layer of a 3D virtual headquarters and features
- [Get Intimate with Intimation](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/get_intimate_with_intimation/) - It wasn't too long ago that discussion at the ARG Netcast included a look at The Way Their World Ended, a game that launched through a Twitter account on Christmas day of 2008. At the beginning, a few of the players that followed Intimation on Twitter were discouraged by the flood of cryptic updates to
- [Mir-12: Viral Marketing for Singularity?](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/mir-12_viral_marketing_for_singularity/) - Once again, YouTube has led to a rabbit hole that seems to go deeper and deeper with each day. A video was uploaded to the site, supposedly a Russian news clip reporting on an assassination attempt on a scientist, as well as the the subsequent shooting of the would-be killer. The newscast points viewers towards
- [Skynet Research Wants You!](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/skynet_research_wants_you/) - A recent trailhead discovery could prove very exciting for Terminator fans as it appears to be the beginning of a viral marketing campaign for the upcoming Terminator: Salvation film. Skynet Research has little more than a message claiming that "Skynet Research is Coming," and registration for e-mail updates but the legitimacy of the site as
- [HIM Wins Arte France CinÃ©ma Award at Cinemart](https://www.argn.com/2009/02/him_wins_arte_france_cinma_award_at_cinemart/) - Image courtesy of Scott Macaulay. Lance Weiler just got back from his trip to Rotterdam for the International Film Festival. At the festival, Weiler's upcoming transmedia project HIM (produced by Seize the Media) won the Arte France Cinema Award. The Arte France CinÃ©ma Award is given out every year to the best CineMart project. The
- ["Missing: Since January" Released](https://www.argn.com/2004/07/missing_since_january_released/) - OK, all you Majestic fans. It looks like someone has finally stepped up to the plate and given the "game that plays you" genre another shot. French developer Lexis Numerique and The Adventure Company have released Missing: Since January (formerly released in Europe as "Memoriam"). MSJ is the story of a journalist who is investigating
- ["I Love Bees" Wins Webby Award](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/i_love_bees_wins_webby_award/) - It was announced today that 2004's runaway Alternate Reality Game hit "I Love Bees" won the 2005 Webby Award for Best Games-Related website. The Webby Awards are the internet equivalent of the Academy Awards. A complete list of the winners can be accessed at the Webby website. Congratulations to the entire 4orty2wo Entertainment Team behind
- [Puppetmasters wanted, Geppetto need not apply](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/puppetmasters_wanted_geppetto_need_not_apply/) - Our roving reporters regularly scan the blogs and news sources that make up our digital world, and this morning, staffers Marie Lamb and Michael Andersen found two unique opportunities for aspiring game designers in Los Angeles and New York City. If you are someone who wishes to work in the exciting field of alternate reality
- [Game Preview: The Big Plot](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/game_preview_the_big_plot/) - So many game tips, so little time! We've seen a steady stream of email come in through our contact form this past week, and within the tips comes word of The Big Plot. While it doesn't appear to have launched yet, we did look through the trailhead web site and a press release for interesting
- [Monsters vs Aliens Invades the Superbowl](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/monsters_vs_aliens_invades_the_superbowl/) - A few weeks ago, I wrote about the new alternate reality game promoting DreamWorks' new animated film, Monsters vs. Aliens. This article announces an update of gigantic proportions. Since our last article, players discovered the existence of Dr. Harold Filkenheimer, an eccentric and ethically flexible researcher at DARGenetech International with a quirky sense of humor.
- [CommanderVideo: We Barely Knew Ye](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/commandervideo_we_barely_knew_ye/) - Four days before Christmas, fans of alternate reality games got an early present. A member on the Unfiction forums noticed a strange new video and from there, it seemed that a new ARG had begun. The video, an eerie clip that showed a group of German explorers discovering and being attacked by a partially buried
- [This just in - Help Find Jane](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/this_just_in_-_help_find_jane/) - For those of you in a helping mood, head over to Help Find Jane, which appears to be a site dedicated to -- wait for it -- assisting in the efforts to find Jane Henry. While we don't know if Jane is an attractive brunette or not (it's hard to tell from the silhouette), she
- [Trailhead, or errant arts and crafts project?](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/trailhead_or_errant_arts_and_crafts_project/) - It's not everyday we receive a package in the mail that lists its contents as "pencil pinwheel toy" so today must be a very special day indeed. The envelope, which originated in Maitland, Florida and was sent on January 9th, contained exactly what was described on the customs declaration -- a home made pencil pinwheel.
- [Stage6 wants to help you find Hope](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/stage6_wants_to_help_you_find_hope/) - Alternate reality games that use kidnapping as a theme have been subject to varying amounts of controversy over the years. In November 2006, the adult-themed game The Human Pet was temporarily banned from YouTube for its fictional videos about a sadistic kidnapper. Last June, the CourtTV campaign "Save My Husband" faced a similar backlash after
- [An Emergen-C at Holomove](https://www.argn.com/2008/05/an_emergen-c_at_holomove/) - It was a busy Wednesday morning for UPS drivers - several UPS Next Day Air packages went out for urgent delivery to unsuspecting ARGers. Despite the UPS Tracking numbers being scratched off, more than likely in an attempt to disguise the package's place of origin, UPS staff had replaced them, and the secret was revealed
- [ARGNet: Retooled, Relaunched, and Re-diculously Fabulous!](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/argnet_retooled_relaunched_and_re-diculously_fabulous/) - Change. It'll do you good, or so says Sheryl Crow, and who are we to argue with Sheryl Crow? After a small statement about a year ago regarding the backend of the argn.com web site comes the all new, shiny and sleek 2009 version of the web site. This year's model -- and no, we're
- [ARGFest-o-Con 2006: Chicago - Geeks on a Train](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/argfest-o-con_2006_chicago_-_geeks_on_a_train/) - Due to the extreme awesomeness of ARGFest 2006: Chicago, one writer was not enough to cover all the excitement! Therefore, this article has been contributed by the combined efforts of Sean C. Stacey, Will Bagby, and Michelle Senderhauf. All pictures for this article are courtesy of Will Bagby, photographer extraordinaire. On a balmy Friday in
- [How Was Your Weekend?](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/how_was_your_weekend/) - While the weekend represents quiet and solitude for many of you, alternate reality gaming does not stop for days of the week that begin with an S. We received a plethora of ARG tips, tidbits and updates through the past few days, and here are the highlights: Lance Weiler, a recent guest on the ARG
- ["Stop The International" Returns With A Bang - And Lots Of Cash](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/stop_the_international_returns_with_a_bang_-_and_lots_of_cash/) - Stop The International, the promotional ARG for the Clive Owen movie The International, first debuted in November 2008 when live events were held in several locations around the world, including Berlin, Los Angeles, New York City, and London. During these events, players were given clues to "evidence caches" containing money and documents which could be
- [McGonigal Chat Transcript is Online, and the Second Life Future Salon](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/mcgonigal_chat_transcript_is_online_and_the_second_life_future_salon/) - On December 19th, 2006, Jane McGonigal was interviewed by CNET's Daniel Terdiman at the CNET Bureau in Second Life, as we previewed the day before. As a follow-up, readers who were not able to get into the live audio interview may want to know that the chat transcript has been posted online for the past
- [The Ultimate Search for Jason Bourne (and Prizes!)](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/the_ultimate_search_for_jason_bourne_and_prizes/) - Google and Universal Studios have joined forces to bring us the latest and greatest movie-themed timewaster, The Ultimate Search for Bourne. The sweepstakes timewaster coincides with the release of the latest movie in the Bourne series, The Bourne Ultimatum. Players join the game as an agent hot on the trail of Jason Bourne and are
- [Mr. Weiler Goes to Rotterdam: Transmedia at the International Film Festival](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/mr_weiler_goes_to_rotterdam_transmedia_at_the_international_film_festival/) - Artwork by Reinier Clabbers. Click picture for downloadable hi-res version. In a few days, Lance Weiler is going to Rotterdam to attend CineMart, the annual co-production market of the International Film Festival. Weiler's upcoming cross-media project HIM was selected as one of 36 films to participate in this year's presentation to an expected 850 international
- [ARGs Worldwide](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/args_worldwide/) - The recent successes of Perplex City (UK based) and Regenesis (Canada based) have been a strong indicator that Alternate Reality Gaming is spreading around the globe. Two new developments, an El Salavador-based game and a German-based ARG news site, have helped to move the ARG scene even further into global play. Agente X is a
- [Orbital Colony Puppetmaster Chat](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/orbital_colony_puppetmaster_chat/) - As is tradition with the endgame of a successful Alternate Reality Game, the Puppetmasters of Orbital Colony have announced a post-game Puppetmaster chat to be held on Saturday, Jan. 28th. The chat will start at 7:00 pm EST (GMT -5) in the #inquiringminds channel on the Chat-Solutions IRC network. We have set up a linked
- [Elan Lee of 42 Entertainment to Appear on G4TV](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/elan_lee_of_42_entertainment_to_appear_on_g4tv/) - ARGN has learned that Elan Lee of 42 Entertainment will be appearing on the G4 Video Game Television network tomorrow (January 26th). He will be interviewed by Kevin Pereira on Attack of the Show, which first airs at 7 pm, with repeats on Friday at 3 am, 9 am and 3 pm (all times EST).
- [The Composer & Renata Isle](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/the_composer_renata_isle/) - Two weeks ago, selected members of the UnFiction message boards were sent mysterious emails from someone calling themselves "The Composer". The emails were quickly solved -- each email contained part of a coded message -- and the game was on. Over the course of eleven short days, players were led to a security site, interacted
- [Vaporlofts Closes Its Doors](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/vaporlofts_closes_its_doors/) - Sometimes addiction to ARG games is not a good thing. We players always seem to want more stories, more puzzles, and more action, even after the game has finished. Especially after the game has finished, players will attempt to find more secrets hidden away, squeezing every last drop out of the game before they walk
- [Perplex City Lands in America](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/perplex_city_lands_in_america/) - Perplex City will be taking another leap forward in the very near future, as the PXC universe will be on display at the Toy Fair in New York City from February 12-15 (Booth #6160, for those interested on visiting). Mind Candy Design, the creators of the card-based Alternate Reality Game, are currently putting together a
- [I am the Possum, Goo Goo G'Joob](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/i_am_the_possum_goo_goo_gjoob/) - We've been seeing an amazing surge in grassroots projects lately, and "iamthepossum" seems to be yet another with potential. While the game seems to be in initial phases currently, this is the breakdown: Alan Reeve, an owner of a LiveJournal, has been having strange dreams, ever since January 13th, when he hung up a dream-catcher
- [Is There Gold In Those Hills?](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/is_there_gold_in_those_hills/) - Fans of Survivor, The Apprentice, and Rock Star: INXS will know the name Mark Burnett. He is one of the most successful television producers in recent times, churning out hit reality series after hit reality series. Now, it seems that Burnett wants to apply his talents to another niche -- interactive Web programs. Burnett has
- [ARGFest 2006 - Chicago, Baby!](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/argfest_2006_-_chicago_baby/) - After weeks of deliberation and debate, the final results are in, and it looks like ARGFest 5: Chicago will be officially starting on July 21st, and carrying on through the weekend to the 23rd. If you haven't yet heard of ARGFest, it is a social event geared towards the Alternate Reality Gaming community that has
- [Pherotones](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/pherotones/) - Pherotones have the potential to transform a friend into something more. Several weeks ago, Dr. Myra Vanderhood was interviewed by Bruce Stewart for Oâ€™Reilly Emerging Telephony blog about the potential of using ring tones to attract members of the opposite sex. Pherotones are the audio equivalent of pheromones, in which people and animals are attracted
- [Pherotones - This is *Really* Not a Game?](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/pherotones_-_this_is_really_not_a_game/) - If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it must be a duck, right? Wrong, according to Pherotones Intimacy Expert Myra Vanderhood. After we reported on what appears to be the start of an Alternate Reality Game, we received this email from the good doctor: Dear ARGN Community, Thank you so
- [The Ultimate Mission: More Possible Than That Other One](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/the_ultimate_mission_more_possible_than_that_other_one/) - An official web-based scavenger hunt has sprung up for fans of the Mission Impossible series. To celebrate the release of the upcoming third movie, Paramount Pictures has launched a campaign in which players become "agents" who solve a series of missions by seeking out clues hidden across the internet. The first mission, released this week,
- [Building Fences - An Editorial](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/building_fences_-_an_editorial/) - The age-old argument is coming up again, in the form of the recently launched (and, perhaps, recently concluded) grassroots game, Project Ashcroft 3. We all know that one of Alternate Reality Gaming's main selling points and the reason that many of us are around to this day (especially anyone who can remember "where.gif" and "FOUNDER"),
- [Alternate Reality Radio](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/alternate_reality_radio/) - 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"
- [Stranger Productions](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/stranger_productions/) - For those of you who want to get in on the ground floor of a new and exciting gaming experience, this might just be the thing you need. Thanks to a tip, ARGN has learned of an "online role-playing game" called Stranger Adventures that will launch on Sunday, February 19th with a pilot series that
- [Renata Isle Goes Live](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/renata_isle_goes_live/) - Welcome to the island. What started as an email has now turned into Renata Isle, a new grassroots ARG. The game went live yesterday with new links appearing on an in-game security site (which, at the moment, is unavailable). There was a very active audience playing the pre-game, so here's hoping the real deal doesn't
- [Akalesh Ascendant Update](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/akalesh_ascendant_update/) - The former project lead of Akalesh Ascendant (previously reported on here in August 2005) has informed us that half of the creative design team for the newly formed and registered LLP corporation "Dark Element Gaming" has departed the project, due to be the company's debut in Alternate Reality Gaming. Several key members, including the head
- [Another PMChat Announced](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/another_pmchat_announced/) - 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
- [Another Contest... Ends Prematurely](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/another_contest_ends_prematurely/) - It's always disappointing to see an Alternate Reality Game pull up roots and disappear before its intended endgame. So far we have seen a handful casualties in 2006, and we are adding Another Contest Worth Entering to that list. Rumblings of an implosion came late last week, when UnFiction community member Chewy shared an email
- [PCAG: London](https://www.argn.com/2006/02/pcag_london/) - Mind Candy, in conjunction with the Perplex City Academy, ran their first Games in London on Saturday. The widely anticipated urban scavenger hunt unleashed impromptu choirs and conga lines across the capital, earning a wave of acclaim from over 200 participants. The games - within the 'reality' of Perplex City, but unrelated to the mystery
- [PCAG: New York](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/pcag_new_york/) - The Perplex City Academy Games were not just a phenomenon in London. A few weeks ago, there was an equally entertaining event on the other side of the Pacific in New York City. Lucky for us, we have a first-hand account of what transpired at the event from UnFiction community member (and active PXC player)
- [IDEAS Festival 1906](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/ideas_festival_1906/) - A new mini-campaign, IDEAS Festival 1906, has appeared in recent days, in part to promote the Indiana IDEAS (Interactive Digital Environments Arts and Storytelling) 2006 Festival at Indiana University. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to assist Time Corps Detectives in tracking down one Silas McGuffin. Mr. McGuffin has been performing unlicensed
- [I Love Bees Two](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/i_love_bees_two/) - Rumors have been running rampant on various gaming forums of late concerning the emergence of ilovebees2.com, which popped up on our radar sometime last month. While speculation about what the site might be connected to is a hot topic at the UnFiction forums, we have information from a source that the campaign is not connected
- [SXSW Interactive: The Wisdom of Crowds](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/sxsw_interactive_the_wisdom_of_crowds/) - James Surowiecki is a business columnist for The New Yorker and has also written a book entitled The Wisdom of Crowds. In his solo panel today at South by Southwest Interactive, he discussed why large groups of people are smart and why we should trust them. According to Surowiecki, large groups of people are remarkably
- [SXSW Interactive: Designing for Global and Local Social Play](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/sxsw_interactive_designing_for_global_and_local_social_play/) - Danah Boyd moderated a panel consisting of Irina Shklovski, Amanda Williams, and Liz Lawley (stepping in for Jane McGonigal, who was home sick with pneumonia) entitled Designing for Global and Local Social Play this afternoon at South by Southwest Interactive. The panel focused on why play is important and how new technology enables us to
- [SXSW Interactive: Serious Games for Learning](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/sxsw_interactive_sxsw_interactive_serious_games_for_learning/) - This afternoon's South by Southwest Interactive panel entitled Serious Games for Learning provided a fascinating look at how immersive gaming is bringing new opportunities into learning environments. Moderator Jim Brazell from the IC^2 Institute opened the program with a reference to how quickly technology has developed in the last several years. In 1995 there was
- [SXSW Interactive: Cluetrain: Seven Years Later](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/sxsw_interactive_cluetrain_seven_years_later/) - Speaking today at South by Southwest Interactive was a panel on the Cluetrain Manifesto. Published in 1999, Cluetrain.com is a list of 95 points regarding companies, consumers, and the relationship between the two, asking companies to wake up and deal with their customers on a human level rather than treat them as potential sources of
- [SXSW Interactive: Brian Clark of GMD Studios](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/sxsw_interactive_brian_clark_of_gmd_studios/) - 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
- [ReGenesis - Season Two to Debut](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/regenesis_-_season_two_to_debut/) - When 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
- [NextArt - The Voice](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/nextart_-_the_voice/) - NextArt: The Voice debuted last night at the Orlando Film Festival. Previously reported on here at ARGN, Jeff Wirth's style of spontaneous theater blends real life seamlessly with a created reality, dropping a "spectactor" into a situation in which he or she is another person and must act accordingly. If you're in the Orlando area,
- [Find Araya Wraps Up](https://www.argn.com/2006/03/find_araya_wraps_up/) - Find Araya, a grassroots Alternate Reality Game that began in late January, came to an end last week, and from what we gather, the experience was satisfying for players of the game until the end, when the game ended suddenly. We caught up with Mountain Girl, an UnFiction forums member who was one of the
- [A Very Important Message From ARGN](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/a_very_important_message_from_argn/) - At this time, we would like to make a very personal statement for everyone who follows this site or has toiled in our archives from time to time. Playing an Alternate Reality Game is hard work, but its even harder reporting on one. Real life takes a back seat to the importance of getting the
- [The Joke's On Us!](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/the_jokes_on_us/) - Nothing is more humbling than when a thoughtful April Fool's Day prank goes awry. And, in this case, by "goes awry" we mean "bombs terribly". You see, we had developed this great trail for April Fool's day, which started with our April 1st announcement. Since the article talked about changes on this site, most people
- [IDEAS Festival 2006](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/ideas_festival_2006/) - As previously reported, the 2006 IDEAS Festival took place this past weekend at Indiana University in Bloomington. The annual festival celebrates Interactive Digital Environments, Arts and Storytelling (IDEAS) and promotes the university's Masters Program in Interactive Media and Game Design (MIME). In past years, the festival exhibits were judged and awarded prizes. The coordinators of
- [Studio Cypher](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/studio_cypher/) - During the live event for the IDEAS Festival ARG, I came across a laminated cipher reference card made by a company calling themselves Studio Cypher. After the curtain was lifted, I got the chance to speak with the Puppetmasters behind both the IDEAS Festival ARG and Ares Station. Ian Pottmeyer, Will Emigh and Nathan Mishler
- [The Creepy Luny Inn](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/the_creepy_luny_inn/) - Taking no break following Transition Village, Funnel Productions released the first episode of "The Myth of the Seeker" today on www.creepylunyinn.com. Funnel's latest project, the CLN website is home to an online radio drama that promises to give listeners a chance to take part in each episode by voting via Twitter for what they think
- [Who Watches the Watchmen?](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/who_watches_the_watchmen/) - If Warner Bros. can reconcile with Fox in time, you will be able to see The Watchmen in theaters come March 6th. In the meantime, fans can tide themselves over with The New Frontiersman, the online home of Rorschach's favorite newspaper by the same name. Whether the site will be home to a full alternate
- [Eldritch Errors Live PM Chat Tuesday Night](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/eldritch_errors_live_pm_chat_tuesday_night/) - Announced today on the game's meta blog, many of the folks behind Eldritch Errors will be on IRC tomorrow night starting at 9:00 pm EST to answer questions about the game and hopefully give us some ideas of what's to come next. With the recent completion of Book Three, this promises to be an entertaining
- [This is Not a Game: The Novel](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/this_is_not_a_game_the_novel/) - The phrase "This Is Not a Game" has resonated over the years as an often misunderstood mantra for alternate reality gaming. Thus, I say the following with a bit of hesitation: This is Not a Game is, surprisingly enough, not actually a game. At least, it isn't if you're talking about Walter Jon Williams' newest
- [Welcome to the new recruits!](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/welcome_to_the_new_recruits/) - Just before the holidays, we asked our readers to come forward and join our staff of volunteers, and wouldn't you know it, some of you did just that. Now that the craziness of the holiday season is over and we are firmly planted in 2009, we'd like to make things official by welcoming our new
- [A Top Secret Conspiracy for Monsters vs. Aliens](https://www.argn.com/2009/01/a_top_secret_conspiracy_for_monsters_vs_aliens/) - Conspiracy theorists are often a depressing lot, decrying the end of the world at the hands of a cabal of aliens, monsters, and the Illuminati. Thus, it was refreshing to receive an email from Jeffrey Freedman, internet reporter and administrator for TopSecretConspiracy, who somehow manages to believe every scatterbrained theory he hears while retaining a
- [The Legacy of Julian Teng](https://www.argn.com/2008/12/the_legacy_of_julian_teng/) - We received a game tip in the email inbox a few days ago about The Legacy of Julian Teng which contains what we are being told is a unique clue to the launch of the game. According to the email, the alternate reality game ties in with the World of Warcraft universe but will be
- [Third Wave of Perplex City Cards](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/third_wave_of_perplex_city_cards/) - It's been nine months since Perplex City opened its doors to the public, asking for assistance in finding the Receda Cube. Now, with the third wave of playing cards available, players have more clues to help them in their search for the cube -- and with it, the $200,000 reward that accompanies its safe return.
