A look at Alternate Reality Games, Augmented Reality and how to engage different player types.

1. ARG + AR
The physical environment and the reality as a game platform.
MEDIAFRONT A PART OF MCCANN WORLDGROUP by @johannesr - Johannes Rummelhoff, Creative @MediaFront

2. “A game is a problem-solving
activity, approached with a playful
attitude.”
- Jesse Schell
Anything can be a game.
Playing games is all about
solving puzzles in a fun way.

3. WHAT IS ARG?

4. ALTERNATE REALITY GAME
(ARG)
An