- [Who Is Benjamin Stove? Wrap Up & PM Chat](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/who_is_benjamin_stove_wrap_up_pm_chat/) - The question of "Who Is Benjamin Stove?" has finally been answered after four months of intense speculation. Depending on who you ask, Ben Stove is: a tinfoil hat nut job; a teacher; a research; a shaman; an alien; hot-headed; a great guy; a man of vision; enigmatic; a scientist; a friend. In other words, just
- [The Fifth Anniversary of The Beast](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/the_fifth_anniversary_of_the_beast/) - 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
- [The DaVinci Code: Googlefied!](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/the_davinci_code_googlefied/) - Those of you longing for an Alternate Reality Game set in the universe of The DaVinci Code are in for a small, but somewhat satisfying treat. Google has rolled out a code quest tie-in with the upcoming film adaptation of the popular novel by Dan Brown, which involves fabulous fun and prizes for those lucky
- [Studio Cypher To Host IRC Chat](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/studio_cypher_to_host_irc_chat/) - As mentioned last week, a new Alternate Reality Game of sorts is emerging from a company called Studio Cypher. Since the discovery of the game, many members on the Unfiction message boards have been keeping up with ongoing events, so when the web site changed on April 14th, it did not go unnoticed. The site
- [Tweaking ARGN / New Staff](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/tweaking_argn_new_staff/) - In an ongoing mission to keep this site functional and relevant, we will be making some minor changes to ARGN in the next few weeks. Most of which will go unnoticed by the untrained eye, but some will be evident. The content and focus of the site will remain the same. We have already implemented
- [The Lost Experience](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/the_lost_experience/) - Back in February, glimmers of an upcoming interactive media experience were hinted at by Javier Grillo-Marxauch, a writer for the worldwide hit television show Lost, who said, "I assure you, there will be a lot of official Lost-sanctioned internet action coming up." Ears perked up from all around the ARG community, where speculation about some
- [Building Fences: Your Response](https://www.argn.com/2006/04/building_fences_your_response/) - "Eisner comes down in favor of splitting the player base, arguing that this makes for a more powerful approach to mysteries (think open source), and richer plot developments (think restaurant menu). I would add that increasing the number of player parties, from one to many, could increase the amount of player creativity (i.e., more wikis,
- [Perplex City Video Contest Announced](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/perplex_city_video_contest_announced/) - As announced last Thursday at PerplexCity.com, Mind Candy and You Tube of, well, you know, Earth, as well as the Perplex City Academy and the Open Design Agency of Perplex City, are beginning a video contest to promote Perplex City, as well as the game with its namesake. This marks the first time an Alternate
- [Get Lost!](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/get_lost/) - The highly anticipated Lost Experience began last night when a brief commercial for the Hanso Foundation appeared during the television broadcasts in the UK, US, and Australia. The commercial, which can be viewed on the Hanso Foundation website, ended with a toll-free number available in each of the three countries. Calling the number provides you
- [Assault on 13th Labour](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/assault_on_13th_labour/) - This came in three weeks ago from the fine folks at Assault on 13th Labour, a movement dedicated to solving Perplex City card #251 : Perplex City, an Alternate Reality Game based around puzzle cards and storytelling, features one card that has yet to be cracked: an RC-64 encrypted plaintext. We've created a distributed client
- [Alternate Reality Gaming SIG Whitepaper](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/alternate_reality_gaming_sig_whitepaper/) - 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
- [Review: The Lost Experience](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/review_the_lost_experience/) - ** Editor's Note: The original publication of this article had an incorrect hyperlink to The Hanso Foundation web site. The link has been corrected and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. It's been a little over a week since the launch of The Lost Experience, a launch in the form of prominent
- [Takin' it to the Streets: Game On in New York City](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/takin_it_to_the_streets_game_on_in_new_york_city/) - Does playing on a computer cramp your style? Feel restricted by that Monopoly board? Or maybe you're a Puppetmaster who wants to do more than the usual email and websites with your next ARG. This fall, games will bust out of the screen and the box, and take to the streets in a new, three-day
- [ReGenesis Featured on Podcast](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/regenesis_featured_on_podcast/) - The ReGenesis extended-reality game found itself back in the mainstream spotlight two weeks ago when Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur interviewed Evan Jones, creative director of Xenophile Media, the force behind the Alternate Reality Game that runs concurrent with the television series. In the podcast interview, Jones outlined how the game works and talked with
- [syst3m, We Hardly Knew Ye](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/syst3m_we_hardly_knew_ye/) - Often, when we report on a game that has started and completed within a two week time period, it's not great news -- it usually indicates some sort of meltdown or premature departure from the Alternate Reality Gaming landscape. Today is different, though, as we learned that syst3m, a game that launched a scant eight
- [Game Alert: Catching The Wish](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/game_alert_catching_the_wish/) - Catching The Wish, the sequel to Chasing The Wish, the successful alternate reality game that ran in 2003, has launched. While details are still coming in, there has already been email interaction and discovery of new web sites. We will bring you more as the day progresses, but if you want in on the ground
- [ARG, German Style:  Rettet den FuÃŸball](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/arg_german_style_rettet_den_fuball/) - Our good friend Patrick MÃ¶ller over at ARGR has tipped us off to what might be the first alternate reality game to originate in Germany. It launched on May 18th, and is called Rettet den FuÃŸball which, loosely translated, means "Save the Football". According to Patrick, the story involves a professor who finds seven statues
- [I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours: EDOC Laundry Dresses for Success](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/ill_show_you_mine_if_you_show_me_yours_edoc_laundry_dresses_for_success/) - â€œPsssst! Hey, you. Look at this!â€ Your head turns at the sound, only to find your eyes landing on some punk lifting up his shirt. Repulsed, you start to turn away and return to your daily machinations, hoping to some how erase the image of pasty tummy skin poking out at you, but something makes
- [Perplex City Video Competition Heats Up](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/perplex_city_video_competition_heats_up/) - Players of Perplex City have been hard at work this month on submissions for a video contest, and recently, submissions have made their way onto YouTube, a popular online video streaming service. As we told you earlier this month, the video contest is part of a campaign to promote the city which is central to
- [Calling All ARG Academia](https://www.argn.com/2006/05/calling_all_arg_academia/) - 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
- [Did Studio Cypher Leave Agents Out in the Cold?](https://www.argn.com/2006/06/did_studio_cypher_leave_agents_out_in_the_cold/) - The first Studio Cypher Case, Out in the Cold, was released last month when a Cypher field agent, Chuck Lehner, disappeared. Soon after the case launched, players started to receive postcards in the mail from Lehner which led them to his website and a blog that belongs to his friend Sue Terrini. The game, which
- [We're Four!  Let's Eat Cake!](https://www.argn.com/2006/06/were_four_lets_eat_cake/) - 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
- [Digital Communities 2006 Conference](https://www.argn.com/2006/06/digital_communities_2006_conference/) - In three days, the Digital Communities conference will be taking place in Bristol, UK. Clare Reddington, the project manager for the conference, was kind enough to give us a heads-up about the event, as well as a special promotional rate for those of you interested in attending! Here's what Clare had to say about the
- [Catching The Wish: Large and In Charge](https://www.argn.com/2006/06/catching_the_wish_large_and_in_charge/) - One month ago, we were happy to send out a Game Alert about Catching The Wish, the sequel to the 2003 alternate reality game Chasing The Wish. In the weeks since that announcement, the game has exploded onto computer screens everywhere with multiple websites, a rich and engrossing storyline, and interactivity that has added layer
- [Yo Ho Ho, 'Tis the Dead Man's Tale](https://www.argn.com/2006/06/yo_ho_ho_tis_the_dead_mans_tale/) - Sometimes, ARG doesn't mean alternate reality gaming. Sometimes, ARG means ARRRRRG, the bellow from the pit of the pirate's stomach that sends scurvy dogs runnin' and strikes fear in the hearts of the fisherman who sail the... alright, so our piratespeak isn't very good. In any event, Dead Man's Tale has led us to raise
- [Eon8 Activate!](https://www.argn.com/2006/06/eon8_activate/) - When something pops up on the radar with enough force to bog down an entire message forum, we generally sit up and take notice. Today, eon8 is the web site that is shaking the ARG world, and it has a familiar feeling to it. If you are lucky enough to be able to access the
- [Zoom In On Ocular Effect](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/zoom_in_on_ocular_effect/) - The ARGN Tipline lightbulb flashed this morning, alerting us to a new message arriving at the ARGcave. Our intrepid hero reporters donned their shiny gold catsuits and red swirlie over-the-suit panties, flipped their capes over their shoulders and flew into the internet wild to gather information, like the Thunderbirds but with better marionettes. They came
- [Perplex City News](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/perplex_city_news/) - Good news comes to Perplex City fans this week as Perplex City announces that their card packs are now available via several major online retailers. The card packs, as well as a starter pack which includes additional items such as a music CD and a binder, may now be purchased at Overstock.com, Buy.com, Walmart.com, and
- [Studio Cypher Launches New Case](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/studio_cypher_launches_new_case/) - Studio Cypher has announced the launch of their second "Multiplayer Novel," entitled Perfect Friends Forever, set to begin this week. According to Studio Cypher, "[Perfect Friends Forever] is much improved on our first episode: it contains many more puzzles and major story updates will happen on Tuesdays and Fridays." The plot will involve Madame Z,
- [ABC Family Announces Upcoming ARG](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/abc_family_announces_upcoming_arg/) - Hot in pursuit of the internet audience, ABC's sister network, ABC Family, has announced their plans for an alternate reality game based on their upcoming television show, Fallen. Announced today in a press release found on SciFi Wire, the game is set to launch following the 2-hour premire on July 23rd. Spearheading the project is
- [Toronto wakes up to Alternate Reality Gaming](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/toronto_wakes_up_to_alternate_reality_gaming/) - Coming in September, 2006, that ever-progressive Manhattan of the North, Toronto, Ontario, will be hosting a new alternate reality game "of urban exploration and intrigue," according to TorGame, a non-profit organization based in the city. TorGame bills itself as "dedicated to the exploration of public space, and a unified identity for Torontonians" on its website.
- [Lost in the Experience](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/lost_in_the_experience/) - As many of you ARGN readers know, and for those that don't... surprise!, there's an Alternate Reality Game running alongside the hit television show Lost. With the show airing in three different countries on three different schedules, players wondered if they'd be given any juicy story bits. Well, word has it that the juiciest of
- [You've Got Mail - The Message Center Turns On](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/youve_got_mail_-_the_message_center_turns_on/) - On July 20th, UnFiction member tallerbird logged into her Kingdom Of Loathing account, and found a message from someone called The Messenger: http://www.freewebs.com/themessagecenter/ Please go there as soon as you can! I need your help! At first she thought it was spam, but after a little exploring, it became clear that the mysterious message was
- [Let Loose with a Little Daily Rage](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/let_loose_with_a_little_daily_rage/) - Stranger Adventures, produced by the two-time Emmy nominee, Riddle Productions, launches new adventures every Saturday. Each puzzle-filled adventure lasts for one week and is delivered through emails and video diaries on the Stranger Adventures website. The adventures are designed in a way that you can work through them by yourself and, if you happen to
- [Kyle XY: Why, why, why?](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/kyle_xy_why_why_why/) - Kyle XY gives us another in a series of ABC Television's efforts to bring the TV show's audience on-line with a vaguely ARG-like game. Unlike The Lost Experience or Ocular Effect, however, this seems to be the ARG that can't get off the ground. So far we have one site, MadaCorp, which is some kind
- [Flakes on a Refrain - Brain Ouchies Courtesy of EDOC Laundry](https://www.argn.com/2006/07/flakes_on_a_refrain_-_brain_ouchies_courtesy_of_edoc_laundry/) - If the catchy rhythm of ragtime music, soft-shoeing in your ear, sets your brain humming, the challenge of EDOC Laundry may tune your fork. Since the opening of the company's online retail store, EDOC Laundry has introduced players to two websites related to the mystery of the band Poor Richard's demise, and in its wake,
- [The Devil Wears MySpace](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/the_devil_wears_myspace/) - Continuing my streak of pre/reviewing games that seem to stall (Seriously, ARGods! What's up?), I bring you "Angelo Beckett", the game about a man who knows too little. It started out as many grassroots games (sadly) tend to do, with a cryptic AIM conversation. A member of the Unfiction forums got a message, asking for
- [A Tangled Sort of Web](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/a_tangled_sort_of_web/) - Lo and behold, a strange website has been spotted! The site, Landalan.org, popped up on Digg.com, where it was described, in the space of two sentences, as "odd," "strange," and "weird." Sound ARGy? You betcha. The site has since offered up a mesh of exciting and varied puzzles, although it has provided only sparse hints
- [Lost at Comic-Con](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/lost_at_comic-con/) - The Lost Experience got quite a lot of publicity during the San Diego Comic-Con this year. During the Question & Answer section at the Lost panel, a mysterious woman, who identified herself as Rachel Blake, started questioning the panel members on the Hanso Foundation. Despite the writers claims that it was just something they made
- [It's Staring at Me, Mommy! Make the Oculus Stop!](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/its_staring_at_me_mommy_make_the_oculus_stop/) - The last time we looked in on Ocular Effect there wasn't much more to report on than a mysterious countdown and possible connection to an ABC Family movie. Since then the countdown has ended and what looks to be an ARG has appeared in its place. When the countdown ran to zero, an strange coded
- [PICNIC '06 Cross Media Week](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/picnic_06_cross_media_week/) - As we announced earlier this week through our Announcement Email list, the Alternate Reality Gaming Network is proud to be named as a network partner for the PICNIC '06 Cross Media Week event. PICNIC '06 is Amsterdam's new annual event focused on creativity in cross media content and technology, specifically in the fields of entertainment
- [I Left My... Cube? in San Francisco?](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/i_left_my_cube_in_san_francisco/) - Another large-scale organized event for Perplex City is taking place tomorrow in San Francisco, California, hot on the heels of the almost-worldwide release of the fourth and final wave of Season One puzzle cards, which took place on July 31st. To help build up the hype machine for this event, the creative forces at Mind
- [Treasure Hunters: The Hunt Is Almost Complete. Will There Be More?](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/treasure_hunters_the_hunt_is_almost_complete_will_there_be_more/) - It started with an all-call at NBC for short audition videos of unique teams of three willing to put themselves on the line using their brains and stamina. From the submissions, NBC picked ten teams that would be emerged into a part-reality show, part-ARG, hunt for treasure. Teams receive directional messages via video and text
- [Red Hot Timewaster](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/red_hot_timewaster/) - Looking for a fun, well written, and nicely executed experience? Yeah? Then check out the red hot summer campaign brought to you by Target. It's not an ARG, but you'll be able to follow along as a girl takes an impulsive trip around the US giving you little puzzles* along the way. Not only that,
- [Studio Cypher: Perfect Friends Forever](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/studio_cypher_perfect_friends_forever/) - Studio Cypher's second case, Perfect Friends Forever, concluded last month and players finally discovered who was trying to kill Madame Z, the psychic founder of the Perfect Friends Forever website. Perfect Friends Forever is a friend matching service where six ghostly spiritual advisors examine and compare members' spirits to pair up perfect eternal friends. Madame
- [I Died Here (and here and here and here and...)](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/i_died_here_and_here_and_here_and_here_and/) - Hot off the ARGN Tipline comes news of a new ARG based in India. I Died Here is sure to appeal to anyone who enjoyed The Blair Witch Project. The basic story: three 20-somethings are staying in a guesthouse called Shanti Cottage outside of Mumbai (Bombay) that has a dark history. They intend to document
- [Stranger Adventures or Waiting Game?](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/stranger_adventures_or_waiting_game/) - "We want to let everyone know that we will release Daily Rage! very soon. Although we can not supply a specific start date..." And so came and went another update from Tech Support at Stranger Adventures, an ARG that uses Flash technology to grant the user access to an interface in which they can gather
- [The (dark) Cube Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/the_dark_cube_hunt/) - The San Francisco Connection for Perplex City came and went. Below is a brief summary of the events that took place. Early in the morning several Cube Hunters gathered at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. With the doors still closed, the Hunters entertained themselves by listening to the podcasts, trading cards, and
- [Not For Noobs ... Is It...?](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/not_for_noobs_is_it/) - 5...4...3...6...0... Yep, that's right, another mysterious countdown has appeared and this one might just have something to do with a certain gaming console. NotForNoobs.com first appeared last week and savvy gamers will recognize the logo that appears as that of Razer, a company that makes gaming peripherals (that'd be controllers and mice and the like
- [Steorn: A Game or Not A Game, That Is The Question](https://www.argn.com/2006/08/steorn_a_game_or_not_a_game_that_is_the_question/) - Last Saturday, a small company in Ireland began getting some attention for promising the world free energy. Free! Can you imagine? The social, economic, and political ramifications are huge. Not to mention the scientific ones. For hundreds, thousands, of years people have lived by the law that energy is not free - it takes energy
- [Deus City: Perplex Deux?](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/deus_city_perplex_deux/) - Deus City, a new, promising ARG is scheduled to hit the internets in the spring of 2007, and ARGN has been fortunate enough to have learned a couple of things about the project. Deus City is a student-run project from the guys and gals at University of Texas - Dallas, in cooperation with Fundi Technologies
- [Lonelygirl15: The End (Or the Beginning?)](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/lonelygirl15_the_end_or_the_beginning/) - Although the post itself on the Lonelygirl15.com forum is currently unreachable, a new message tonight has a lot of confused fans wondering if the puppetmasters have stepped out from behind the curtain. To Our Incredible Fans, Thank you so much for enjoying our show so far. We are amazed by the overwhelmingly positive response to
- [Scheduled Maintenance = Down Time](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/scheduled_maintenance_down_time/) - Here's a FYI: Our host has scheduled maintenance for tonight which will result in our site being down for the duration of the work, which they say will be between 30 and 45 minutes. The work will begin at 10pm PDT (1 am EDT).
- [Portals For Fun And Profit](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/portals_for_fun_and_profit/) - A viral promotion for the upcoming game Portal, released by Half-Life creators VALVE Software, Aperture Science is a short, but witty promotional site, with a full psychological test for those "employees" wishing to participate in the Aperture Science program. The site remains little more than a diversion currently, but it's definitely worth a look-see, if
- [Deus City Countdown](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/deus_city_countdown/) - No, it's not another Top 40 list from some radio station in Deus City! It's a new countdown started at the main page at Deus City! Currently the countdown is set to expire on November 11th (if my math is correct), and what will happen at that time is anyone's guess! As reported earlier, the
- [PICNIC '06 Cross Media Week Is Here!](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_cross_media_week_is_here/) - Well, it is finally here - PICNIC '06 is mere days away, and we have three ARGN community members at the conference, ready to report on events as they unfold. Sean C. Stacey (SpaceBass) and Brooke Thompson (imbri), long-time ARG community members and contributing writers to ARGN, are on location in Amsterdam and are eagerly
- [Where is Jason C?](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/where_is_jason_c/) - An interesting viral campaign for the upcoming Grudge 2 has popped up on ARGN's radar. While not really an ARG, the campaign does try to blur the lines between reality and fiction and is a fun little time waster. A student filmmaker, Jason C, is filming his thesis documentary on the making of the Grudge
- [We Came Out and We Played: A Weekend of Public Gaming in NYC](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/we_came_out_and_we_played_a_weekend_of_public_gaming_in_nyc/) - Will is disdainful. "No way I'm running," he declares, "I refuse." We are moving in a group of four, myself, Will, Rose and EGo, trying to find the best way from West 21st to West 32nd, only using our feet or public transportation. We expect to be chased at any moment. We walk quickly, and
- [PICNIC '06, Day One: The IGDA Alternate Reality Gaming White Paper Presentation](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_one_the_igda_alternate_reality_gaming_white_paper_presentation/) - Written by Sean C. Stacey and Brooke Thompson Our day began with the International Game Developers Association's Alternate Reality Gaming Special Interest Group's (or IGDA ARG SIG) White Paper presentation. Adam Martin, founder of the SIG, introduced the project and overall goals of the special interest group, to provide a network for potential ARG developers
- [PICNIC '06, Day One: Cities as Digital Communities](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_one_cities_as_digital_communities/) - Written by Sean C. Stacey and Brooke Thompson Hosted by Sylvia Paull, founder of the Berkeley Cybersalon, who called it the inaugural session of the "Amsterdam Berkely Cybersalon," this panel discussion centered around the future of large cities, dubbed "Megalopolises" containing around 10 million people, and how to provide digital access to everyone within them.
- [PICNIC '06, Day Two: The Creative Process at Pixar Studios](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_two_the_creative_process_at_pixar_studios/) - Written by Sean C. Stacey and Brooke Thompson Opening the day with the Keynote Presentation was Dr. Michael B. Johnson, Pixar Animation Studios' Moving Picture Group Lead. His presentation explored creativity and collaboration, art vs. craft, design vs. engineering, and above all, a unique entertainment experience. As he carried us through the creative process mixed
- [PICNIC '06, Day Two: Conversations as a Source of Information](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_two_conversations_as_a_source_of_information/) - Written by Sean C. Stacey and Brooke Thompson Dan Gillmor, Founder and Director of the Center for Citizen Media, spoke about the future of Internet-enabled media and content, focusing on the democratization of mass information consumption produced by the enabling ability of the Internet to allow anyone to be a media producer, rather than just
- [PICNIC '06, Day Two: Empowered by Creativity](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_two_empowered_by_creativity/) - Written by Sean C. Stacey and Brooke Thompson The afternoon keynote address was presented by John de Mol, founder of Talpa and Co-Founder of Endemol. Talpa may be recognized for, among other things, its questionable contribution to society of the Big Brother and Extreme Makeover television properties. His appearance was quite a coup for the
- [PICNIC '06, Day Two: My Second Life](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_two_my_second_life/) - Written by Sean C. Stacey and Brooke Thompson Philip Rosedale, Founder of Linden Labs, presented his take on the empowerment offered by Second Life of the average citizen to not only create but monetize their own content and design. Second Life is a virtual world accessible over the Internet via software installed on your home
- [PICNIC '06, Day Three: Life After the 30-second Spot](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_three_life_after_the_30-second_spot/)
- [PICNIC '06, Day Three: Creating New Markets](https://www.argn.com/2006/09/picnic_06_day_three_creating_new_markets/) - Lorraine Twohill, Google's Marketing Director for Europe presented an excellent keynote address on how Google has leveraged its original core search service to expand existing and create new marketplaces on the internet, packing what seemed like two hours worth of information and anecdotes into a half-hour presentation. She discussed the rapidly changing user experience within
- [The Hour of Needing a Title for This Article - Cathy's Book Answers Call, Delivers Hot, Extra-large Pizza Pie of Awesome](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/the_hour_of_needing_a_title_for_this_article_-_cathys_book_answers_call_delivers_hot_extra-large_pizza_pie_of_awesome/) - I have a secret that I wasn't planning on sharing. It's almost too embarrassing to put into type on a site such as this, but my dedication to the readership is too great for me not to - and so I entrust you with this meaty nugget of shame: when I first read Cathy's Book,
- [Greek Mythology Hits the Small Screen (and Your Manly Chest) With Punch](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/greek_mythology_hits_the_small_screen_and_your_manly_chest_with_punch/) - Not content with spreading its artistic, mysterious, cottony fingers across your chest to spread its message, EDOC Laundry's coded T-shirts are taking a starring role on CBS's CSI:NY on Wednesday, October 11. EDOC Laundry captured the attention of co-creator and executive producer, Anthony E. Zuiker, who found the concept of clues to a murder mystery
- [The Lost Experience and Catching The Wish Wrap Up, Three New Grassroots Games Launch](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/the_lost_experience_and_catching_the_wish_wrap_up_three_new_grassroots_games_launch/) - Wow, October already? Thankfully, not much has happened in the past couple of weeks that would be noteworthy for reporting here. I wonder what's going on in the world of alternate reality gaming lately? Let me just check this... email inbox I have over here... and... oh. Wow. Really? All of that happened in the
- [Elan Lee: Long Time Launderer, First Time Guest](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/elan_lee_long_time_launderer_first_time_guest/) - Spreading the ARG love like butter, listeners in the San Francisco Bay area can tune in this Thursday, October 19th, to KALX radio (90.7 FM) and hear 42Entertainment's and Edoc Laundry's Elan Lee as he breakdances slip-slidey around the recording studio for a special broadcast of UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism's Northgate Magazine. Ok,
- [ARGNet: A New Frontier](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/argnet_a_new_frontier/) - Mark this day on your calendars, folks, because today ARGN becomes ARGNet. And from now on, we're reporting news. Forget about the fact that we've been reporting the news for a long, long time now -- today, ARG news becomes our only mission. Not that being the largest, most complete alternate reality gaming affiliate site
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 1](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/arg_netcast_episode_1/) - We're happy to introduce the first in what will be a continuing series of netcasts featuring ARGNet staff and special guests. The ARG Netcast will be a weekly (we hope) look into the world of alternate reality gaming, in audio format. Episode 1 is up and features Brooke Thompson, Sean C. Stacey and myself talking about a number of different topics: We dish on the games in our What's Hot List! We talk about other stuff! Sean and Brooke talk about PICNIC '06!
- [Regenesis Extended Reality Wins Gemini Award](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/regenesis_extended_reality_wins_gemini_award/) - Congratulations 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 â€œenhances the users' enjoyment of
- [Live Games Network To Launch "The Prague Files"](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/live_games_network_to_launch_the_prague_files/) - Live Games Network, which we were pointed to thanks to a tip from c|net's Daniel Terdiman, is a recently-founded company that "produces and directs games that let players live a fictional adventure for set period of time," according to their web site. Their first campaign, titled The Prague Files, is set to launch on December
- [New Venture Capital For Perplex City, and the "Earth Link Locked Down"](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/new_venture_capital_for_perplex_city_and_the_earth_link_locked_down/) - Mind Candy, the team behind Perplex City, has announced that they have secured an additional $7 million in funding from Accel Partners, Index Ventures, and NewMedia Spark. The funding shows confidence in the growing company and their ability to build and develop new forms of entertainment such as Alternate Reality Games and comes in advance
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 2](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/arg_netcast_episode_2/) - Episode 2 of the ARG Netcast features Sean C. Stacey of unfiction, Brooke Thompson of Giant Mice and Jonathan Waite of ARGNet. You can now find the netcast on iTunes, by the way -- search for ARGNet and subscribe!
- [Chat tonight with John Little, puppetmaster for Waiting for AV](https://www.argn.com/2006/10/chat_tonight_with_john_little_puppetmaster_for_waiting_for_av/) - Waiting for AV came to a frustrating end last night, leaving players wondering just what had happened and if their efforts to complete the game's ritual were successful. This morning, players woke to learn that while they did manage to complete the final ritual, doing so resulted in the death of Shamash, a player-turned-character. Not
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 3](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/arg_netcast_episode_3/) - It's already Episode 3 of the ARG Netcast series. Once again, this week offers the comedy stylings of unfiction's Sean C. Stacey, the politically-charged folk songs of Giant Mice's Brooke Thompson, and the gospel hip hop of M.C. Jonathan Waite of ARGNet. Subscribe to the ARGNet feed through FeedBurner or via iTunes. Game News and
- [The End is Ny: Ny Takma Explores Dead Languages and Possible Planetary Destruction](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/the_end_is_ny_ny_takma_explores_dead_languages_and_possible_planetary_destruction/) - Eden, Shangri-La, Mu, Lemuria, Tir Na Nog, El Dorado, Lyonesse: lost lands have fascinated audiences as long as humans have been telling stories. So it's probably not surprising that the most famous of them, Atlantis, has finally gotten its own ARG. On September 30, Unfiction players received an email directing them to a website which
- [Ny Takma Says Goodbye, PM Chat Scheduled](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/ny_takma_says_goodbye_pm_chat_scheduled/) - The Ny Takma alternate reality game, which began on September 30th, has reached a successful conclusion. It was an ARG soap opera of sorts -- Bryan and Chaya, aliens which have had their love for each other transcend the boundaries of time, got back together, thanks to Kendra, who opened the Ark, releasing Chaya. John,
- [Top Ten Reasons I Love Sammeeeees](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/top_ten_reasons_i_love_sammeeeees/) - Every so often, we at ARGNet are fortunate enough to get a reader submission for an article. Today, we're happy to be able to share konamouse's Top Ten Reasons She Loves Sammeeeees: 10. Characters are well played both on video and via their emails. Psyche! 9. Play the game, get a T-shirt. 8. Thursday night
- [Project MU Archives Book Released](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/project_mu_archives_book_released/) - Once upon a time, there was Metacortechs, a Matrix-themed alternate reality game that ran from August to November 2003. The game was good, and the players enjoyed it. Some players enjoyed it so much that in 2004 they wrote a comprehensive archival book, which can still be found at Metaurchins.org. And one day, those dedicated
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 6](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/arg_netcast_episode_6/) - If half a dozen netcasts are as sweet as half a dozen donuts, then feast your eyes on the sixth ARG Netcast. Sean C. Stacey, Brooke Thompson and Jonathan Waite are joined this week by Carie Ward, ARGNet staff writer and webmaster of wonderweasels.org. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through FeedBurner or via iTunes.
- [OpAphid Becomes "Official LonelyGirl15 ARG"](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/opaphid_becomes_official_lonelygirl15_arg/) - Just when you thought the LonelyGirl15 phenomenon had settled down, in walks Cassie. Cassie, an 18 year old YouTube contributor from, um, "right there above you," first caught the eye of LG15 fans in mid-September when she was mentioned in one of the LonelyGirl15 videos. From there, it's a little hard to explain, what with
- [Exploring Our Future on a Lost Planet](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/exploring_our_future_on_a_lost_planet/) - As any gamer can tell you, game trailers are more than just an opportunity to feast your senses on the latest pre-recorded gameplay designed to tempt you into buying the game when it is finally released. For the keen-eyed gamer, hints of deeper game mythology can often be coaxed out of these trailers, adding to
- [Playing Lawn Games for Life](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/playing_lawn_games_for_life/) - What do you get when you combine a cross-country trip with a scavenger hunt, old family stories and a variety of puzzles? The answer is Lawn Games for Life, a new ARG that is running now through the middle of December. Lawn Games for Life is part of the inheritance that Anna Ravelo has left
- [Steve Peters Gets His Geek On with Geeks On](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/steve_peters_gets_his_geek_on_with_geeks_on/) - 'Tis the season to be podcast, fa la la la la, la la go Steve. Strike the gong and turn on the mic fa la la la la, la la Peters. GeeksOn Podcast Interviewee fa la la la la la STEVE PETERS. Talks about some ARGs and Gaming, fa la la la la, la la
- [EVA - The End of the World As We Know It?](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/eva_-_the_end_of_the_world_as_we_know_it/) - It started (as these things so often do) with a cryptic website: in this case, a MySpace belonging to a mysterious entity calling itself EVA and bearing a disturbing message: I have returned. Awaken[sic] by disturbance. The sickness of humanity. You have grown undeserving. The preciouse[sic] life you take for granted. a test. To prove
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 7](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/arg_netcast_episode_7/) - We bring you a merry netcast, We bring you a merry netcast, We bring you a merry netcast, The last one of the year (maybe)! Carie Ward, Brooke Thompson, Sean C. Stacey and Jackie Kerr return to sling the ARG dirt with Jonathan Waite. Episode seven is a doozy, clocking in at 1 hour and
- [Bay City ARGers: The 'Fest in Fogtown '07](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/bay_city_argers_the_fest_in_fogtown_07/) - It's official folks: ARGfest-O-Con 2007 is coming to San Francisco and plans to leave its heart there the weekend of March 2-4. The focus will be on "How to PM a Game" and "The Future of ARGs" (working titles). Save the date! And after you scribble it down excitedly on your Dilbert calendar, or type
- [Ho Ho Ho, Ya Grinches!](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/ho_ho_ho_ya_grinches/) - If you're looking for some seasonal puzzle fun, grab some eggnog and have a seat at your computer. The elves who man the ARGNet tipline have alerted us to what appears to be a holiday-themed puzzle trail with a trailhead on blogspot. Are you ready to play the oldest sport in the world? asks the
- [Wheeeee!  Sammeeeees Wraps Up](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/wheeeee_sammeeeees_wraps_up/) - The whimsical and popular indie ARG Sammeeeees concluded Tuesday with a hostage exchange, a mysterious ritual, and touching farewells. The story centered around Mr. Alan Johnson, leader of a group called the Spoocheeeees who secretly ruled all world governments with power from a mystical disc, and a man who called himself Peeps, leader of the
- [The ARGNet Staff Gift Buying Guide](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/the_argnet_staff_gift_buying_guide/) - In a world where c|net, GeeksOn and the Parents' Choice Foundation have their own holiday gift guide, why not ARGNet as well? Our staff has been hard at work doing their own holiday shopping, but that hasn't stopped them from contributing some gift ideas for the special ARGonaut in your life. Here are their picks
- [The Trouble with Tropes](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/the_trouble_with_tropes/) - What started out as a minor diversion is turning out to be something more. The UK-based U-media is working on a new product called a trope: an "entirely new media form [...] that reproduces an experience exactly â€“ down to emotions and thoughts." Players digging deeper into the company's website are discovering a backstory and
- [The Human Pet: An Interactive Fictional Horror Story](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/the_human_pet_an_interactive_fictional_horror_story/) - Ed. Note: Since this article was first published, some of the links to the game have changed. We have updated the links so that they are current to November 21, 2006. The scene opens with a man tied up and struggling. He's lying in a white room with a mattress on the floor. A man
- [Check Your Joystick at the Door](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/check_your_joystick_at_the_door/) - Over 800 members of the worldwide gaming industry descended upon Eastern Canada today for the start of the MontrÃ©al International Game Summit 2006. Designed to become "The Annual Event" for Canadian and East coast game development specialists, the Summit is hosting "some 30 courses, seminars, conferences, and workshops over a two-day period" as well as
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 4](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/arg_netcast_episode_4/) - Episode 4 of the ARG Netcast contains more of the same tantalizing discussion that you've grown accustomed to over the past few weeks. Regular panel members Sean C. Stacey of unfiction, Brooke Thompson of Giant Mice and ARGNet's Jonathan Waite are joined by special guest Steve Peters of 42 Entertainment. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast
- [VirtuQuest Open ARG 6.5 Announced](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/virtuquest_open_arg_65_announced/) - VirtuQuest has officially announced that they will be launching Open ARG 6.5 which will be playable to the general public. After a summertime hiatus, VirtuQuest is back in full force completing their newest ARG, as well as branching out into more traditional web development venues. While we don't know when or how the newest game
- [Deus City Launch](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/deus_city_launch/) - Well, the time to wait is no longer. In fact, time as we know it may never be the same. Yes, that's right! Deus City appears to have launched at 11:11:11am CST this past Saturday (That's 11/11, by the way). And it appears that Brackin's dissertation theory has proved to be quite true, with much
- [Free!  Psychic Readings!  Also Free!  A Chance To Be A Human Sacrifice!](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/free_psychic_readings_also_free_a_chance_to_be_a_human_sacrifice/) - Among the myriad bizarre religious groups that have cropped up on the internet, one of the more humorous is the Church of Google, which argues that Google fits the criteria for a deity. We're not so sure, but we will admit that it makes a pretty good psychic. At least, that's where we assume the
- [StudioCypher Back At It Again](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/studiocypher_back_at_it_again/) - Studio Cyphers returns with the release of the latest chapter of their multi-player novel (MPN), "The Cyphers". This chapter, entitled Descry, starts with The Cyphers diving into the mystical world of rituals and spirits while following the experiments of a curious professor -- experiments that might have gone a bit too far in the investigation
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 5](https://www.argn.com/2006/11/arg_netcast_episode_5/) - On the fifth ARG Netcast your panel gave to you... Sean C. Stacey, Brooke Thompson, Jackie Kerr and Jonathan Waite. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through FeedBurner or via iTunes.
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 18: Studio Cypher](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/arg_netcast_episode_18_studio_cypher/) - In the eighteenth installment of the netcast series, we are pleased as punch to have special guests Will Emigh and Nathan Mishler from Studio Cypher joining us for a fantastic discussion. Will, Nathan and I are joined by Brooke Thompson of Giant Mice, Nicko Demeter of ARGNet and Sean C. Stacey of Unfiction.com. Subscribe to
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 17:  Meigeist, Yourgeist](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/arg_netcast_episode_17_meigeist_yourgeist/) - Meigeist special! Host Jonathan Waite and panelists Marie Lamb, Jessica Price, and Sean Stacey are joined by Meigeist puppetmaster Hazel Grian and Meigeist player Karl Smith for an intensive post-game Q&A session. Read the show notes at the ARG Netcast web site. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through this link or via iTunes.
- [To Immerse or Not To Immerse](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/to_immerse_or_not_to_immerse/) - Editor's note: Alternate Reality Gamers debating whether to explore the newfound Interact-Fic site will be glad to know ARGNet staff writer Jessie Greene recently caught up with the creators to see what they could tell us about the not-entirely-new concept. ARGN: With the interest generated by your site, prospective players would like to know about
- [Dive Into Indian Lake... If You Trust The Government](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/dive_into_indian_lake_if_you_trust_the_government/) - By Jessie Greene and Nicko Demeter What is the Indian Lake Project? Short answer: we're not entirely sure. At the moment it looks more like an interesting fictional blog than anything else, but there are a few sly hints that it may be a prelude to something more ARGish (including contact from "America's Research Gate").
- [Rand0m Act Of Kindness](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/rand0m_act_of_kindness/) - A press release issued earlier today outlines great news for alternate reality gaming community site Unfiction. The site has received its largest donation to date of $8,000 from Perplex City Season One winner and Unfiction forum member Andy Darley (Rand0m). Darley, who made news last month after finding the Receda Cube and earning $200,000 (US)
- [The Brooke Thompson 2007 Conference Tour, Part One](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/the_brooke_thompson_2007_conference_tour_part_one/) - Editor's note: Brooke Thompson is back after a whirlwind tour of some of the biggest festivals so far this year. She attended the Game Developer's Conference and was a speaker at the South By Southwest (SXSW) and ARGFest-o-Con conferences. This article is the first in a series about her experiences. What happens when you spend
- [ARGFest 2007 Panel I:  Developing an ARG](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/argfest_2007_panel_i_developing_an_arg/) - ARGFest attendees were privileged to be able to sit in on -- and participate in -- dialogues between many of the field's leading developers during the panel discussions held on March 3rd. The first of these panels, Developing An ARG, consisted of Adam Brackin (Fundi Technologies -- Deus City), Brian Clark (GMD Studios -- Art
- [ARGFest 2007 Panel II:  Running an ARG](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/argfest_2007_panel_ii_running_an_arg/) - The second panel discussion at ARGFest focused on Running An ARG, and it had a diverse selection of panelists. Sam LaVigne and Ian Kizu-Blair of SF0, voice actress Kristen Rutherford of I Love Bees fame, and Unfiction administrator Jackie Kerr delivered a multi-perspective approach to the subject which in turn provided a thorough look at
- [Doom Skull's Conclusion Takes CD Burning to a New Level](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/doom_skulls_conclusion_takes_cd_burning_to_a_new_level/) - The grassroots alternate reality game 13 Crystal Skulls came to a successful conclusion earlier this week thanks to the successful destruction of thirteen compressed files by players and characters alike. CDs were burnt, shredded, cut up, and even chewed by a dog to prevent their Gathering. After the events documented in ARGNet's previous article, the
- [Why We Eat Strangers' Candy:Â  A Reflection on the ARGFest 2007 Keynote by 42 Entertainment](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/why_we_eat_strangers_candy_a_reflection_on_the_argfest_2007_keynote_by_42_entertainment/) - "Delivering a keynote address to this audience is really difficult.Â What can we talk about?Â We can't talk about anything we've done in the past because you were all there experiencing it. We can't talk about anything we're working on right now because that would ruin the fun and the mystery of the experience. We
- [ARGFest 2007:  42 Entertainment Roundtable Discussion -- The Big Picture](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/argfest_2007_42_entertainment_roundtable_discussion_--_the_big_picture/) - After a number of panels featuring discussion between independent puppetmasters and members of different design companies, 42 Entertainment's Jim Stewartson (Chief Technology Officer), Elan Lee (Co-Founder, Vice President of Experience Design), Sean Stewart (Co-Founder, Creative Director), Steve Peters (Game Designer) and Michael Borys (Visual Design Director) sat down for a roundtable discussion, moderated by Kristen
- [Perplex City Murder Becomes "Cold Case"?  Perplex City Stories Faces Delay](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/perplex_city_murder_becomes_cold_case_perplex_city_stories_faces_delay/) - Earlier this week, Mind Candy announced that the launch of Perplex City Stories will be delayed until June, pushing back its original April release by two months. The delay will allow the Mind Candy team to build a gaming engine that allows for what Director of Play/Executive Producer Adrian Hon describes as "single-player replayable ARGs,
- [Transformers: Truth in Disguise](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/transformers_truth_in_disguise/) - Imagine: Little Timmy's at home on a warm Saturday afternoon, playing away the time with his brand new Optimus Prime transformer and a few of his partners in crime, like Ironhide, Ratchet, and Bumblebee. Timmy's got some Decepticons, too -- Megatron, Barricade, and Starscream -- and he has buckets of fun imitating the sepulchral voice
- [Welcome to our Recently Added Staff!](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/welcome_to_our_recently_added_staff/) - As the steady stream of news concerning alternate reality news continues to keep us very busy here at ARGNet, we are pleased to announce the addition of six staff members since we put out our open call for writers in January. Joining us are Jessie Greene, Michael Andersen, Brian Clark, Will Emigh, Geoff May and
- [B Seeing U](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/b_seeing_u/) - B.A. Saint Feline will tell you the truth, whether you want to hear it or not. She's not a cat person, even though strays follow her wherever she goes. She's a struggling actor. She's an honest psychic. She's an old soul. She also has been dreaming about a burning city, filled with smoke, flames and
- [A Return To Play](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/a_return_to_play/) - As a kid, I spent countless hours with my friends pretending to explore a new planet, fight a dragon, or save the world. Little did I know that such play also helped me explore and develop emotional responses in a safe environment. After all, if it got too intense, too real, I could always quit
- [ARGFest 2007 Panel IV: Defining ARGs and the Future of ARG](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/argfest_2007_panel_iv_defining_args_and_the_future_of_arg/) - In the fourth panel discussion at ARGFest, titled "Defining ARGs and the Future of ARGs", I was fortunate enough to moderate what turned out to be a lively and entertaining discussion from a panel full of people I have professional and personal admiration for. The panel consisted of Brian Clark (GMD Studios), Adrian Hon (Mind
- [The Unseen:  A Thank You to A Few of the Individuals Who Help Make the ARG Community A Great Place](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/the_unseen_a_thank_you_to_a_few_of_the_individuals_who_help_make_the_arg_community_a_great_place/) - It takes a lot of people to keep the ARG community running. ARGNet is a news organization, and as such we tend to focus our reporting on the people who grab headlines, to indulge in a clichÃ©: puppetmasters, players who win prizes, and so on. However, many of the people who make the community what
- [42 Entertainment to be Featured on Spike TV Program](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/42_entertainment_to_be_featured_on_spike_tv_program/) - Alternate reality gaming has enjoyed a great deal of mainstream press lately, particularly for games like Year Zero and World Without Oil. Tomorrow night, 42 Entertainment will be featured on Spike TV's Game Head, a "half-hour weekly program dedicated to everything that is happening in the world of video games," according to the Spike TV
- [Two More Awards for ReGenesis Extended Reality](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/two_more_awards_for_regenesis_extended_reality/) - It's been a crazy month for the guys at Xenophile media. It started off back in March at the 10th Annual SXSW Interactive Awards when Occular Effect (The Fallen Alternate Reality Game) won the award in the Experimental category. But it was not about to stop there. The nominations were just beginning to roll in.
- [Odina Nova:  Back (again) with More Norse Mythology than a Wagnerian Opera](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/odina_nova_back_again_with_more_norse_mythology_than_a_wagnerian_opera/) - When Dan Cook coined the phrase "it ain't over until the fat lady sings", he may have been discussing the 1978 NBA playoffs, but the expression has become rooted in the operatic tradition and Norse mythology. And like that final aria from a singing valkyrie, Odina Nova has returned to the ARG world. Continuing as
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 21:  The Mainstream](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/arg_netcast_episode_21_the_mainstream/) - In the 21st episode of the netcast series, we discuss the ARG news of the past week, including the massive mainstream press attention ARGs have been getting this month and last. Regular panelists Jon Waite, Sean Stacey and Jessica Price are joined by first-timers Michelle Senderhauf and Geoff May. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed
- [Game Launch: World Without Oil](https://www.argn.com/2007/04/game_launch_world_without_oil/) - After almost two months of anticipation, World Without Oil officially launched today. Announced at ARGFest 07, the game is a "live interactive month-long alternate reality event" that will explore the idea of a worldwide oil shortage. Jane McGonigal (IFTF) and Ken Eklund (writerguy) have led a team of "some of alternate reality gaming's most experienced
- [Game Alert: Frozen Indigo Angel](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/game_alert_frozen_indigo_angel/) - There's a new alternate reality game in the wild, and it goes by the name of "Frozen Indigo Angel." It's a promotion put on by BBC Radio 1, and is promoting Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival. The event is the largest free music festival in Europe, and the game has a number of tie-ins
- [Perplex City Season 2 "Preview Episode" Goes Live](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/perplex_city_season_2_preview_episode_goes_live/) - The ARGNet tipline has garnered some exciting news about an upcoming development in the world of popular ARG Perplex City: This Friday, a live "preview episode" for Perplex City will launch, providing the first opportunity in two years for newcomers to join a Perplex City game as it starts. While not the full replayable episode
- [Come Out And Play...In London!](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/come_out_and_playin_london/) - For all those UK residents who wished they could have attended New York's Come Out And Play Festival, now is your chance to have your own weekend of public gaming fun. Sponsored by a mysterious benefactor named Gideon Reeling (see here if you want a peek behind the curtain), the Hide and Seek festival promises
- ["Dark Days" Are Here?](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/dark_days_are_here/) - In the past few days, there have been many signs pointing towards Dark Days Are Coming, a mysterious web site that features some haunting music and puzzle, of sorts. While we're still trying to sort out the mystery for ourselves, here's what we've found out: the site was discovered after a poem was sent to
- [Crossing Your T's](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/crossing_your_ts/) - About two months back, I was watching the Conan O'Brien show on a whim, when I was treated to his story about hornymanatee.com. As Conan related to his audience, he had used the URL as part of a joke on a Monday night, but when the standards department of NBC got wind of the situation,
- [The 4400: The Battle for Promicin](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/the_4400_the_battle_for_promicin/) - USA Network has partnered with Campfire Media to produce an extended reality promotion for the hit television show, The 4400. Fans of the show can join in the debate over the use of Promicin, a neurotransmitter found in each of the 4400. When injected into someone who is not one of the 4400, it does
- [Love Nevr Dies](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/love_nevr_dies/) - So I'm sitting at work when up pops an AIM chat window from itstarted1988. His greeting to me is this: "they speak you listen. Of the Psycaem. You can look forward to games. To your satisfaction, perhaps not... A man, a woman, a line drawn. Not a shepard. Not a shepard. 1988." In basic ARGer
- [Transcript Published for SXSW ARG Panel](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/transcript_published_for_sxsw_arg_panel/) - Dan Hon was kind enough to send us an email letting us know that the transcript from the 2007 SWSX panel discussion "ARG! The Attack of the Alternate Reality Games" is pubished on his blog, Extenuating Circumstances. Alice Taylor, the Vice President of Digital Content at the BBC, was the moderator for the panel which
- [Paul Denchfield + Violet Kiteway = Fun](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/paul_denchfield_violet_kiteway_fun/) - Three weeks ago, we reported on the Frozen Indigo Angel game promoting BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival. On the same day, we also found out about a season two preview for Perplex City. As it turns out, the two were fated to be reported together, as they were officially connected on May 12th
- [Sammeeeees PM Looks a Little Lonely](https://www.argn.com/2007/05/sammeeeees_pm_looks_a_little_lonely/) - Recently, ARGNet learned that Jan Libby, solo PM of the popular indie game Sammeeeees, has joined the Lonelygirl15 team. She began by writing a recent Lonelygirl video, "Sing With Me," and it sounds like we will be seeing a lot more of her work in the future. "In addition to writing videos, Jan is also
- [Breaking News: Perplex City Season 2 Delayed Indefinitely](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/breaking_news_perplex_city_season_2_delayed_indefinitely/) - Earlier today it was revealed on the Perplex City game site that the expected June relaunch of the popular alternate reality game would "no longer be possible." Season two was scheduled to be released this month, but the statement on the site makes reference to the quality of the experience, and how Mind Candy believes
- [Save My Husband (But Not For Real)](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/save_my_husband_but_not_for_real/) - CourtTV is sponsoring what looks to be a fairly entertaining campaign, "CourtTV's 8-Day Mystery Challenge," in conjunction with Applebees and Suzuki. Starting at the trailhead site savemyhusband.com, players will be attempting to track down Andrew Goodis, chief scientist at AKARM Pharmaceuticals, a drug company on the verge of developing a cure for the common cold.
- [Alice is Lost -- We Hear Rumors She Fell Down Some Sort Of Hole, Made By A Rabbit Or Something](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/alice_is_lost_--_we_hear_rumors_she_fell_down_some_sort_of_hole_made_by_a_rabbit_or_something/) - As if the ARG world just can't get enough of Alice in Wonderland lingo (rabbit holes, curtains, puppet masters), a teaser was made public on June 1st for an upcoming project from Eric Harshbarger of Perplex City fame, called Alice Is Lost. Eric first made it known at Perplexorum that he had opened the website
- [History is Circling Back Upon Us, Like - Dun Dun DUN - A Halo!](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/history_is_circling_back_upon_us_like_-_dun_dun_dun_-_a_halo/) - The gears of the Universe spin further and further apart. Ever greater grows the gulf between souls, And distance gives false hope of safety But for the grim tidings this messenger bears: The enemy is almost upon us... ...slouching toward Bethlehem to be born, perhaps. The lines above were taken from an email sent out
- [ARGs Appear in Greece and Portugal](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/args_appear_in_greece_and_portugal/) - Often, our coverage of European alternate reality games drifts somewhere between Manchester City and London, with the occasional dash of DÃ¼sseldorf thrown in for good measure. In the past few weeks (and days, in fact), we've been alerted to two new ARGs from two of the EU's finest member states - Portugal and Greece. While
- [Itâ€™s A Birdâ€¦ Itâ€™s A Planeâ€¦ No!  Itâ€™s Project Osprey!](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/its_a_bird_its_a_plane_no_its_project_osprey/) - A voicemail was received on ARGNetâ€™s voicemail (which has now also surfaced on YouTube) from a gentleman who seems to be very disturbed by the recent acts of his company â€“ a project called Osprey that is about to â€œstep way over the lineâ€. It appears to be a â€œsting operationâ€ of some kind and
- [Find Friends to Foil Fake Fforde:  A "Thursday Next" ARG](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/find_friends_to_foil_fake_fforde_a_thursday_next_arg/) - Amy Greenford is a mild-mannered bookstore employee working in the Classic books section of Foyles on Charing Cross road, and the books in her store have been behaving oddly. Books get mysteriously misfiled in the wrong section, pages of text simply vanish. Oh, and a bride and groom have materialized from a book and fled
- [Live from Ludium II](https://www.argn.com/2007/06/live_from_ludium_ii/) - Editor's Note: ARGNet's Michelle Senderhauf is attending and reporting from the Ludium II conference, put on by Indiana University's Synthetic Worlds Initiative. This is Michelle Senderhauf reporting live from the Ludium II conference at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The conference is being run in game format which is interesting since the conference itself is
- [A Multitude of Game Alerts](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/a_multitude_of_game_alerts/) - As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. While browsing my inbox from the last week or so, I've come across no less than four game tips, and in no particular order, here's what we know: Frank Sturgis, who has previously worked at Allied Resource Management Consolidation Inc. let us know about some shady
- [It's alive!  It's huge!  It's 1-18-08...?](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/its_alive_its_huge_its_1-18-08/) - 4 8 15 16 23 42 -- J.J. Abrams really has a thing for numbers. Beginning last week with the opening of the Michael Bay summer blockbuster movie Transformers, theater-goers were treated to a mysterious, home-movie-style teaser trailer for... well, no one knows exactly. All that's known is what's believed to be the release date,
- ["I'll have some nachos--oh, and one creepy guy to follow me home, please."](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/ill_have_some_nachos--oh_and_one_creepy_guy_to_follow_me_home_please/) - The next time you're at the theater, why don't you bring home more than a bellyful of popcorn? The horror movie HEAD TRAUMA is promising to follow you out of the theater. Filmmaker Lance Weiler is calling this special, multimedia presentation of his film a "cinema ARG" and admits that he wants to "disturb" people.
- [ARGNet Staff:  A New Member, a New Role, and New Opportunities](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/argnet_staff_a_new_member_a_new_role_and_new_opportunities/) - We here at ARGNet would like to recognize the addition of a new team member, and the promotion of another. First, we're happy to announce that long-time ARG community member Celina Beach (aka celina63) has joined our staff, and has already published a great article about Project Osprey. Celina was an invaluable resource at the
- [World Without Oil: The Post-Game Press Release](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/world_without_oil_the_post-game_press_release/) - Editor's Note: Thanks to Voleine Amilcar at ITVS for this update! (San Franciscoâ€”July 12, 2007)â€”At the end of the 32nd week of the global oil shock, things were looking up. Gasoline prices stabilized in the U.S. â€“ at around $5.60 a gallon, down from a high over $7. Companies were starting to hire again â€“
- [Puzzles Across America: Ravenchase Strikes Again](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/puzzles_across_america_ravenchase_strikes_again/) - When we last checked in with Ravenchase Adventures, our lovely and talented Jessica Price had attended an event in Chicago, amid chilly weather conditions. As was reported back in January, the company is set to start the Great America Race, a cross-country puzzle trail and treasure hunt. The race begins tomorrow (July 14th) in Washington
- [Odina Nova Event Scheduled for Today](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/odina_nova_event_scheduled_for_today/) - It's been a while since we've heard anything about Odina Nova, but thanks to a tip we received last week, we can report that the game is still on, and there is a major event scheduled to happen today. This comes as good news to the players still hanging on, as activity over the last
- [Be Good, Tanya, and You Might Just Discover Something Supernatural](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/be_good_tanya_and_you_might_just_discover_something_supernatural/) - Pity Tanya Mitchel: she's just a nice girl with a LiveJournal, a job at a bank, and a wacky sister. The last of these happens to have disappeared, leaving a cipher-strewn trail and mysterious plea for her sister to save her by finding Dean Winchester (who appears to be the same Dean Winchester from CW's
- [Comic-Con 2007](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/comic-con_2007/) - Comic-Con 2007 has arrived, and our roving reporter Celina Beach is at the event, ready for the action to start. This year's event includes attendees many alternate reality gaming fans will be keeping tabs on, including J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse of the hit TV show Lost. If you remember, it was this
- [Why So Serious?](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/why_so_serious/) - Hey everyone! I have BREAKING NEWS here from Comic-Com! Purchasing some overpriced "Stargate Atlantis Collector Edition" bottled water, I received a VERY unusual dollar bill in change. George's face has been obscured and replaced with a... can it be... somewhat JOKER-like face, and the caption below reads "WHYSOSERIOUS". This, of course, leads us to www.whysoserious.com
- [Subject 137 and The Experiments Of Doom](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/subject_137_and_the_experiments_of_doom/) - I'm dying. I was falling asleep last night, and I knew. All I had to do was just let go, you know? ...And that would be it. I'd wake up a f*cking corpse, and you'd be in trouble. So why don't you just let me go? Why don't you just let me get out of
- [UPDATE: Comic-Con and whysoserious.com](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/update_comic-con_and_whysoseriouscom/) - A quick update, for those following along at home: The countdown on whysoserious.com has ended, and a large group of participants have begun to play along with what appears to be a treasure hunt/puzzle trail. Those active on the ground need to either have Internet access, or help from friends that are able to solve
- [UPDATE: Clowning Around Pays Off at Comic-Con](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/update_clowning_around_pays_off_at_comic-con/) - When Stephen Sondheim wrote Send in the Clowns, chances are good that he didn't expect anyone to take him at his word. However, for 140 lucky participants, Friday morning at Comic-Con included a chance to become one of the Joker's gang. If you haven't met the Joker, perhaps it'd be best if you brushed up
- [Ludium II Follow-up: An Interview With Studio Cypher](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/ludium_ii_follow-up_an_interview_with_studio_cypher/) - Last month I reported live from the Synthetic Worlds Initiative's Ludium II conference at Indiana University in Bloomington. The Ludium was designed by one of Indiana's finest ARG companies, Studio Cypher. At this point you're probably wondering what a Ludium is exactly. Thomas Malaby, the spokesperson elected at the conference, explains it best on the
- [Having Conquered Cincinnati and California, John Turns Gaze To Internet](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/having_conquered_cincinnati_and_california_john_turns_gaze_to_internet/) - With an increasing number of television shows extending their worlds onto the web, it seems worthwhile to start asking for whom the extended experiences are intended. In the case of the online experience for John From Cincinnati, it appears that this is a bonus for people who are already fans of the show. While it
- [In Case You Missed It... Sammeeeees 2!](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/in_case_you_missed_it_sammeeeees_2/) - While we're a little extremely late in reporting this story, I figured the word about a Sammeeeees sequel would spread through the ARG community like wildfire, given that the original game was looked upon with so much admiration. And hey, we did mention (on episode 26 of the ARG Netcast series) that there was an
- [Jigsaw Made of Fool's Gold?](https://www.argn.com/2007/07/jigsaw_made_of_fools_gold/) - As a denizen of LiveJournal, I could hardly fail to notice the massive popularity of internet quizzes, so allow me to try to create one of my own, which I feel will be particularly applicable to the wise and wonderful web wanderers who comprise our audience: In your wanderings, you encounter an example of such
- [Has the Invasion Begun?  Colby Shaw Seems to Think So...](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/has_the_invasion_begun_colby_shaw_seems_to_think_so/) - Unton, Indiana hasn't been the same since the orb came to town. At midnight on June 30th, Gabriel Lawson saw something large, red, and round floating over his town. Gabriel and his friend Michael tried to get to the bottom of what was happening, but as men in black started popping up on the corners,
- [ARGNet Editor to Appear at G4TV](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/argnet_editor_to_appear_at_g4tv/) - On today's Attack of the Show on G4TV, alternate reality gaming will be the focus of The Loop, according to the show's blog. ARGNet will have representation during the discussion as our very own Jessica Price will appear to discuss matters with 42 Entertainment's Elan Lee. The blog at G4 mentions the recent Why So
- [Right or Wrong, Ethan Haas is a Bit of a Disappointment for ARG Fans](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/right_or_wrong_ethan_haas_is_a_bit_of_a_disappointment_for_arg_fans/) - The site Ethan Haas Was Right (EHWR) has had a bit of a identity crisis in the last few weeks. First, it was connected (wrongly, as it turned out) to the mysterious Cloverfield movie project. Then, once people began to accept that it was in fact a separate entity, players started to wonder if it
- [It's Tomorrow Calling.  Do You Accept the Charges?](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/its_tomorrow_calling_do_you_accept_the_charges/) - If a relative from the future asked for your help to protect the Earth, what would you do? This is the first line of the teaser email leading to a new alternate reality game called Tomorrow Calling which is aimed to bring environmental awareness to the ARG community. The game offers the usual (such as
- [Emmy Gets Interactive](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/emmy_gets_interactive/) - This year's Emmy Awards have a category for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television, and regular observers of and participants in the world of alternate reality gaming may see quite a few familiar names in the candidate lineup. Check out the ITVT Blog's exclusive on the awards for lots of interesting information. Nominees include: Heroes Interactive
- [Calling All Aspiring Game Designers!](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/calling_all_aspiring_game_designers/) - Have you ever had a really cool idea for a game, but despaired of finding enough funding to realize your dream? If so, Canada's BIG Games Design Competition may provide you with the opportunity you need to break into design. The
- [Network Outages](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/network_outages/) - Through the course of today, ARGNet may or may not have been unavailable, or may have been slow or sluggish. Our host has had sporadic, random problems with their servers today, especially (we found, anyway) with their SQL servers. We apologize if the site was misbehaving for anyone earlier, but things seem to be fine
- [The Sweet Scent of Mystery](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/the_sweet_scent_of_mystery/) - Sarah Jessica Parker is probably one of the last people we'd expect to see in a web-based mystery, or "interactive fictional story", let alone actually seeing a web-based game promoting a new perfume. However, Sarah's new fragrance " Undoubtedly, with Unfiction's thread dedicated to this promotion having surpassing 200 posts after nine days, it's off
- ['Cause Sooner Or Later, It's Over...](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/cause_sooner_or_later_its_over/) - A recently leaked article, supposedly posted to Microsoft's internal news site, appears to verify the dreaded truth -- Halo 3's Iris "spiral marketing campaign" has come to its official end. The article, which was posted to the Unfiction forums with permission from the author, reveals the end date of August 16th, which coincides with the
- [40,000:1--Find Kiyash at Burning Man](https://www.argn.com/2007/08/400001find_kiyash_at_burning_man/) - Jane McGonigal is a busy woman. She has worked on award-winning alternate reality games including I Love Bees, Last Call Poker, and World Without Oil. Along with Ian Bogost, she introduced benevolent assassination through Cruel 2 B Kind to unsuspecting cities around the world. Independently and as a member of The Institute for the Future,
- [ARGNet <3 PICNIC'07](https://www.argn.com/2007/09/argnet_3_picnic07/) - For the second year in a row, ARGNet is pleased to be partnered with the PICNIC cross-media conference! PICNIC'07 takes place at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam from September 25th through the 29th, during which a wide variety of events and discussion will take place. This year's festivities also include a Come Out and Play event
- [Of All the Gin Joints in All the World:  Casablanca Game Goes Live](https://www.argn.com/2007/09/of_all_the_gin_joints_in_all_the_world_casablanca_game_goes_live/) - After months of development and testing, the new social networking game Casablanca launches today. As a winner of mtvU and Cisco's Digital Incubator 2.0 competition, the four NYU University students behind the game received a $30,000 grant towards the development of the game. Set in the city of Casablanca during World War II, players are
- [Welcome to Schmeldritch?](https://www.argn.com/2007/09/welcome_to_schmeldritch/) - After almost five months of game play, Book One of Eldritch Errors has come to a close. What began in April with mysterious Craigslist postings and targeted snail mail ended with a live event in Atlanta last Monday, during which a hard drive and boarding pass were found in a room which included three "shrouded
- [Breaking News: Eldricth Errors PM Chat Tonight](https://www.argn.com/2007/09/breaking_news_eldricth_errors_pm_chat_tonight/) - Sorry for the late-breaking update, but we've just found about a puppetmaster chat for Eldritch Errors, which recently wrapped up the first stage of its game. You can join the chat via IRC (chat applets here or at Unfiction) in the #stfeline room, starting at 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT. This will hopefully be an
- [Game Tip Round-Up](https://www.argn.com/2007/09/game_tip_round-up/) - We have been a bit preoccupied here at the ARGNet Ranch, but that doesn't mean that we're not paying attention to the inbox. While we haven't had much opportunity to follow up on some of the tips we've received, we thought it'd be best to release them into the wild to see what happened. Here,
- [It's Been Five Long Years and I Love You Just the Same](https://www.argn.com/2007/09/its_been_five_long_years_and_i_love_you_just_the_same/) - 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
- [What do Education, iPhones, and LG15 Have in Common?](https://www.argn.com/2007/09/what_do_education_iphones_and_lg15_have_in_common/) - After cleaning out my inbox (1300+ messages!), I found a few stories from the past month or so that I found interesting, and I hope you will too: Over at Cross-Media Entertainment, Christy Dena is reporting on a new educational ARG called Help Me Solve a Mystery. Quoting from the Research Quest blog , Dena
- [Help us figure out:  DNV, LGV 14](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/help_us_figure_out_dnv_lgv_14/) - When it comes to game tip emails, we've seen our share of cryptic messages, but none as puzzling as the two tips for what we assume is the same game. Tip 1 went a little something like this: Message: The first messages are being spread. We are Artists, and this is our Art. This is
- [Part One â€“ PICNIC â€™07 â€“ Three days of cross-media madness in Amsterdam](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/part_one_picnic_07_three_days_of_cross-media_madness_in_amsterdam/) - Editor's Note: DaniÃ«l is an administrator at the Unfiction forums and was part of the team that created the Project MU Archive Book. He was on the scene at PICNIC '07 as a representative of the ARG community and was kind enough to submit a report on his experiences, which we will release in parts
- [Part Two â€“ PICNIC â€™07 â€“ Three days of cross-media madness in Amsterdam](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/part_two_picnic_07_three_days_of_cross-media_madness_in_amsterdam/) - Editor's Note: Daniel is an administrator at the Unfiction forums and was part of the team that created the Project MU Archive Book. He was on the scene at PICNIC '07 as a representative of the ARG community and was kind enough to submit a report on his experiences. This is part two of the
- [And the EmmyÂ® Goes to...](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/and_the_emmy_goes_to/) - We offer our belated but no less heartfelt congratulations to the team at Xenophile Media, who along with co-creator Matt Wolf were winners of a Primetime EmmyÂ® award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Television, presented at last month's ceremony in Los Angeles. The team got the nod for "The Ocular Effect," the alternate reality
- [Changing the game](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/changing_the_game/) - Given $2600 and the resources of a major charity dedicated to cancer research, could you come up with an alternate reality game to help raise funds for a worthy cause? That's what Six to Start and Cancer Research UK would like to find out. Adrian Hon, formerly with Mind Candy, announced the unusual contest on
- [Part Three - PICNIC '07 - Three days of cross-media madness in Amsterdam](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/part_three_-_picnic_07_-_three_days_of_cross-media_madness_in_amsterdam/) - Editor's Note: Daniel is an administrator at the Unfiction forums and was part of the team that created the Project MU Archive Book. He was on the scene at PICNIC '07 as a representative of the ARG community and was kind enough to submit a report on his experiences. This is part three of the
- [Holy blue jumping spiders!](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/holy_blue_jumping_spiders/) - What happens when you receive an email that looks like spam, smells like spam, and reads like spam, but isn't flagged as spam? Why, you take it to the ARG community, of course! Starting the week of October 9th, several people began receiving strange emails from someone called "Jumping Spider". The emails in and of
- [Why So Serious, Halloween Edition](https://www.argn.com/2007/10/why_so_serious_halloween_edition/) - At the stroke of midnight (Eastern time, GMT -4) on Halloween, the newest chapter in 42 Entertainment's alternate reality game promoting the release of the movie "The Dark Knight" launched. Over the past few weeks, the website WhySoSerious.com depicted a slowly rotting Halloween pumpkin with a diminishing candle. Just minutes ago, as the candle burnt
- [The Mailman Cometh](https://www.argn.com/2007/11/the_mailman_cometh/) - Today was a great day for getting mail. The newest Rolling Stone magazine arrived, as did the December copy of Macworld. Also, nestled between a CAA membership renewal notice and a flyer for a grocery store, was an inconspicuous package addressed to ARGN... from ARGN. 'Weird,' I thought, 'I don't remember sending myself a package.'
- [Book Two of Eldritch Errors comes and goes, PM chat tonight!](https://www.argn.com/2007/11/book_two_of_eldritch_errors_comes_and_goes_pm_chat_tonight/) - Now that Book Two of Eldritch Errors has wrapped up, the people behind the curtain are eager to get together with ARG players to talk about things, and so tonight at 9 pm ET, you can join Brian Clark, Brooke Thompson and a few other distinguished guests in the #stfeline room on the Chat-Solutions IRC
- [Numb3rs on Alternate Reality Games:  Amita ARGs, and Extreme Deaddrops](https://www.argn.com/2007/11/numb3rs_on_alternate_reality_games_amita_args_and_extreme_deaddrops/) - The Writer's Guild of America may be on strike, but you'll need to wait a few more weeks for hordes of drama-starved television addicts to flock to alternate reality games for succor. While you wait, tune in to CBS tonight at 10pm EST for Numb3rs. Tonight's episode of the hit series, entitled Primacy, will feature
- [Game Launch: Silver Ladder](https://www.argn.com/2007/11/game_launch_silver_ladder/) - Did you have your alarms set for today at 11:11 a.m? After all, this date has been circled on the calendars of many alternate reality game players as the day the rabbit hole at SilverLadder.com opens. While the site is currently down (temporarily, we assume and hope), this gives us a good opportunity to catch
- [Does Tom Tooman hail from Jericho, KS?](https://www.argn.com/2007/11/does_tom_tooman_hail_from_jericho_ks/) - It started with a handwritten message on notebook paper and some barcode stickers found in the mailboxes of Sean Stacey and other alternate reality gaming players. These clues led to a website which showed nothing but an entry box and blank submit button. It was described by one player of the game, xnbomb, as "wonderfully
- [The Joker's latest task is a Piece of Cake](https://www.argn.com/2007/12/the_jokers_latest_task_is_a_piece_of_cake/) - It's been a while since we've reported on the alternate reality game for the upcoming movie The Dark Knight, but that doesn't mean that the action has stopped. In fact, on December 4th, after a long trail of tasks, websites and information spawning from a Halloween countdown from late October, fans of Batman and players
- [Launching Into '08: New Games and New Beginnings](https://www.argn.com/2007/12/launching_into_08_new_games_and_new_beginnings/) - As our planet careens into yet another lap around the Sun, puppetmasters are waiting gleefully in their lairs, cackling behind their respective curtains, fingers poised to hit the big red LAUNCH button at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2008. All around the world, ARG players will be clinging to their F5 buttons or
- [Comments not working?  Our bad...](https://www.argn.com/2007/12/comments_not_working_our_bad/) - So, if you are the type of person to comment on articles here at ARGNet, thank you. If you are the type of person who tries to comment and then notices that their comment fails to show up, we apologize. Some of the comments from the last month (or, in some cases, two months) slipped
- [UPDATE: Oceanic Air Flies Again](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/update_oceanic_air_flies_again/) - SPOILER ALERT -- This article reveals information that may nor may not have meant to be found by now. Read at your own risk. As we reported yesterday, there's a new alternate reality game starting up for acclaimed television series Lost, known as Find 815. According to the Lostpedia, the action revolves around Sam Thomas,
- [What's an xPod?](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/whats_an_xpod/) - A new article posted at Canoe.ca (also via Canada.com) hints at an upcoming game from Xenophile Media, tied in with a new show from the Canadian network CBC called jPod, which premieres Tuesday, January 8th (on CBC of course). While much of the show's online components are typical of the new trend of extended interactivity,
- [Programming Alert](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/programming_alert/) - Tonight on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered", Neda Ulaby talks about Cloverfield--the movie, the promotion and the community. Tune in to your local NPR radio station at 7:00 p.m. EST to hear the show, which we were told will be the second to last segment of the broadcast. The show will also be archived
- [The Hills are alive... No, really, they're alive!](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/the_hills_are_alive_no_really_theyre_alive/) - From intrepid Unfiction denizen and player, Rowan, comes this interesting news, which we've condensed from her excellent forum post: During my long hours of watching college football bowl games, I kept noticing weird TV ads. There was a blinking alert with a voice over stating that despite rumors online, the Winter X Games would still
- [Tachyon Me - EniTech Backs Look Into the Future](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/tachyon_me_-_enitech_backs_look_into_the_future/) - If EniTech Research Labs is to be believed, they have a camera that is recording images from the future---1193 (originally 1191) days into the future, to be precise. Espousing an "Open Source Research" philosophy, employees are documenting their findings on the company blog, and asking for feedback and suggestions for future experiments. The latest experiment
- [How committed are you?](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/how_committed_are_you/) - The name Deus City should be familiar to some, as we have reported on it numerous times over the past year-plus. This Alternate Reality Game launched in November of 2006 and wrapped up almost exactly a year later, developed by a team led as part of Adam Brackin's doctoral project at the University of Texas
- [Catching Up with Jan Libby](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/catching_up_with_jan_libby/) - When we last spoke with Jan Libby in episode 35 of the ARG Netcast, she gave us exclusive news about two projects: a television show that she successfully pitched to a production company, and a new game of her own that she planned to launch sometime this winter. Fans of her last two games, "Sammeeeees"
- [Eldritch Errors, Book 3?](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/eldritch_errors_book_3/) - Much to the excitement and delight of Eldritch Errors players across the globe, it looks as if the launch of the ARG's third book, titled Red Moon Rising, may be imminent. Book two ended with a live event chock-full of Lovecraftian horror goodness. Players and in-game characters spent the weekend together in a rustic cabin
- [Torchwood Needs You](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/torchwood_needs_you/) - From the BBC comes word of an online game that will run concurrently with the new season of its sci-fi drama, Torchwood. If the name Torchwood doesn't mean anything to you, you might have heard of the series it was spun off of, a little show called Doctor Who. In the guise of being recruited
- [ARGer Sam Needs You!](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/arger_sam_needs_you/) - Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up and become a part of history. Yes, that's right! You too can take part in an extremely important mission by volunteering your time and awesome skills to the future of the ARG genre. The mission, if you choose to accept it: * Help promote Alternate Reality Gaming and highlight
- [The Darker ARGs:  This ARG is Not Yet Rated](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/the_darker_args_this_arg_is_not_yet_rated/) - EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of a planned series of editorials exploring horror- and dark-themed ARGs from a number of different perspectives. The saccharine lyrics and cheerful smiles of the popular Japanese pop group "Dessart" hide a dark secret: coded messages hidden within stage performances, websites, and promotional posters for the band lead concerned
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 16: Back to Basics](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/arg_netcast_episode_16_back_to_basics/) - One week after the Greatest Show in ARG, panelists Nicko Demeter, Sean C. Stacey, Marie Lamb and Jessica Price join host Jonathan Waite for an hour long look at recent game developments and the fallout from ARGFest-o-Con 2007. Read the show notes (coming soon!) at the ARG Netcast web site. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast
- [Fest Quest '07](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/fest_quest_07/) - OH NOES!! Gupfee's been kidnapped! Even as the last words of keynote speakers Sean Stewart and Elan Lee echoed around the conference room, ARGFest attendees were quickly rounded up into groups, based on the color of the square on the back of their lanyards (so that's what those were for!), and each group was given
- [ARGFest Panel Videos on YouTube](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/argfest_panel_videos_on_youtube/) - Without the work of Ben Wochinski (encoding and uploading), Celina Beach (filming) and Sean C. Stacey (transcribing), among others, these videos would not have been made possible. A huge thanks to everyone who worked hard to get these videos up and available. The 2007 ARGFest-o-Con in San Francisco had some brilliant speakers, and now you
- [ARGFest 2007:  Cruel 2B Kind](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/argfest_2007_cruel_2b_kind/) - Welcome to beautiful downtown San Francisco! Did you see that amazing cable car? You're looking gorgeous tonight! You're too kind. I should know, of course, since teammate Elan Lee and I are the Cruel 2 B Kind World Champions. We achieved this renown by carefully plotting our strategy weeks in advance: we monitored traffic patterns
- [The 2007 ScreenBurn Festival](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/the_2007_screenburn_festival/) - We are happy to announce that ARGNet is an official media sponsor of the 2007 ScreenBurn festival, taking place at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive festival this weekend in Austin, Texas. The ScreenBurn festival is an initiative dedicated to providing programming about the newest developments in the gaming community, and we are honored that
- ["I'm a WHATmaster?" The Lonelygirl15 Creators Appear at ARGfest-o-Con to Tell Us Why They Love Their Fans in Spite of Themselves](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/im_a_whatmaster_the_lonelygirl15_creators_appear_at_argfest-o-con_to_tell_us_why_they_love_their_fans_in_spite_of_themselves/) - A week before a much publicized appearance at SXSW, Lonelygirl15 creators Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried, and Glenn Rubenstein, the Puppetmaster for the official Lonelygirl15 ARG, OpAphid, appeared at ARGfest-o-Con to talk about the Lonelygirl15 phenomenon and their introduction to the alternate reality of fame, fans, and the internet community's dogged pursuit of information. The
- [Erwin Don't Like It, Rock the MeiGeist](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/erwin_dont_like_it_rock_the_meigeist/) - Erwin is missing! There's a great twist to this ARG clichÃ©: you see, Erwin is a cat and back in December he fell down a rabbit hole and hasn't been seen since. Erwin's person is Eva McGill. Eva's a cute 20-something living on her own over in the UK. Her life seems to be quite
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 9.5](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/arg_netcast_episode_95/) - In this supplemental, special netcast, the panel from episode 9 return to talk about ARGFest-O-Con. This is a very informative, relatively short netcast dedicated solely to discussion about the 7th installment of the ARG discussion conference and social get-together. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through FeedBurner or via iTunes. What's the story? ARGFest-O-Con 2007
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 9](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/arg_netcast_episode_9/) - Caution: possible spoilers about Perplex City are revealed in this netcast. It's our first netcast of 2007, and I'm happy to be joined by regular panel guests Brooke Thompson, Jackie Kerr and Marie Lamb, with special panel guest rose. In our ninth netcast, we talk about games, games and more games. Subscribe to the ARG
- [I Wanna Be Your Backdoor Man](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/i_wanna_be_your_backdoor_man/) - Question: How many ARGers does it take to free a group of crack scientists held captive in a super secret research facility? That was the question we needed to answer on Tuesday, as a group of players converged on IRC to tackle one of the more innovative "puzzle events" in recent ARGs. The answer, as
- [Alfred Alan is Still Really Worried](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/alfred_alan_is_still_really_worried/) - Lurkers and active players alike were somewhat doubtful that the Lost Planet alternate reality game (AKA Nevec, the handy abbreviation for the Neovenus Construction trailhead web site) would last beyond the January 11th launch party -- the game sites were noticeably dormant over the holidays, with virtually no updates or story movement. However, thanks to
- [Email Mystery Strikes Again with "Suzanne"](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/email_mystery_strikes_again_with_suzanne/) - Being a couch potato ARG-enthusiast (or mystery fan) has never been easier! All you need is an e-mail account and five bucks. And maybe someone to bring you refreshing drinks. And snacky things. Long-time ARGnet readers will recall our coverage of Michael Betcherman's and David Diamond's E-mail Mystery, "The Daughters of Freya," a time-release capsule
- [What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Stay in Vegas](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/what_happens_in_vegas_doesnt_stay_in_vegas/) - The lights dimmed, the music stopped, and the fountains at the Bellagio started chiming like clocks. It was time for Loki, the enigmatic puzzle mistress of the Vanishingpoint game to work her magic. For over three minutes, the Bellagio fountains were turned into a massive movie screen as clues to the online portion of the
- [2006 In Review: Alternate Reality Gaming](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/2006_in_review_alternate_reality_gaming/) - By Jessica Price and Jonathan Waite As another year has come and gone, looking back at 2006 shows that it was a good year to be involved in alternate reality gaming. All in all, the year saw the genre receiving ever greater mainstream recognition, evolving in ways both anticipated and surprising, and adapting enthusiastically to
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 8](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/arg_netcast_episode_8/) - We were big liars when we said that Episode 7 of the ARG Netcast would be the last of 2006. Yesterday, Jonathan Waite was joined by Sean C. Stacey, Marie Lamb, Brooke Thompson and Carie Ward for a look back at 2006, and a look forward towards what might happen in 2007. Episode 8 is
- [The Vanishing Point](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/the_vanishing_point/) - A mysterious message posted recently in the news section of MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) IE Blog has people buzzing about the possibility that another large-scale alternate reality game is about to go live. The image, which includes a complicated cipher code and a link to the Vanishing Point web site, was found by a number
- [More Than Meets the Eye? ARG in Disguise?](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/more_than_meets_the_eye_arg_in_disguise/) - Transformers fans are all atwitter about some mysterious goings-on in the trailer for the live-action Transformers movie, set to come out in July 2007. At a certain moment early in the trailer, the words "Sector Seven Org" and "takara83" appear at the top and bottom of the frame, respectively, leading the curious to www.sectorseven.org. Entering
- [A&E Unveils Sopranos Cross-Media Experience](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/ae_unveils_sopranos_cross-media_experience/) - So, it turns out that even a mob boss from Jersey can't resist the sweet smell of cross-media gaming. In January, when the hit HBO series The Sopranos begins a syndicated run on A&E, it will be accompanied with a "real-time online experience" touted as "fantasy sports meets scavenger hunt," according to a press release
- [Jane McGonigal on CNET Tomorrow](https://www.argn.com/2006/12/jane_mcgonigal_on_cnet_tomorrow/) - Jane McGonigal, the well-known alternate reality gaming designer and academic, will be interviewed tomorrow by Daniel Terdiman of CNET in the Second Life virtual world. McGonigal, creator of Cruel 2 B Kind and former lead designer at 42 Entertainment, will be talking in the theater of the CNET bureau in Second Life, marking the second
- [Games That Alter Reality](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/games_that_alter_reality/) - If you've ever played a game through to the end, you know that strange mix of excitement and depression that hits as you realize that the characters that you've loved for the last few weeks or months have completed their story leaving you with no more websites to obsessively check or forums to read or
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 15: FestCast 2007](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/arg_netcast_episode_15_festcast_2007/) - The live netcast from ARGFest-o-Con 2007 in San Francisco is ready and waiting for you. Read the show notes at the ARG Netcast web site. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through this link or via iTunes.
- [My ARGFest](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/my_argfest/) - As the wheels of the small commuter plane touched down on the tarmac of San Francisco International Airport, the rush of excitement I felt having arrived for ARGFest-O-Con 2007 was almost overwhelming. It had been less than two years since I had attended the large-scale conference dedicated to alternate reality gaming â€“ the 2005 event
- [The Sedulous Amalgamation of Alexis Wright, Senior](https://www.argn.com/2007/03/the_sedulous_amalgamation_of_alexis_wright_senior/) - After over four months of completing puzzles via the Postal Service, participants in the innovative ARG The Committee of the Sedulous Amalgamation (tCotSA) received cryptic notes that eventually decoded to reveal the history and purpose of the organization behind the mailings - the same organization that funded the creation of Deus Cityâ€™s Time Communication Project.
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 14: Cow Farts](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/arg_netcast_episode_14_cow_farts/) - It's a whole new world for the ARG Netcast series. We have our spiffy new website, and a whole new attitude. It's like Extreme Makeover, ARG style! Episode 14's panel, hosted by ARGnet's Jonathan Waite, includes Jessica Price, Marie Lamb, Jackie Kerr, and Sean C. Stacey. Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through this link
- [The Hunt For More Frustration](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/the_hunt_for_more_frustration/) - Editor's Note: Big thanks to Geoff May for contributing this article about the recently-launched Dr. Pepper marketing campaign. Geoff is a former ARGNet staff writer, and we are thankful for this timely article. Is there a drink you'd be willing to purchase and drink for a full month to get the chance to win up
- [Vive La Resistance!](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/vive_la_resistance/) - Swirling around the announcement of Nine Inch Nail's upcoming album, Year Zero, are stories of mysterious finds related to the album: songs "leaked" on thumb drives left in bathrooms during concerts, unsettling websites and videos haunted by an ominous presence, and glimpses into a dystopian future not far removed from our own. Unfolding from the
- [Y-Y-You Will See Such Pretty Things](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/yyyou_will_see_such_pretty_things/) - A few unlucky players recently found themselves feeling ill after watching The Wyoming Incident, a short film uploaded to Google Video in August of last year. Whether due to the power of suggestion, an uneasiness induced by odd frequencies, or coincidence, the sensations led curious viewers to further research the information included in the video's
- [Vanishing Point Post-Game Chat Now Online](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/vanishing_point_post-game_chat_now_online/) - A recording of Vanishing Point's post-game SkypeCast with 42 Entertainment's Elan Lee and Steve Peters is now available. If you missed the chance to listen to the live SkypeCast as the puppetmasters revealed behind-the-scenes stories, puzzle solves and other secrets from the other side of the curtain, you can catch up now! Thanks to Neowin's
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 13: You Can't Handle The Truth](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/arg_netcast_episode_13_you_cant_handle_the_truth/) - In our last episode before migrating the netcasts to a shiny new web site, we reflect on the many, many emails we received in response to Episode 12. Episode 13 assembles the same panel as last week, which (in case you missed it) includes Jessica Price, Nicko Demeter, Jackie Kerr, Sean C. Stacey, Brooke Thompson
- [Perplex City: How the Cube Was Found](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/perplex_city_how_the_cube_was_found/) - Editor's note: This article is reprinted with permission from the Unfiction forums (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) and from Andy's own website. Thanks to Andy for allowing us to reprint this fantastic story, in his own words. The photo for this article can be found on Andy's Flick stream. I'd like to say the
- [Update on Monster Hunter Club](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/update_on_monster_hunter_club/) - Editor's note: All of the information contained within this article is courtesy of Zach, also known as molecularr in the Unfiction forum community. This summary was originally sent in on February 10, 2007, so some of the information may have changed since then, and we have made some changes to the article to reflect this.
- [All is fair in cards, love, and ARGs](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/all_is_fair_in_cards_love_and_args/) - After a brief break, Studio Cypher has launched Episode 4 in their "multiplayer novel." High Stakes is described as a "comedic love story of cards, kingsâ€¦ and accountants," and the players have already been introduced to a podcast producer by the name of Vox Diaboli. In his latest broadcast he explains the merits of playing
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 12](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/arg_netcast_episode_12/) - Episode 12 of the ARG Netcast series is supersized! Why, you might ask? The answer lies within the netcast itself, with three monster discussions on ginormous topics that found their way into this week's agenda. So, if you don't want to hear about how the Receda Cube was found in Perplex City, or how the
- [Doom Skull Looking Simply Fabulous](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/doom_skull_looking_simply_fabulous/) - Ted Allen might be the only person protecting this world from death and destruction. Then again, he might be the person who will bring about our doom. I'm not talking about that suave Queer Eye co-host Ted Allen, although I do consider his cuisine to be earth-shatteringly delicious. No, I'm talking about the character in
- [Embrace Feedback... at Arm's Length](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/embrace_feedback_at_arms_length/) - Being a Puppet Master is a hard, often thankless job. If you do things wrong, your players complain about the content you've put out. If you do things right, they tell you that there isn't enough content. Dealing with the inevitable crises under this sort of scrutiny and feedback is draining. When I worked on
- [Perplex City Cube Found by Rand0m Player!](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/perplex_city_cube_found_by_rand0m_player/) - Three years after the Receda Cube's disappearance, Perplexians can breathe a sigh of relief -- the Cube is finally on its way back to Perplex City. Earlier today, Andy Darley (aka Rand0m of the Unfiction forums) visited the Mind Candy office in London to exchange the Cube for his $200,000 reward. Darley, an amateur archaeologist,
- [Yay for Player Summaries!  An Update on "Meigeist"](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/yay_for_player_summaries_an_update_on_meigeist/) - After weeks of our pleading in the ARG Netcast series for player input on games, given the fact that we just don't have the time, resources or energy to be actively participating in all 173 (seemingly) alternate reality games going on at any given time, Karl "Thunderwolf" Smith was kind enough to step up to
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 11](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/arg_netcast_episode_11/) - So, after hours of post-recording edits for Episode 11 of the ARG Netcast series, the audio quality for one side of the conversation is terrible at best. Don't let that dissuade you from listening though, as this week's roundtable is as entertaining as it is informative. Regular panelists Brooke Thompson, Jackie Kerr, Sean C. Stacey
- [Deus City:  Big Brother Wants to See Your Karma](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/deus_city_big_brother_wants_to_see_your_karma/) - When Fundi Technologies announced their foray into the world of Alternate Reality Gaming with Deus City, they promised something different. An immersive reality with economic, prestige, and karmic systems judging players' decisions. Actually, they promised nothing of the sort -- but they'll probably deliver anyway. Now that the main site has relaunched (Jan. 15), we
- [New Book "Beyond Reality: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming"](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/new_book_beyond_reality_a_guide_to_alternate_reality_gaming/) - A new book about Alternate Reality Gaming is set go go on sale on July 22nd. "Beyond Reality: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming" by John Gosney is the latest book to be released on the subject of ARGs, and discusses the history and implications of alternate reality games, along with numerous examples from the
- [ARGFest New York City is Biggest Yet](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/argfest_new_york_city_is_biggest_yet/) - New York saw bands of Alternate Reality Gamers invade their city last weekend, when ARGFest IV came to town. Historically a social gathering of fans of ARGs, this time around reached new heights in sheer numbers and cool events. Over 50 ARG aficionados from the U.S., Canada and Great Britain spent the weekend gaming, partying,
- [Super ARGFest-O-Con 4 : New York City, July 22-24, 2005](https://www.argn.com/2005/06/super_argfest-o-con_4_new_york_city_july_22-24_2005/) - After successful ARGFest-O-Cons in Las Vegas, Orlando and Vancouver BC, we think it's high time to invade the Big Apple! Meet other ARG-obsessed souls, eat, drink, and be merry at our 4th glorified ARGParty! ARGFest-O-Con 4 looks to be the biggest gathering of ARG players and developers yet, with players from all over the US,
- [ARGN makes the L.A. Times](https://www.argn.com/2002/10/argn_makes_the_la_times/) - ARGN was mentioned in a recent L.A. Times Article about viral marketing on the internet. If you're looking for the original discussions mentioned in the article, go here and here. Since these forums have recently had to close, go here for further discussion on the topic.
- [UPDATE: Lenny's Xanga Meltdown](https://www.argn.com/2005/02/update_lennys_xanga_meltdown/) - We're sorry to report that Lenny's Xanga has come to a premature end. Actually, it seems it didn't really ever get started, at least not officially. According to a post on unfiction by Matthew Addison, the game's head puppetmaster, Lenny's Xanga was "made public about 6 months before its intended launch date by a disgruntled
- [ARG-Parties Announced](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/arg-parties_announced/) - One of the by-products of Alternate Reality Games is the communities that they create and foster, and the sometimes longlasting friendships that can result. Consequently, ARG fans have been busy recently setting up various player meets in the upcoming months. Witness another ARG-Fest-O-Con and now a Hivemeet that are being planned as a way for
- [Ring 2 Web Weirdness](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/ring_2_web_weirdness/) - Well, you had to know it was going to happen. After all of the cool online stuff that went on a few years back with the release of The Ring, there was bound to be something new and macabre in store for us this time around with the upcoming release of The Ring 2, which
- [Biding Time With Immersive Fiction](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/biding_time_with_immersive_fiction/) - What's becoming known as Immersive Fiction seems to be gaining popularity of late. While not really ARGs per se, works of immersive fiction often have enough ARG-ish elements to them to merit a second look, as they might definitely feed the need for those of you waiting around for the "next big game," (and you
- [Sharp's Urns ARG Announces Winner](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/sharps_urns_arg_announces_winner/) - Sharp's promotional ARG, Legend of the Sacred Urns, announced a winner tonight in their alternate reality treasure hunt. As posted on the Steinitz Puzzlers Forum, the Contest Grand Prize Winner was Ohio's Ken Floss. Ken was the first to submit a correct answer identifying the location of the third sacred urn back on Dec. 1st.
- [Lenny](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/lenny/) - Lenn James is a student in Sacramento. Lenn likes DDR, anime, Kevin Smith flicks, X-Box, films, and alternative music. Lenn is 21-ish years old. Lenn finally jumped on the bandwagon and started a blog. Oh, and Lenn just received a crazy email. Something about a lost sister, type-C7.6 FW0553 communication hardware and foreign port probes.
- [Neurocam](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/neurocam/) - After almost a month of digging around by ARGN staffers and players alike, the mystery of what exactly is going on at neurocam.com is no closer to being revealed than it was a month ago. Despite replies to curious players in various countries besides Australia, our best guess is that Neurocam is some sort of
- [Regenesis Post-Game Puppetmaster Chat: January 31, 2005](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/regenesis_post-game_puppetmaster_chat_january_31_2005/) - The Production team behind the Alternate Reality Game for the recent Canadian TV series Regenesis will be featured in an upcoming moderated IRC chat on Monday, January 31st, 2005 at 5:00pm Pacific/8:00pm Eastern. They will be fielding questions and giving a behind the scenes look at the world that's been consuming them for the past
- [Book Release: "This Is Not A Game: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming"](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/book_release_this_is_not_a_game_a_guide_to_alternate_reality_gaming/) - A new book is scheduled to hit the shelves that will really have a big impact on Alternate Reality Gaming. This Is Not A Game: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming by Dave Szulborski will be available in e-book and print-on-demand format in mid-January 2005 and in a traditional print version in February 2005. An
- [Deaddrop Puzzle Contest](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/deaddrop_puzzle_contest/) - Deaddrop today has announced its Best Alternate Reality Game Puzzle contest. The best puzzle will be used in an upcoming ARG, and the winner will also be invited to participate behind the scenes in that ARG. Deaddrop will accept submissions for this puzzle contest through the end of January. The winner will be announced on
- [PM Chat: Legend of the Sacred Urns](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/pm_chat_legend_of_the_sacred_urns/) - There will be a post-game chat with the puppetmasters behind the recently concluded Sharp promotional game, dubbed "Legend of the Sacred Urns." It will be tonight at 9:00 pm EST in #steinitz on chat-solutions. For those of you without a chat client, you can access the channel here. If you followed along, now's your chance
- [ARGN Announce List Subscription Back On Line](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/argn_announce_list_subscription_back_on_line/) - We've finished our upgrade to the ARGN Announce List backend, so you're once again free to subscribe. This is a very low-traffic email list, reserved for notifications of new games and major announcements only. If you want to be sure not to miss getting in on the ground floor of the next big ARG, this
- [Slumberil: Matrix Online ARG?](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/slumberil_matrix_online_arg/) - The highly anticipated game The Matrix Online is scheduled to be released this spring. Beta testers of the game noticed a billboard advertising a sleep-aid product called Slumberil, and subsequently discovered slumberil.com. Call us jaded, but we've gotten our hopes up before, hoping that a game-related site is an ARG trailhead, but then being disappointed
- [The Cult of Adramelech](https://www.argn.com/2005/01/the_cult_of_adramelech/) - Another ARG has popped up to the surface as more and more people get drawn into the world of the Cult of Adramelech (translates to "robe of the king"). It all started with an email but has quickly grown to encompass multiple websites, blogs and email/IM/telephone interaction. While the story is still developing, players are
- [ARG: The Traveler](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/arg_the_traveler/) - An alert member of Unfiction has stumbled upon The Evergreen Foundation, an organization that is "united and driven, not just by civic responsibility, but also by a moral imperative to contribute to the peaceful continuance of a society that is free from fear," by developing technologies to increase the effectiveness of information gathering and surveillance.
- [Neurocam: Australia's Latest Mystery](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/neurocam_australias_latest_mystery/) - If you've been driving around Melbourne Australia lately, you may have noticed billboards telling you to "get out of your mind," and pointing to Neurocam.com. Apparently, those who sign up on the website have been given missions of varying degrees of complexity to complete, such as delivering a locked briefcase to a complete stranger. Failure
- [Halo 2's "I Love Bees" Alternate Reality Game](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/halo_2s_i_love_bees_alternate_reality_game/) - The story of I Love Bees proved to be slightly confusing at times, but the gist of it is this: Beekeeper Dana had a site which was attacked by some sort of virus; a countdown was placed on the site which spawned endless hours of speculation as to what the hell "System Peril Distributed Reflex"
- [Perplex City Ramping Up](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/perplex_city_ramping_up/) - Perplex City has been reaching out and touching real world locations in the form of an intriguing postcard that has been found in airports, Starbucks, and on college campuses around the world (North Carolina, Cambridge UK and Balogna Italy, so far). A message on the back is yet another communique from someone calling themselves Sente,
- [ARG: PandoraNext](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/arg_pandoranext/) - Deaddrop reports that PandoraNext will be launching on December 22nd. Word is that this will have some sort of multi-team player element to it, so it will be very interesting to see where it will go. This will actually be a re-launch of the game, as it originally got started back in October, but was
- [ARGN Chat Client Back On Line](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/argn_chat_client_back_on_line/) - As part of the ongoing server upgrades, etc. going on around here, we've gotten the ARGN IRC chat applet back on line. This is a browser-based IRC client that can be used in lieu of installing a dedicated IRC application on your computer, similar to the applet over at unfiction. This latest version enables connection
- [Ilovebees-Inspired Artwork to Raise Money for Charity](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/ilovebees-inspired_artwork_to_raise_money_for_charity/) - Artist Charles Allen Harris has announced that he will donate 50% of sales on his prints, to Child's Play, the Penny Arcade Led Gamer Charity. Notably, one of his prints was inspired by the recent Ilovebees ARG, entitled Melissa-The Operator. So, if you've got a Beekeeper on your Christmas list, pick up a Melissa print
- [ARG: Daemon Works](https://www.argn.com/2004/12/arg_daemon_works/) - Daemon Works, which bills itself as a new Alternate Reality Game, has been gaining momentum since its launch on October 31st. While it may or may not be your typical ARG, it does seem to be living up to its claim of being a "website puzzle intended to be solved collaboratively." As far as we
- [Project MU Anniversary Tribute and Book Release](https://www.argn.com/2004/11/project_mu_anniversary_tribute_and_book_release/) - October 1st marked the one-year anniversary of Project MU, a grassroots ARG that was based in the Matrix universe. To commemorate the occasion, some of the more dedicated players created an anniverary puzzle trail that took folks on a trip down memory lane, complete with some pretty tough puzzles. The trail was finally completed today,
- [ARGN Site Migration](https://www.argn.com/2004/11/argn_site_migration/) - Please excuse any site hiccups you may have encountered over the past few days. ARGN is migrating to its new server, along with all of the acommpanying necessary upgrades, etc. etc. yada yada. The site admins over at unfiction have been working hard as well, reinstalling virtually everything due to some new phpBB forum security
- [Sable & Shuck: Realworld Reward in Store?](https://www.argn.com/2004/11/sable_shuck_realworld_reward_in_store/) - We wrote earlier about a website called Sable & Shuck, which seems to be part of some sort of viral, immersive, ARG-ish promotion for Stella Artois. A series of sites revealed a story straight out of an old Twilight Zone episode, involving deals with the devil and an obsessed hero named Jon Harker trying to
- [Ilovebees Suddenly Seeking 777](https://www.argn.com/2004/09/ilovebees_suddenly_seeking_777/) - It's been a trying week or so for the Ilovebees ARG. After having axons piled on top of more axons, the players are starting to feel a bit abused, and momentum seems to be waning. Although the folks behind the game are revealing some stellar content in the form of audio clips, the pacing overall
- [ILoveBees Breaks Into the "Real World"](https://www.argn.com/2004/08/ilovebees_breaks_into_the_real_world/) - August 24, 2004. It all began at 6:07 am PDT. Payphones from coast to coast began to ring. A twelve-hour wave of carefully planned phone calls began to sweep the country, and Halo fans, Beekeepers, the Media and the just plain curious were there to try to intercept them. This morning, we got to find
- [Live Phone-in Chat with IloveBees Actors](https://www.argn.com/2004/11/live_phone-in_chat_with_ilovebees_actors/) - The Alternate Reality Gaming Network will host a live call-in phone chat with some of the voice actors featured in the Ilovebees Alternate Reality game, hosted by the kind folks at AccuTalk. It will be open to callers both in the US and abroad, and will take place this Saturday, November 13th at 12:00 noon
- [A Deal With....Who, Exactly?](https://www.argn.com/2004/11/a_deal_withwho_exactly/) - Submitted for your approval: A mysterious Futures Trading Company that seems to provide luxury goods and services in exchange for......your soul!! Sable & Shuck and it's associated websites were discovered last month, and a few folks received an email from them yesterday (um, Halloween), reviving interest in figuring out exactly what's going on here. It
- [Diversion: Virtucube](https://www.argn.com/2004/11/diversion_virtucube/) - Virtuquest, one of our favorite ARG production houses, has launched Virtucube on October 31st. While not an ARG, it bills itself as a "multi-layered/challenging diversion" for those who may be looking for something puzzly to do. A unique feature to virtucube is that, while it can be solved without any clues, Virtuquest will be randomly
- [New ARG: Anne Fisher is Missing](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/new_arg_anne_fisher_is_missing/) - ARGN received what at first looked like a typical "Have you seen this person?" flyer in the mail the other day, but a closer look revealed the rabbithole for a new Alternate Reality Game. Smiling at us is the picture of a young woman named Anne Fisher, who went missing on October 1st. Upon closer
- [New ARG: Legend of the Sacred Urns](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/new_arg_legend_of_the_sacred_urns/) - Well, it seems we here at ARGN have been asleep at the wheel for the past few weeks. A new Alternate Reality type game has begun and we almost missed it! Billed as a form of interactive fiction or viral narrative puzzle, The Legend of the Sacred Urns is pretty transparently a marketing tool for
- [Ilovebees Players Get Access to Probable Halo2 Preview](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/ilovebees_players_get_access_to_probable_halo2_preview/) - Players of Ilovebees yesterday were given what looks like a chance to preview Halo2 Multiplayer 5 days before it's officially released. In a series of dramatic events that led to the "death" of one of the beloved AI characters in the game, players 17 and older earned the right to attend a special "training exercise
- [ReGenesis Becomes a Reality](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/regenesis_becomes_a_reality/) - Earlier tonight, Canadian subscribers to The Movie Network (Movie Central in Eastern Canada) bore witness to the unveiling of new series ReGenesis, which has an ARG element. Some of you will remember those snail mail correspondences that were sent out to ARG community members, leading people to the Science Sucks and NORBAC websites. Well, having
- [Metroid Prime ARGishness](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/metroid_prime_argishness/) - We aren't sure if it's the door to an Alternate Reality Game or just some stealthy viral hype, but Nintendo has put up a couple of very well done websites that seem to be part of the Metroid Prime universe. What with the upcoming release of Nintendo's Metroid Prime 2: Echoes on November 15th, this
- [Project Syzygy Stirring?](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/project_syzygy_stirring/) - There have been some recent changes at the Project Syzygy site showing signs that something may be happening. Despite announcements of 2005 being the launch of this new free Alternate Reality Game, a recent update at Project Syzygy reveals that "projectsyzygy is now complete." A new link reveals perplexcity.com and a mysterious memo. It seems
- [ARG on CNN](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/arg_on_cnn/) - Alternate Reality continues to spill over into the real world, as was evident during the Presidential Debate last night. Players of ilovebees (the Halo2 related Alternate Reality Game) at Arizona State University took advantage of the occasion to promote themselves and their game in the form of a huge bee-infested banner. On numerous occassions during
- [New ARG: Regenesis](https://www.argn.com/2004/10/new_arg_regenesis/) - One of our Canadian friends received a hand-delivered package today. It consisted of a newsletter about an alarming outbreak of a disease in northern Ontario, and a grid of letters, which led to a couple very interesting sites: Norbac is the North American Biotechnology Advisory Commission, an organization that investigates biotech issues and questionable practices.
- [ARGs Becoming a Trend?](https://www.argn.com/2004/09/args_becoming_a_trend/) - The genre of Alternate Reality Games (or Immersive Media, Pervasive Gaming, etc.) may finally be making inroads into the mainstream. Not only is computer/platform gaming media paying attention, such as in the recent story about Ilovebees broadcast on G4TechTV, but marketers are being urged to take notice as well. Recently, TrendCentral ran a story in
- [What is Project Gateway??](https://www.argn.com/2004/09/what_is_project_gateway/) - A few mysterious websites have cropped up that are causing some ARG'ers to scratch their heads. Things seem rather game-like, but frankly it's may just be a little early to be able to tell exactly what's going on. We submit it here for your consideration (cue Rod Serling in the corner along with obligatory creepy
- [SEN5241 (THX1138)](https://www.argn.com/2004/09/sen5241_thx1138/) - Roughly a month and a half after konamouse and many in the THX 1138 fan community received the first emails from OMM, the SEN5241 (aka SubCity Central) ARG has ended. OMM has fallen, all are free and ARG players have walked away with another quality bit of entertainment under their belts. For those of you
- [This Week in ARG: Ilovebees on G4TechTV; Orbital Colony Trailer](https://www.argn.com/2004/08/this_week_in_arg_ilovebees_on_g4techtv_orbital_colony_trailer/) - The PMs-in-training over at Orbital Colony have released a trailer for their upcoming ARG. The quality is impressive, and seems to give us the promise of a very intriguing, well-done Alternate Reality Game. Orbital Colony announced a launch in the Summer of 2004, but no firm date has been set, yet. So keep your eyes
- [This Week in ARGs: Flash Mobs of Beekeepers??](https://www.argn.com/2004/08/this_week_in_args_flash_mobs_of_beekeepers/) - Busy week in the Alternate Reality Gaming world. Here's a summary of what's been going on: Ilovebees- Well, the ilovebees puppetmasters are nothing if not prompt. Once their countdown to metastasizing was complete, ilovebees.com updated at 9am Pacific on Tuesday the 10th, marking the beginning of Phase 3. The site now contained a lot of
- [so, y0ut hink ur l33t???????????????](https://www.argn.com/2004/08/so_y0ut_hink_ur_l33t/) - You were bruteforcing passwords in preschool. You taught Kevin Mitnick everything he knew. You've telnetted to port 139 on countless computers and typed PWNED, crashing them into oblivion. Nothing's a challenge any more. What's left to do?? How about hack a presidential election? OK, maybe not a good idea, but a new book entitled The
- [Ilovebees Moderated Announcement List](https://www.argn.com/2004/08/ilovebees_moderated_announcement_list/) - We've had a lot of requests for this, so ARGN is going to maintain Moderated Announcement Lists for various ARGs in play. The first will be for I Love Bees. If it proves to be a success, we'll add more lists for other games. If you'd like to stay current on only the major events
- [Ilovebees: The Beast is Back?](https://www.argn.com/2004/07/ilovebees_the_beast_is_back/) - What began as a mysterious Fedex package of honey, has become one of the most intriguing and highly anticipated (for some) events on the 'net in quite a while. At first, when ARGN received the honey (filled with letters that spelled I LOVE BEES, leading to ilovebees.com) a little over a week ago, we thought
- [Ilovebees.com Link to Halo 2 Release Confirmed](https://www.argn.com/2004/07/ilovebeescom_link_to_halo_2_release_confirmed/) - It looks like ilovebees.com (aka SPiDeR) is definitely tied in with the upcoming Halo 2 release for XBox. Check out the trailer for the game being shown in theaters around the US: Super Hi-Rez version (64mb) | Regular version Watch the end. It's there. So, we know there's something major going on here, and know
- [Urban Hunt: It's not what you Think](https://www.argn.com/2004/07/urban_hunt_its_not_what_you_think/) - Major find by Yanka on unfiction. Seems there's a new reality TV show in pre-production entitled Urban Hunt. According to the website (www.urbanhunt.com), Urban Hunt will center around a group of contestants that will criss-cross the United States in pursuit of a cash prize of up to $500,000. Bonus Missions will include the use of
- [This Is Not An ARG: A Labyrinth Tutorial](https://www.argn.com/2004/07/this_is_not_an_arg_a_labyrinth_tutorial/) - Recently, many players were alerted to a series of puzzles that were hidden in plain sight - puzzles that ultimately revealed a shiny new tool called Labyrinth. This tidy, no-nonsense program is maintained, designed, and implemented by the Karetao group. Although the Labyrinth tool itself is straightforward and organizationally versatile, we thought we'd provide a
- [Two More ARG Leads](https://www.argn.com/2004/07/two_more_arg_leads/) - Holy crap, what a busy day it's been! First, we find orbitalcolony, then along comes a Fedex package leading to ilovebees.com with its mysteryious AI virus. Now we have two more good solid ARG leads to add for your investigation. First comes a tip from the trailer for the upcoming remake of The Manchurian Candidate.
- [UPDATE: Sneak Peek at Heroes 360, Now Heroes Evolution](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/update_sneak_peek_at_heroes_360_now_heroes_evolution/) - There's something to be said about major broadcasters who go out of their way to bring interactive content to their dedicated viewership, so when we were tipped off about the continuation of "Heroes Evolution", the official Heroes ARG, we were quite pleased. This is the same game we began talking about almost a year ago,
- [Cloverfield is Out -- What Now?](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/cloverfield_is_out_--_what_now/) - Editor's Note: This article is spoiler-free, for those who haven't see the movie yet. However, outgoing links may contain spoiler information. Who was to know that when J.J. Abrams launched the first trailer for what we now know as Cloverfield that the buzz surrounding the movie would be so powerful that the famous Mann Chinese
- [ACME Creates an ARG:  Not Just an Anvil Company Anymore](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/acme_creates_an_arg_not_just_an_anvil_company_anymore/) - Aporia Cross-Media Entertainment has released the trailer for their new alternate reality game code-named "Aporia Agathon", scheduled to run for a year, starting in the summer of 2008. Aporia CME, formerly known as Naked Rabbit Studios, developed Ny Takma, a science fiction themed alternate reality game running from September to November of 2006. The team
- [Have you caught the Abrams virus yet?](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/have_you_caught_the_abrams_virus_yet/) - Producer/Director JJ Abrams is on a viral rampage this year, it seems. Hot on the tail of Cloverfield's big screen debute, was the premiere of the initial teaser trailer for the 11th installment in the Star Trek film franchise. Reportedly, the movie will carry only the name "Star Trek", as it returns to the academy
- [Harvard Business Review:  ARG Business is Good Business](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/harvard_business_review_arg_business_is_good_business/) - The Harvard Business Review has spoken: alternate reality gaming may very well be the future of business. As part of its annual "Top 20 Breakthrough Ideas" issue, the magazine addressed the potential of alternate reality gaming to reshape the business world. The article, written by Jane McGonigal, addresses the benefits of capitalizing on collective intelligence
- [Eldritch Errors Launches Book Three, Officially](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/eldritch_errors_launches_book_three_officially/) - Let the speculation end! After last week's article from Michelle Senderhauf and mention on episodes 46 and 47 of the ARG Netcast series, we turn to Schmeldritch for definitive word regarding the launch of Book Three of Eldritch Errors, the long-running Lovecraftian alternate reality game. In the January 23rd entry on the developer's blog, Brian
- [GAME LAUNCH: Conspiracy Asylum](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/game_launch_conspiracy_asylum/) - After only a few weeks since the end of Deus City, the fine folks at Fundi Games are back at it again with Conspiracy Asylum File Zero. Our very own Sean C. Stacey had reported two weeks ago on the hint that the puppetmasters left for the players late in November, and noted that the
- [Extra, extra!  ARGNet iEdition has arrived!](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/extra_extra_argnet_iedition_has_arrived/) - Hey, we like to think that we're pretty tech-savvy individuals here at ARGNet, with at least one of us owning one of those sorta-new-fangled iPod Touch device thingies. Well, on a whim this weekend, I decided to adapt a Wordpress plugin called iWPhone into our Movable Type installation, which you can see at iphone.argn.com. Heck,
- [Eldtrich Errors: Live Events Come in Threes for Book Three](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/eldtrich_errors_live_events_come_in_threes_for_book_three/) - As we reported a few days ago, Book Three of Eldritch Errors has officially launched. The ARG has started off with plans for three nearly concurrent live events in Sacramento, New York City and Austin. Several players had a clandestine meeting with an in-game contact last night at the first event in Sacramento. The remaining
- [Artifice and Intelligence - A Short Story](https://www.argn.com/2008/01/artifice_and_intelligence_-_a_short_story/) - This week on Escape Pod, a science fiction short story podcast, Tim Pratt presents Artifice and Intelligence, an entertaining look at the emergence of artificial intelligences that might remind former I Love Bees players of another human / AI duo. Pratt is a Hugo Award winner for his short story Impossible Dreams. I won't spoil
- [Orbicon's Stellar Finish](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/orbicons_stellar_finish/) - Orbital Colony finished up this weekend, finally answering the question as to what happened to Orbicon scientist Steven Mae. The beginning of the end started when players discovered Cassandra's blog on the Inept website. The mysterious Cassandra, who looked too much like Davina for everyone's comfort, was on the station and that she was the
- [Methargo](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/methargo/) - Just before 2005 died and rose phoenix-like into 2006, a little trailhead appeared on a blog, and Methargo was born. Apparently a grassroots effort, players have been trying to unravel the mysteries at play: What's up with O. Parliament? Can we trust "mi55548"? What happened to Tom? Where and what is the prism, and what
- [Vanishing Point Post-Game Chat Postponed](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/vanishing_point_post-game_chat_postponed/) - A quick but important update about the post-game chat announcement we published late yesterday -- the post-game chat with members of 42 Entertainment that was scheduled for later today has been postponed indefinitely. According to Neowin, the sponsors of the Vanishing Point game (Microsoft and AMD) want to wait until the list of winners is
- [The Committee of the Sedulous Amalgamation Rewards Patience With Hand-Made Quality](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/the_committee_of_the_sedulous_amalgamation_rewards_patience_with_hand-made_quality/) - In a world where technology allows immediate communication between people on opposite sides of the planet, and the internet provides instant access to new entertainment and information generated daily by multitudes of contributors of both the professional and the amateur varieties, itâ€™s easy to forget the value of older, slower forms of communication such as
- [Vanishing Point Post-Game Chat Scheduled for Tomorrow](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/vanishing_point_post-game_chat_scheduled_for_tomorrow/) - Sorry for the short notice, but we thought it would be good for us to mention that the Vanishing Point post-game chat will take place tomorrow (February 6) at 4 pm EST (3 pm CST, 1 pm PST, 9:00pm GMT) through the magic of SkypeCasting. The chat will be co-moderated by people representing two of
- [Dude, Where's My Monster?](https://www.argn.com/2007/02/dude_wheres_my_monster/) - We all have enjoyed a monster movie at some point. From the ones that are so painfully bad (you can see the zipper on the rubber suit) to the awesomeness in graphic animation that dawned on films since Jurassic Park. The Host is one of those monster movies. Or is it? Reading around the net
- [The Beeb's a Bit Of A Wannabe](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/the_beebs_a_bit_of_a_wannabe/) - Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want, So tell me what you want, what you really really want If what you want is to be friends with the cast of characters of the BBC's Wannabes, apparently you have to live in the U.K. Following on the heels of Jamie Kane,
- [Vanishing Point Game Does Not Go Gently Into That Good Night](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/vanishing_point_game_does_not_go_gently_into_that_good_night/) - On Saturday, January 27, 2007, at 5:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, a sizable crowd of two to three hundred people had gathered on the hill at Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington, across from the brilliantly lit gas works. An enormous projection screen had been erected on the flat ground between the structure and Lake
- [Open Call for Writers - ARGNet Wants YOU!](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/open_call_for_writers_-_argnet_wants_you/) - With all of the news coming out regarding alternate reality games, we are hoping to find a few good men and women to assist us in writing articles and features for our web site. If you are someone who is dependable, honest, and willing to write an article for ARGNet once a month, we're looking
- [Ravenchase Chicago:  Treasure Hunting in the Windy City](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/ravenchase_chicago_treasure_hunting_in_the_windy_city/) - Ravenchase Adventures bills itself as a "real adventure" using "riddles, anagrams, puzzles, actors, the far reaches of imagination and more," and warns that it "may be more fun than you can handle." They hold events around the country (upcoming locations include Honolulu, Chicago again next month, Baltimore, Manhattan, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and others) and
- [ARG Netcast, Episode 10](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/arg_netcast_episode_10/) - It'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
- [Come Spring, will Odina Nova put the RAWK in Ragnarok?](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/come_spring_will_odina_nova_put_the_rawk_in_ragnarok/) - Hojotoho! And other Wagnerian exclamations! Odina Nova, which gave participants a chance to ride shotgun with the Valkyries, metaphorically speaking, by combining codes, videos, blogs and other standard ARG media with a fresh take on Norse mythology, drifted off into silence last October and was presumed to have fallen prey to the high grassroots ARG
- [ARGFest '07 Online Chat Scheduled](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/argfest_07_online_chat_scheduled/) - For those of you who still have lingering questions after our special ARG Netcast on ARGFest-o-Con 2007, you are in luck. Tomorrow, in the #argfest room at the Chat-Solutions IRC network, organizers and attendees alike will be present to discuss the festivities, as well as organize some of the details for the event. If you
- [I Need a Hero!  NBC ventures into ARGish territory with Heroes 360](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/i_need_a_hero_nbc_ventures_into_argish_territory_with_heroes_360/) - Sing it with me, ladies: I need a Hero[es ARG]! I'm holding out for a Hiro 'til the end of the night. It's gotta be sure [it's an ARG] And it's gotta be soon And it's gotta be larger than life... Okay, I never was any good at the parody-lyrics thing. And while I'd love
- [Evidence of What?](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/evidence_of_what/) - I purchased The Adventure Company's recent release, Evidence: The Last Ritual with high hopes that it would provide immersive gameplay that would appeal to the ARGer in me. Touted as an adventure/puzzle game, Evidence is a step towards a pre-packaged ARG: there are websites to discover with voluminous content as well as in-game emails that
- [Belated Welcomes, and an Open Call For Writers](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/belated_welcomes_and_an_open_call_for_writers/) - As the genre of alternate reality gaming continues to grow, so does ARGNet. Last year, we welcomed the additions of five new staff writers, and while we officially announced the addition of three in April, we were remiss in failing to officially welcome Nicko Demeter and Jessica Price to our staff in the latter stages
- [The Case of the Gumshoe Radio Play](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/the_case_of_the_gumshoe_radio_play/) - Well, either I'm a psychic genius or someone out there is listening close to our netcasts. Hot on the heels of my prediction in Episode 8 of the ARG Netcast series that there would be a radio play-style alternate reality game released sometime in 2007, we got a game tip about Gumshoe, an "interactive, 6-part
- [Step Aside, Stepford Wives - Township Heights is the New "It" Place to Be Remodeled](https://www.argn.com/2007/01/step_aside_stepford_wives_township_heights_is_the_new_it_place_to_be_remodeled/) - Back in November, we reported that Virtuquest, makers of City of Domes and other popular ARGs, had announced that they would be producing a public ARG. At the time, it was known only as Open ARG 6.5. We're happy to report that the game has launched: Virtuquest's Township Heights is open for business, inviting players
- [Help Us Find the Properly Gifted Fellows](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/help_us_find_the_properly_gifted_fellows/) - Ah, trailheads. They come, they go, some are memorable, and some are forgettable. And some come in pretty wooden boxes. No, I'm not reminiscing about the kick-off to the original Sammeeeees game, I'm taking about a brand new game that seems to be originating from Germany. On Friday, I was pleasantly surprised to find a
- [World Without Oil Nominated for SXSW Web Award](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/world_without_oil_nominated_for_sxsw_web_award/) - You may have noticed from the banner at our main site that ARGNet is an Official Media Sponsor of Screenburn 2008. As part of SXSW Interactive's series of conferences taking place in Austin, Texas March 7 - March 11, ScreenBurn is bringing in an impressive cast of panelists. Notable speakers include Rachel Clarke (Behind the
- [ACME Puzzle Trail Offers Hints at Future Project](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/acme_puzzle_trail_offers_hints_at_future_project/) - Aporia Cross-Media Entertainment is busily plugging away on their upcoming alternate reality game, the Aporia Agathon Project. That doesn't stop the team from engaging in the occasional side project, however. On today's show at lagtv.com, the fine folks at ACME are launching an XBox-themed puzzle trail with a twist. In addition to a prize from
- [Chew on This:  More LonelyGirl15 Product Placement](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/chew_on_this_more_lonelygirl15_product_placement/) - On Valentine's Day, Steven Gould's novel Jumper will grace the silver screens. However, if you look carefully you can already find signs of the film. Hayden Christensen can be seen "jumping" into a Hewlett Packard advertisement starring Serena Williams. And now, the movie is jumping into LonelyGirl15. LG15 Studios are no strangers to product placement.
- [The Elder Gods Listen... to Providence Radio](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/the_elder_gods_listen_to_providence_radio/) - Two enterprising players of Eldritch Errors, Denny Vaccaro (endercoaster) and Jake Sapir (unknownwarrior33) launched an in-game radio broadcast last Sunday, reviewing significant game events of the week and inviting players to call in to the show. Providence Radio will be on the air every Sunday morning from 10 - 11 a.m. CT on Grinnell College
- [Breaking News - Slowdown of Eldritch Errors](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/breaking_news_-_slowdown_of_eldritch_errors/) - Can this nightmare be true? Has Eldritch Errors fallen, unable to get up? According to a new section of the player-run Sentry Outpost in-game web site, the game has stalled. As well, we received a tip from a player that stated, "Eldritch Errors seems to be in the midst of imploding. Brian Clark has disappeared
- [The Secret Life of Michael Adams](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/the_secret_life_of_michael_adams/) - The saga of Michael Adams began when our hero sent some out-of-the-blue e-mails to various ARG players. Michael, who seems to have an intimate relationship with paranoia, had encrypted the message with Morse code, Vigenere, and base64. (All of that, just to essentially say, "Urgent! I need your help!") A more recent communication was encrypted
- [Let the Games Begin!](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/let_the_games_begin/) - The Perplex City ARG is branching out again - this time, the Academy of the puzzle-obsessed city is bringing its famous Games to both sides of the Atlantic. On February the 15th, New York will be playing host to the first PCAG contest, where players will be locking horns in deadly puzzle combat... all in
- [Preview: Find Araya](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/preview_find_araya/) - The 2006 batch of Alternate Reality Games is upon us, and coming soon to a computer (and telephone, and cell phone, and real world mail box) near you is Find Araya, set to launch on January 26th. While not much is known about the game at this point, action will center around helping a detective
- [It's all about the Benjamins](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/its_all_about_the_benjamins/) - A post on Unfiction mentioned a new trailhead for Who Is Benjamin Stove. Investigation of the site indicates that Tucker Darby, a 29 year old collections agent living in Tampa, needs your help. Over the holidays he found a mysterious painting of a crop circle, dated 1913, which has exhibited an almost supernatural hold over
- [The Tulse Luper Journey](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/the_tulse_luper_journey/) - If you had to archive your entire life history into suitcases, how many do you think you would fill? Tulse Luper needed 92. Tulse, a recurring character in projects by film director Peter Greenaway, is currently appearing in an ambitious game by production company Submarine. We first caught wind of the Tulse Luper Suitcases back
- [2005 In Review:  Alternate Reality Gaming](https://www.argn.com/2006/01/2005_in_review_alternate_reality_gaming/) - The year 2005 has gone by, and as we venture into another new year, we at ARGN feel that it would nice to look back at the year's events and games and remember the year for what it was -- one of the most successful and eye-opening years in the short history of Alternate Reality Gaming. As the world became more familiar with ARG through hit games The Art of the Heist, Perplex City, Jamie Kane and Last Call Poker, the community was also treated to many interesting and in-depth grassroots projects like Omnifam and Seen Steve. Overall, the year was very good for the genre, and the community is thriving and growing very day. Here are some of the highlights of 2005, as our staff saw it:
- [Welcome to Push... North Carolina?](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/welcome_to_push_north_carolina/) - Take a trip down memory lane, back to a simpler time -- a time when Alternate Reality Gaming was still in its infancy. In 2002, ABC television featured a little show called Push, Nevada that caught the attention of the ARG community because the series was designed to include a puzzle that, when solved, would
- [Sean Stewart, "Gaming Innovator"](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/sean_stewart_gaming_innovator/) - When you hear the name Sean Stewart, what comes to your mind first -- author or puppetmaster? While most of the ARG community knows Stewart as one of the creative forces behind The Beast, ilovebees and Last Call Poker, a few were initially introduced to his work as a writer within his many novels, such
- [ARGFest NYC 2005 Resurrected!](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/argfest_nyc_2005_resurrected/) - Just in time for the holiday season comes the online release of the ARGFest NYC 2005 DVD "How Do You Like Your Reality?". Consisting of two torrent files (hosted by GreyLodge), the release was made possible by Dave Szulborski and Abacus Video Productions. The files (available for download with your favorite .torrent program) include all
- [Another Contest Worth Entering?](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/another_contest_worth_entering/) - A new anonymous tip leads us (and, maybe, you too) to Another Contest Worth Entering where you (and, hopefully, us too) has a chance to win one of three fantabulous prizes! The difference between this and the garden variety annoying-pop-up-pyramid-scheme-scam-type web site? This one has a puzzle... which could mean nothing, or it could mean
- [ARGN Moves To New Home](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/argn_moves_to_new_home/) - The Alternate Reality Gaming Network has a new home on the World Wide Web. We do not anticipate any disruptions in service, but if you happen to come across any problems with the site, please use our Contact page to let us know about the oversight. One of the features of our new host is
- [Mind Candy for the Game Summit](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/mind_candy_for_the_game_summit/) - Travel back with me to the early days of November, when the air was crisp, the leaves were turning, and Adrian Hon (of Mind Candy and Perplex City fame) was giving a talk about ARGs at the Montreal International Game Summit. Bursting with optimistic joy, I set out early that morning, got hopelessly lost, wandered
- [Changing of the Guard](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/changing_of_the_guard/) - As some of you may know, I've been on hiatus from around here since July, when I took a break from running ARGN to duck behind the curtain to work as a designer for Last Call Poker, the latest project by 4orty2wo Entertainment. Incredibly, it now looks like my hiatus has become permanent departure, as
- [Playing Games, Playing Music](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/playing_games_playing_music/) - The Playground, featuring underground music and game talk, premieres tonight (December 8, 2005) on Arizona State's radio station - The Blaze 1260 AM. Beyond the music, the show will be led by UnFiction's own Sam Gavin (some may know him by G3K & his sign from I Love Bees) who will discuss games & the
- [EDOC Laundry Exclusive Interview](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/edoc_laundry_exclusive_interview/) - ARGN had the opportunity to get in touch with Dawne Weisman, Founder and President of EDOC Laundry, to discuss the upcoming venture, and get some questions answered in regards to the exciting idea. ARGN: So what was the inspiration for EDOC Laundry? Is there some backstory into the development that would be interesting to fans?
- [Mind Candy Secures $3m Investment](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/mind_candy_secures_3m_investment/) - 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
- [Omnifam Wraps Up](https://www.argn.com/2005/12/omnifam_wraps_up/) - Players of the Omnifam ARG found themselves at the end of the road today with the addition of a credits page on one of the in-game websites. The grassroots endeavor had been playing since May of this year, and was tied to the US television series ALIAS. Scanning through the list, it shows that the
- [Last Call Poker PM Chat Transcript](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/last_call_poker_pm_chat_transcript/) - Last night, players and Puppetmasters got together in an entertaining chat over at #lastcall. Put together by ARGN and UnFiction, the creative team at 42 Entertainment were invited to the IRC chat room where much of the hot gameplay action took place during the eight week run of the popular ARG. Many people showed up
- [Last Call for Last Call Poker](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/last_call_for_last_call_poker/) - As many faithful readers of ARGN know, the game to play this fall was Last Call Poker, a promotion for Activisionâ€™s GUN. Created by 4orty2wo Entertainment, the innovative game provided players with 9 weeks of exciting storytelling and game play, both on- and off-line. The story was the final wish of Lionel â€œLuckyâ€ Brown, a
- [Reminder: Last Call Poker PM Chat](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/reminder_last_call_poker_pm_chat/) - A reminder to all interested parties that the post-game Puppetmaster chat for Last Call Poker is happening tonight at 7:00 pm PST. As we announced last week, the chat will be happening in the #lastcall chat room on the Chat-Solutions network. The members of 42 Entertainment that are scheduled to be in attendance are: Elan
- [Menace Media](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/menace_media/) - About a month ago, a mysterious Instant Message appeared on the screens of at least five UnFiction forum members, asking for help. Well versed in the way of the ARG, the membership found the trail to Menace Media, which has kept a dedicated force of ARGonauts busy with IM conversations, puzzles, and emails, all wrapped
- [Perplex City Releases Second Wave Of Puzzle Cards](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/perplex_city_releases_second_wave_of_puzzle_cards/) - Perplex City has released a second wave of 66 puzzle cards this week, doubling the number of available cards to 132. Contrary to earlier reports, the new cards will be mixed in with the existing ones, rather than packaged separately, but we're told the new cards will be more plentiful. The original online retailer of
- [ReGenesis:  A Contest and Season Two](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/regenesis_a_contest_and_season_two/) - ReGenesis, a well-received series being shown in Canada, has some exciting news for many, and some really exciting news for one person in particular. The big news for the masses is that the second season of ReGenesis is currently being filmed and will be ready for public consumption in 2006. With the sophomore season comes
- [QU13E](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/qu13e/) - At the beginning of the month a trailhead was discovered by UnFiction member draghkar. Quickly, a few things were discovered about the site, including the use of Fibonacci numbers in the WhoIs registration information (a sign that shows that something was definitely afoot). Players who visited the site were quickly thrust into a world of
- [Last Call Poker PM Chat](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/last_call_poker_pm_chat/) - This weekend marked the end of the highly successful Last Call Poker ARG, which culminated in a large real-world event taking place in Hollywood, California. ARGN, along with UnFiction, are pleased to announce that the LCP Puppetmaster team from 42 Entertainment will be stopping by for a live post-game chat on Wednesday, November 30, 2005
- [Start Spreadin' the News](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/start_spreadin_the_news/) - Come Out and Play is back, baby. After running in Amsterdam last year during PICNIC, the three day festival returns to the Big Apple June 6-8, this time hosted by bookstore Blue Stockings. They are currently accepting proposals for new games (The application form is on the main page of the web site.) This is
- [Take Back Gotham City!](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/take_back_gotham_city/) - If you've been following the Dark Knight campaign for the upcoming Batman flick, you may have been salivating impatiently over what's in store for 2008 ever since the big Halloween trail ended with the new promotional trailer at ATasteForTheTheatrical.com. With the untimely passing of Heath Ledger, the Joker's role in the ARG has reportedly been
- [Eldritch Errors: No news is bad news?](https://www.argn.com/2008/02/eldritch_errors_no_news_is_bad_news/) - Well, there's not much joy in the land of Eldritch Errors this week, as players and curious onlookers are stuck without an update or an explanation as to why the game has stalled. We reported earlier this week on this unfortunate turn of events for the GMD Studios production. We contacted GMD Studios for comment
- [Save the world at the 2008 Beijing Olympics](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/save_the_world_at_the_2008_beijing_olympics/) - FINDTHELOSTRING - No, there's no "lo" string, nor a string named Thelo - but there is a lost ring..somewhere..and we need to find it, to save the world. Apparently. By August 24th. On Leap Day, I received a package via FedEx, which was followed quickly by reports from others who received similarly couriered packages from
- [The Lost Ring:  Taking the Blindfold Off](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/the_lost_ring_taking_the_blindfold_off/) - It's been three days since Find the Lost Ring launched with a fanfare of posters and yarn. Since that time, players and puppetmasters alike have been busily fulfilling the prophetic messages written on vintage Olympic postcards. The game traces a story fraught with mystery and intrigue across the globe in so many languages, you'll be
- [World Without Oil wins big at SXSW](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/world_without_oil_wins_big_at_sxsw/) - Yes, that's right -- World Without Oil, the socially conscious alternate reality game that kicked off in April 2007, has won the Activism award at this year's SXSW Web Awards! Although word is just now coming in, and there's no official note on the SXSW web site, we're happy to be able to congratulate the
- [Harvey Dent campaign shut down (in Chicago)?](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/harvey_dent_campaign_shut_down_in_chicago/) - In early March, the "I Believe In Harvey Dent" campaign for The Dark Knight kicked back into gear. IBelieveInHarveyDent.com was updated to become Harvey's campaign website, with downloadable flyers, stickers, and posters. It also asked people to promote Harvey Dent for District Attorney by taking photos and videos of their efforts, and uploading to the
- [Video Games and ARGs - What Can they Learn from Each Other?](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/video_games_and_args_-_what_can_they_learn_from_each_other/) - Note: This article covers two SXSW Interactive 2008 events: Cross-Media Cross-Pollination: Mashing Up Video Games and ARGs (Saturday, March 8th, 3:30-4:30 p.m.), and its follow-up, Core Conversation: What Can the Video Games Industry Learn From Alternate Reality Games? (Monday, March 10th, 3:30-4:30 p.m.). A last-minute change in programming on Saturday, March 8th, at SXSW Interactive
- [I Was Blind... so they sent me broken headphones?](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/i_was_blind_so_they_sent_me_broken_headphones/) - A note from FedEx on Monday alerted me to a delivery attempt during a time when I wasn't available to receive packages. After some careful thinking, I figured that the package was one of the Harvey Dent press packages that some others have been receiving. The next day, as I arrived home, I saw not
- [Harvey Dent campaign swag!](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/harvey_dent_campaign_swag/) - It wasn't long after the latest stage in the Dark Knight alternate reality game went live that we began noticing reports of cool swag delivery -- staff writer Michelle Senderhauf got one in the mail, as did our associate editor, Marie Lamb, and a friend of the site, Brian Enigma. I received the ARGNet package
- [Aporia Agathon Sends a Mask:  It Fit Jim Carrey Better](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/aporia_agathon_sends_a_mask_it_fit_jim_carrey_better/)
- [We Tell Stories:  Six Stories, Six Authors, Six Weeks, and then Six to Start](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/we_tell_stories_six_stories_six_authors_six_weeks_and_then_six_to_start/) - Last Tuesday, the UK branch of Penguin Books launched We Tell Stories, a series of six stories based on classic novels. Each story is written by a different author and is retold through a different medium. Last week, Charles Cumming retold John Buchan's classic tale The Thirty-nine Steps by walking visitors through the tale on
- [The Sky Remains](https://www.argn.com/2008/03/the_sky_remains/) - The Licorice Film team, creators of 2007's popular MeiGeist game, has a finger on the launch button for their newest project, The Sky Remains, due to begin in April. In partnership with HP Labs, The Sky Remains combines interactive ARG elements with GPS technology and the thrill of geocaching and treasure hunting using mscape (short
- [OMG Hax0rz!!!](https://www.argn.com/2008/04/omg_hax0rz/) - Imagine my surprise today, after a nice (albeit short) family vacation, to get back into the swing of things in the alternate reality gaming universe, only to find out that... we've been hacked? Well, that is what happened, according to a Digg entry we were, um conveniently linked to via a game tip. And what
- [Harvey Dent Press Conference Today](https://www.argn.com/2008/04/harvey_dent_press_conference_today/) - The latest in The Dark Knight promotion is upon us. Today at 3:00 EDT, the I Believe in Harvey Dent campaign will be streaming a live press conference on their website. The email announcement says in part: Everyone who knows Harvey Dent knows that the vicious smears by a mysterious group calling itself "Concerned Citizens
- [Having a Ball with the Joker](https://www.argn.com/2008/04/having_a_ball_with_the_joker/) - On March 26th, a new chapter in the Dark Knight alternate reality game began, as the cell phones that some had received inside a tasty, Joker-commissioned treat -- phones that some figured may never ring again -- sprang to life. A text message read: "Hey clown! Long time, no crime spree! Well, put on your
- [Soak, Wash, Spin.  Solve?](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/soak_wash_spin_solve/) - Playing ARGs using online clues and interpersonal meetups is cool. But wearing an ARG is even cooler. At least that's the premise behind EDOC, a new clothing company that promises the shirt will not only say something about your style, but also tells you a story. "How do they do it?" You say? Then you
- [Orbital Colony Launches](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/orbital_colony_launches/) - After twenty-one months of planning, fifteen months of pure speculation and a four months of dissecting the only (found) in-game site, Orbital Colony has finally launched. Very neatly timed with the finale of Last Call Poker, Orbital Colony launched November 16th. Players who had provided their phone numbers in the Name That Rock competition were
- [Rookery Two-er?](https://www.argn.com/2005/11/rookery_two-er/) - Sometimes Alternate Reality Games will fall into a rut in terms of plot line... "Someone or something has been taken, and you're my only hope"... "You need to find evidence to clear my name"... "Hi, HKDL!" and so on. One game that seemed to step out from the rest earlier in the year was Rookery
- [PXC Live Event:  A Mole Amongst Thee](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/pxc_live_event_a_mole_amongst_thee/) - Last Saturday, Perplex City took to the streets in a real-world event that involved both a ground team and an online team. Starting with a trail on an in-game site, players had to coordinate efforts to track the Third Power and obtain a highly valuable keyword. However, after collecting all of the puzzles and meeting
- [Interview with Jane McGonigal](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/interview_with_jane_mcgonigal/) - I caught up with Jane McGonigal of 42 Entertainment after her talk at the Austin Game Conference on Thursday. She was kind enough to give me an interview. Me: Do you have a favorite ever, of any game? Jane: Yeah, well like I said [during the talk] I think the explosion of creative interpretation with
- [Austin Game Conference](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/austin_game_conference/) - Today saw the opening of the Game Writers Conference, a subset of the Austin Game Conference which opens tomorrow. Of particular interest to ARGers was the discussion by Maureen McHugh from 42 Entertainment about the work that went into The Beast and I Love Bees. Maureen was contacted in 2004 to write for I Love
- [Austin Game Conference Part 2](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/austin_game_conference_part_2/) - Thursday was the official kick-off of the Austin Game Conference, a trade show primarily directed at companies who produce Massively Multiplayer Online games, or MMOs. This morning, Jane McGonigal from 42 Entertainment gave a talk in which she outlined what ARGs are, how they are a type of MMO, and why they are so interesting.
- [D.C. Goes Kra-Z For LCP](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/dc_goes_kra-z_for_lcp/) - This past weekend, Last Call Poker hit Washington D.C. with a live game of Tombstone Hold â€˜Em. A crowd of 25 took part at the event, which included a poker tournament and a small favor for Lucky Brown, creator of Last Call Poker. The games took place at Historic Congressional Cemetery near RFK Stadium in
- [A Giant ARG?](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/a_giant_arg/) - Unfiction member MaxSteele writes in with the following: On October 13, community member Addlepated discovered href="http://giantology.typepad.com" target=_blank">Giantology from a video showing a colossal discovery on the coast of Southern India posted on href="http://www.snopes.com/photos/tsunami/colossus.asp" target="_blank">Snopes. Over the next several days, different entries appeared on this site ranging from an underwater statue/fossil of a fish in the
- [ARGs in Now Playing Magazine](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/args_in_now_playing_magazine/) - Recently, our very own Steve Peters was part of an interview in Now Playing Magazine called "Meet the Puppetmasters". Before you go off to your local convenience store in a mad panic, hoping to find the issue there on the magazine rack, check this out -- Now Playing has decided to embed an ARG right
- [Sable & Shuck Winners](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/sable_shuck_winners/) - Belated congratulations go out to community members Wishi-San and Meak, who were two of the four winners in the Sable & Shuck ARG. A promotional device for Stella Artois beer, the Sable & Shuck ARG ran from September of 2004 until wrapping up in June of this year. Because the final puzzle was never solved,
- [ARG Parody 'Seen Steve' Takes Off](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/arg_parody_seen_steve_takes_off/) - It's not every day that an ARG that starts off by IM'ing hkdl turns out to be one of the most talked about, but "Seen Steve" has turned out to be just such a game. Seen Steve is a brilliant parody of the ARG world. So far it has encompassed Acheron, Art of the Heist,
- [Email Mystery Announces "Group Read"](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/email_mystery_announces_group_read/) - The publishers of the highly praised email mystery The Daughters of Freya (review) have announced a unique "Group Read" for readers of ARGN, where everyone will read the mystery at the same time, and discuss it in an online forum as it happens. The idea is to create a shared interactive experience out of what
- [Attack of the Clones, Island Style](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/attack_of_the_clones_island_style/) - There's been a lot of ARGishness in Hollywood these days, and the new release of "The Island" by director Michael Bay is no exception. While it is still uncertain whether the alternate reality will actually turn into a game after the opening this weekend, there is definitely at least a good creative try going on.
- [City of Domes Suspended](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/city_of_domes_suspended/) - 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
- [The Traveler - It's A Series?](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/the_traveler_-_its_a_series/) - There it was â€“ its silvery pinstriped cover, twinkling oddly in the fluorescent lighting, resting atop the black lacquer display shelves before me as I stumbled in the front door. I paused, catching my breath â€“ I could almost see her winking at me from behind the glistening blue sunglass lens, â€œIâ€™m here, waiting.â€ Stepping
- [Book Review:  Beyond Reality](https://www.argn.com/2005/07/book_review_beyond_reality/) - 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
- [Akalesh Ascendant](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/akalesh_ascendant/) - 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
- [Update on PXC Puzzle Cards](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/update_on_pxc_puzzle_cards/) - 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
- [Seen Steve "Implodes"](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/seen_steve_implodes/) - Seen Steve, the parody ARG, wrapped up over the ARGFest weekend in the only possible manner that it could: it "imploded". Players gathered in the #seensteve chat room, waiting for the final game timer to reach zero, when the PM (or PhooMaster) joined the room and announced the game was over as he had "homework
- [Orbital Colonyâ€™s Stellar Launch](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/orbital_colonys_stellar_launch/) - The long-awaited Orbital Colony took off last week with a stealthy launch during ARGFest NYC. Attendees of the convention found, within their welcome envelopes, a rather bizarre credit card advertisement that promised to send their credit "into outer space!" The embedded puzzle (what? of course there was an embedded puzzle!) led players to the Orbicon
- [The EVA Project](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/the_eva_project/) - 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.
- [The Laramie Project - Charity ARG Event](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/the_laramie_project_-_charity_arg_event/) - Starting August 6th, gamers will have the chance to participate in a 24-hour ARG in conjunction with Blogathon 2005. The ARG is based around Gillian Laramie, leader of the Interred Technology Council, who recently escaped from prison where she was serving time for murder. Last seen in the York area, this places her, perhaps coincidently,
- [Spontaneous Theater](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/spontaneous_theater/) - Via Metafilter comes an interesting link about spontaneous theater, a concept being developed by UCF professor Jeff Wirth, among others. In interactive theater, the audience is just as much a part of the action as the actors, and could actually be considered an extension of the cast itself. Honolulu's Pure Theatre group (formerly Cruel Theatre)
- [Jamie Kane Goes Live](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/jamie_kane_goes_live/) - Jamie Kane, the Alternate Reality Game designed by the BBC, has moved out of beta stage and officially launched yesterday. According to the Jamie Kane website, players can get involved in in the 'part game, part drama, part murder mystery' through various methods, including finding clues in message boards and emails, and interacting with characters
- [Blitz: The League Launches Possible ARG](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/blitz_the_league_launches_possible_arg/) - Another company jumps into the ARG marketing fray: Gamespot reports that Midway Games has launched an Alternate Reality Game to promote its upcoming game, Blitz: The League. In addition to the main site, there are also BlitzNewz and Red Dog Down. While some hardcore ARGers have expressed disappointment with the simplicity of the puzzles, it's
- [AIM at the Wolf, Win Handsome Prizes!](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/aim_at_the_wolf_win_handsome_prizes/) - We reported earlier about a text-messaging game related to the upcoming feature film Cry Wolf. Well, ARGN got a tip today about how you can get involved in the AIM-based 'instant-win game'. Register at this site to get in on the action, provided you have an AIM screenname and access to the AIM service on
- [Beyond Reality Chat Rescheduled](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/beyond_reality_chat_rescheduled/) - Due to some technical difficulties, the online chat with Beyond Reality author John Gosney has had to be rescheduled. The new date and time are Sunday August 14th at 6:00 ET.
- [PXC Forums Come To Life, and a Scarlett Letter](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/pxc_forums_come_to_life_and_a_scarlett_letter/) - A long-awaited addition to the Perplex City universe happened late last week when the site rolled out its in-game message forum area. Players have been busily discussing topics related to the puzzle cards that have been released so far, and new information has been added to the FAQ section. As well, this past week included
- [Wikipedia & Jamie Kane](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/wikipedia_jamie_kane/) - Yesterday, the BBC Alternate Reality Game, Jamie Kane and the presumed viral marketing use of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, hit several popular weblogs including BoingBoing and Slashdot. Two entries were found, one for Jamie Kane and the other for the fictional band Boy^d Upp. Both entries presented the fictional characters as
- [Inside The Laramie Project](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/inside_the_laramie_project/) - The Laramie Project was a unique ARG experience that took place during this year's Blogathon charity event. We were fortunate enough to have Xara Roberts, the creative mind behind the game, email us with some of her thoughts about the experience. "I first did Blogathon 2 years ago when I was 17 - so many
- [THAT's coming from Mark Z. Danielewski](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/thats_coming_from_mark_z_danielewski/) - A favorite book of many ARGers is Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves. Originally published several years ago on in bits and pieces on the internet, it was released in 2000 as a bound edition. The book sports a story-within-a-story framework and some experimental techniques, such as word coloring, text placement, and the like. There
- [Blitz League:  Is it ARG, or just G?](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/blitz_league_is_it_arg_or_just_g/) - Two weeks ago we reported on the possiblity of an ARG centered around an upcoming football console game entitled "Blitz: The League". Sadly, after watching the site since then, I just don't think there is an ARG there. In fact, I don't even know if there is any real marketing here. It's like they couldn't
- [d1g1t4l t0m Pwnz you, n00b!!!](https://www.argn.com/2005/08/d1g1t4l_t0m_pwnz_you_n00b/) - Greg Mentis' life has been turned upside down. The private school he attends in England has been rocked by the revelation that the headmaster has gone missing. The new headmaster is strange and mysterious, and there are suspicions that there is a sinister plot afoot amongst some of the teachers to cause trouble to ends
- [Another Mysterious Countdown](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/another_mysterious_countdown/) - News articles at Team XBox and GameSpot (scroll down to Rumor #2), as well as an anonymous tip to ARGN, have led us to The Lutz World Report, a self-proclaimed "'truth' source of the Paranormal and Extraordinary." But wait -- what is that there? Is that... a countdown timer? Counting down to... sometime on October
- [Lost and Found](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/lost_and_found/) - ABC's hit TV series Lost has captured the imagination of its viewing audience since its phenomenal pilot episode. There are at least 8 different official and fan-created websites to explore for more clues and fan-fiction about the Lost universe. Warning: this article may contain spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 of ABC's Lost.
- [Last Call Poker:  A Full House?](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/last_call_poker_a_full_house/) - I know, I know -- it's been forever since we last talked about Last Call Poker. It's definitely not because of lack of update information -- we'll speak to that in a few minutes. No, the problem is... I had to pry (that's right, pry) myself away from the poker tables at LCP to make
- [Project Gateway 2 Ramps Up](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/project_gateway_2_ramps_up/) - The sequel to Project Gateway is up and running, with a very slick design and some interesting real-world interaction thus far. Atrophied, a member of UnFiction's forums, gave us a quick reference to all that has happened so far: Clues from emails led players to a dead-drop at Providence College in Rhode Island on the
- [Minor Site Updates](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/minor_site_updates/) - Phew. We've been so busy here, playing all of these wonderful and exciting ARGs, that's it's been quite a long time since we've had the chance to update our information here. So, sit back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the show! As you can see, we have added some of the hot new games to
- [Book Release:  Through The Rabbit Hole](https://www.argn.com/2005/10/book_release_through_the_rabbit_hole/) - Dave Szulborski -- author, puppetmaster, puzzle creator, all-around nice guy -- has recently released another book about Alternate Reality Gaming. Billed as a resource "for newcomers to learn about and get started in ARGs," Through the Rabbit Hole: A Beginners Guide To Playing Alternate Reality Games is Szulborski's second book about ARGs (his first, This
- [Just In Time for "Falling In Time"](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/just_in_time_for_falling_in_time/) - ARGN recently recently broke a story regarding the emergence of the trailhead for Falling In Time. Apparently, this was not only a new game, but the second coming of one of the first group of widely played g-roots games, entitled Project Gateway. While allusions to the past game and its characters have already been made
- [Last Call Poker](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/last_call_poker/) - We found Last Call Poker through an email sent into the ARGN tip-line this morning. We're not sure exactly what to think yet, but the site is definitely... interesting. It has all of the standard signs pointing towards ARG -- registration, automated email replies, suspicious video, voice mail, and an attractive brunette character that needs
- [Vaporlofts](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/vaporlofts/) - When it rains, it pours. Another new ARG has come to light recently, despite the fact it has had a web presence since May. VaporLofts started as a LiveJournal blog by one Anne Schreber (aka point_system), who started befriending other LiveJournal bloggers who shared similar interests. Not a lot of attention was paid to the
- [New Games On The Horizon?](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/new_games_on_the_horizon/) - Two recently discovered blips on the ARG radar have sent ripples of interest throughout the community. The newest discovery, Falling In Time (AKA the Icarus ARG) came to us via a sponsored Google ad, and has already entertained the masses with some hidden web pages on the trailhead site. The site is aesthetically pleasing, and
- [ReGenesis:  Relaunch and Award Nomination!](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/regenesis_relaunch_and_award_nomination/) - Two 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
- [Blitz League Expands, Adds Depth](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/blitz_league_expands_adds_depth/) - Blitzleague.com has recently updated, with the first new content since July 26th. While still not showing signs of being an actual "game", sites have been added to give more of a backdrop to the setting of Midway's upcoming console game entitled "Blitz: The League". Sites like "Tear it Rare", "Most Valuable Playa", and "PedisNV" have
- [Virtucube Winner Announced](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/virtucube_winner_announced/) - According to the Virtuquest website, a winner has been announced in the Virtucube Multi-Layered Puzzle contest. Richard Patterson, who lives in the United Kingdom, is the winner of $500 cash prize. The contest ran for well over ten months, a formidable challenge for all those who took part. Congratulations, Richard, and we hope you lend
- [Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund](https://www.argn.com/2005/09/hurricane_katrina_relief_fund/) - The images are awful. The reality is worse. Hundreds of thousands of individuals and families have been displaced or otherwise impacted by the devastation that Hurrican Katrina wrought early this week. Thousands are still stranded in downtown New Orleans. Families have lost everything they owned, and far too many have even lost loved ones. ARGN
- [More Awards for Alternate Reality Games](https://www.argn.com/2005/04/more_awards_for_alternate_reality_games/) - Recognition for Alternate Reality Games is continuing to build with yet more media-related awards and nominations announced this week. Regenesis Extended Reality won the FITC Design & Technology Award for Convergence. The FITC is one of Canada's largest annual new media festivals. You can check out all of the winners at the FITC 2005 Awards
- ["I Love Bees" Nominated for Webby Award](https://www.argn.com/2005/04/i_love_bees_nominated_for_webby_award/) - The biggest Alternate Reality Game of the past year, "I Love Bees," continues to gain major recognition with its just-announced nomination for a Webby Award! Time magazine and the New York Times call the Webbys â€œthe Academy Awards of the Internet.â€ "I Love Bees" is eligible to win two different awards in the â€œGames-relatedâ€ category
- [Regenesis Nominated for FITC Award](https://www.argn.com/2005/04/regenesis_nominated_for_fitc_award/) - It was announced today that the Alternate Reality Game Regenesis: Extended Reality has been nominated for a Convergence Award by the FlashInTheCan Design & Technology Festival, which is one of Canada's largest annual new media festivals. In addition, Regenesis qualifies in the People's Choice Awards, which are based on voting by the general public. So,
- [GDC 2005 Spotlights Alternate Reality Games](https://www.argn.com/2005/03/gdc_2005_spotlights_alternate_reality_games/) - As Elan Lee took to the stage to accept the 2005 Innovation Award for I Love Bees at the Game Developers Choice Awards on Wednesday night, Alternate Reality Gaming stepped off of the sidelines and into the spotlight. Lee, on behalf of his team at 4orty2wo Entertainment, thanked the players, and made a special point
- ["I Love Bees" and Elan Lee to Receive 2005 Innovation Award](https://www.argn.com/2005/02/i_love_bees_and_elan_lee_to_receive_2005_innovation_award/) - Inside word comes to us today that "I Love Bees" and lead designer Elan Lee will receive a 2005 Innovation Award from the International Game Developers Association, to be announced at the upcoming Game Developers Choice Awards in March. The Innovation award is a special creative/design award given to standouts in innovation every year. Previous
- [RUMOR: An ARG for Resistance 2?](https://www.argn.com/2008/04/rumor_an_arg_for_resistance_2/) - Last week, the staff at Kombo posted a rumor attributed to "inside sources" that 42 Entertainment is developing an alternate reality game for Resistance 2, the sequel to the Playstation 3 title Resistance: Fall of Man. Although 42 Entertainment offered no comment on the rumor, the company has a solid track record of developing alternate
- [GMD Studios Stalked by Cricket; Eldritch Gifts Prompt Response from PuppetMaster](https://www.argn.com/2008/04/gmd_studios_stalked_by_cricket_eldritch_gifts_prompt_response_from_puppetmaster/) - On April 16, 2007, mysterious packages began finding their way into the hands of unsuspecting people about to be lured into a world of dreamscapes, nightmares, madness, and death. The contents of the packages led to a network of dreamers, reaching out for help to dwellers in the mundane world. The Dreamers found willing listeners
- [International Attention for ARGs](https://www.argn.com/2005/03/international_attention_for_args/) - The last few weeks has seen a marked increase in press coverage for Perplex City, most notably from sources outside the U.S. and England. PC is doing exceptionally well at gaining the attention of news sources around the world, furthering the visibility of Alternate Reality Games as a whole. Just since the beginning of March,
- ["Our Colony" An ARG-ish Viral for the Next-Gen Xbox?](https://www.argn.com/2005/04/our_colony_an_arg-ish_viral_for_the_next-gen_xbox/) - Rumors are flying this morning that the team-based puzzling site Our Colony is in fact a stealth campaign for the upcoming Xbox 2. Some are even going so far as to speculate that 4orty2wo Entertainment of I Love Bees fame is behind it all. So far, Our Colony has been flying below the radar to
- [Rookery Tower](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/rookery_tower/) - A recent post on the Unfiction forums indicates the start of a new ARG called Rookery Tower. In 1851, conjoined twins, Eric and Richard, were born to a couple who lived on Rookery Hill. Tragedy after tragedy followed, leading to an apparent climax sometime in the late 1800s, details of which are yet to be
- [Film to Feature Text-Messaging Hunt](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/film_to_feature_text-messaging_hunt/) - The recent trailer for the upcoming thriller "Cry Wolf" seems to be promoting an accompanying text-messaging game of some sort. The film, scheduled for an August 2005 release, revolves around a series of murders that are foretold by someone using AIMÂ®, giving warning about where the victims will be found. At the end of the
- [Surprise! OurColony Leads to Xbox 360](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/surprise_ourcolony_leads_to_xbox_360/) - Just in case you've been asleep for the last 24 hours, it was officially revealed yesterday that the OurColony quasi-Alternate Reality Game was a promotional lead up to the new Xbox 360, scheduled to hit the stores for the 2005 holiday season. As the countdown timer on the OurColony site expired yesterday, the page changed
- [BBC Announces Jamie Kane Beta](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/bbc_announces_jamie_kane_beta/) - The BBC has announced today that it is accepting beta testers for its upcoming alternate reality game Jamie Kane. The game is aimed at a teenage audience and revolves around the search for a missing popstar. Those who are familiar with alternate reality games may be a little surprised by the lack of stealth here,
- [Omnifam: Alias-Related Game?](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/omnifam_alias-related_game/) - Fans of the television series Alias have enjoyed supplemental online challenges since 2001, when the first Alias Web Puzzle appeared. It seems that something may be starting up again. Players recently stumbled upon omnifam.org, which has been showing signs of life, although we haven't been able to track down exactly how it was found in
- [Ares Station Completes Its Mission](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/ares_station_completes_its_mission/) - The indie Alternate Reality Game Ares Station came to a close on May 5th, with an announcement on its trailhead page. Although nobody likes it when a game ends, those who played the two-month long ARG seemed to be extremely happy with the game overall. Ares Station was designed by Indiana University Bloomington graduate students
- [More Cowbell, Please: A Memoir](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/more_cowbell_please_a_memoir/) - It was a sunny day â€“ the kind of day that springs forth from the drudgery of winter to blind you with its brilliant sunshine and pleasant breezes, imprinting itself onto your memory. The air was filled with the smells of cherry and tulip blossoms and the slight overtone of a diesel-fueled truck, while the
- [Touch Me, I'm Perplex City](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/touch_me_im_perplex_city/) - As reported earlier this week, the Perplex City ARG has recently ignited a few flames of contention within the ARG community with its controversial announcement of what appeared to be a pay-for-play model based around collectible puzzle cards and, more shockingly, the possible payout of a large reward. Indeed, a prize of Â£100,000 (about $200,000)
- [ARGN Adds Features, Staff](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/argn_adds_features_staff/) - ARGN has turned an important corner, recently. For the past six months, the genre of Alternate Reality Gaming has continued to gain mainstream recognition, in no small part due to games like I Love Bees and Regenesis. As a result, traffic here and at affiliate sites like Unfiction has continued to grow swiftly, which is
- [Success and Failure at Live Events](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/success_and_failure_at_live_events/) - As reported Thursday, two seperate real world events occured this weekend within the ARG The Art Of The Heist. However, in an interesting turn of events, only one retrieval mission was a success. Players of the game were ecstactic as the New York interaction with DJ Will Star went off without a hitch, and shocked
- [Zoe's World, Aware Sequel Teaser](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/zoes_world_aware_sequel_teaser/) - From the "Something May Be Going On Here" file: Out of the numerous, shall we say, interesting emails ARGN received this week came the following: â€œThe residents of â€œ3rdâ€ live along side us, and watch our every move but also keep their distance. The populous of â€œ3rdâ€ are there to protect us and watch over
- [Perplex City Explodes into Play: Introduces New Concept, Controversy](https://www.argn.com/2005/05/perplex_city_explodes_into_play_introduces_new_concept_controversy/) - If youâ€™ve been living in a cave for the last year, and donâ€™t know about Perplex City, now is the time to get up to speed. Sente Kiteway, the headmaster of the Perplex City Academy, has informed us of a missing priceless cultural artifact: The Cube. Itâ€™s here on Earth, and up to us to
- [The Art Of The Heist: Atlanta!](https://www.argn.com/2005/04/the_art_of_the_heist_atlanta/) - After an interesting real world event in New York City involving a stolen Audi A3 two weeks ago, The Art of the Heist appears set to bring their Alternate Reality into the lives of those players lucky enough to live in Atlanta, Georgia. In-game communication between two characters led perceptive players to ads at Monster.com

## Pages

- [Getting Started with ARGs](https://www.argn.com/getting_started_with_args/) - So you're interested in learning more about alternate reality games. Wonderful! This guide should introduce you to the core concepts you need to begin. If you're unfamiliar with the term, alternate reality games (commonly abbreviated as ARGs) are fictional narratives that unfold over time, using the real world as a platform to tell a story
- [Policies](https://www.argn.com/policies/) - Last updated May 2, 2018 THE GIST Welcome to ARGNet (www.argn.com). This is Michael Andersen, the owner and senior editor of the site. Our volunteer writers and editors put a lot of work into providing original posts here at ARGNet, and I would love for you to use it. However, there are a few important things
- [Press](https://www.argn.com/press/) - ARGNet: Around the Web Select ARGNet content was syndicated on Wired.com's Decode blog through 2014. ARGNet in the News May 29, 2024 - The Verge Taylor Swift Loves Easter Eggs by JESS WEATHERBED March 19, 2022 - No Proscenium Podcast The Batman ARG (2022) with Michael Andersen of ARGN.com podcast with NOAH NELSON March 7,
- [Contact us!](https://www.argn.com/contact/) - Heard a rumor of an upcoming ARG in development? Have a press release or tip for a game you're working on?* Find a site that you think may be a game? Are you a reporter doing a story on alternate reality gaming? Looking to advertise on ARGNet? Want to volunteer as a writer? Playing a
- [About](https://www.argn.com/about/) - ARGNet June 3, 2021 The Alternate Reality Gaming Network (ARGNet) is the largest and longest running news resource available for players of alternate reality games (ARGs). For many years, this site was the central hub for an affiliate network of sites that were independently owned and operated by volunteers for the enjoyment of themselves and
- [Subscribe to ARGNet Insider - Our Monthly(ish) Newsletter](https://www.argn.com/sign_up_argnet_insider_newsletter/) - ARGNet has been reporting on alternate reality games, escape rooms, puzzle hunts, and immersive storytelling experiences for over a decade. During that time, we've discussed a lot of super cool projects. This newsletter will provide periodic updates on the immersive entertainment space. In addition to providing color commentary on some of our recently published articles
- [Steve Peters' Super Sekrit Hidden Code Page](https://www.argn.com/steve_peters_super_sekrit_hidden_code_page/) - Steve Peters' Super Sekrit Hidden Code Page
- [Past Contributors](https://www.argn.com/past_contributors/) - Owners Michael Andersen (current) Steve Peters Jonathan Waite Associate Editors Dee Cook Jane Doh Jackie Kerr Marie Lamb Writers Will Bagby Celina Beach Alex Calhoun GeneviÃ¨ve Cardin Andy Darley Nicko Demeter Steve Diddle Larry Eisner Nadia Elmrabet Will Emigh John Fogg Jessie Greene Colin Hill Tim Hill Mildred I Lewis Line Mantene Nathan Maton Geoff
- [Master Archive](https://www.argn.com/master_archive/)
- [Now Playing](https://www.argn.com/now_playing/)
- [Chat](https://www.argn.com/chat/)
- [Draft Terms of Use and Privacy Policy](https://www.argn.com/terms_of_use_and_privacy_policy/) - This is a draft for the revised Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for ARGNet. On August 17, 2012, I intend to update our site's policies with this page, which provides a more thorough explanation of what you can expect from using this site. If you have any comments, suggestions, or concerns please feel free
- [Aguatero Industries Press Release](https://www.argn.com/aguatero_industries_press_release/) - Aguatero Industries For Immediate Release Contact: Shelby Walters, walters.shelby@aguateroindustries.com Website: http://aguateroindustries.com AGUATERO INDUSTRIES ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF OPERATIONS AND MARKETS New markets include Phoenix, AZ and Los Angeles, CA (6.10.2010) Aguatero Industries, a privately-held company specializing in bottled water production and water management operations, announced today plans to expand its operations to the American Southwest, including
- [Cathy's Book Rules](https://www.argn.com/cathys_book_official_rules/) - OFFICIAL RULES NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING 1. THE CATHYâ€™S BOOK APP iPOD TOUCH SWEEPSTAKES: How To Enter: Beginning February 9, 2010 at 12:01 AM (ET) through February 16, 2010 at 11:59 PM (ET), go to www.argn.com, and complete
- [Thanks for your email!](https://www.argn.com/thanks_email/) - We thank you for your email. Please watch your inbox for a reply, if applicable. You will be returned to the main page in ten seconds.
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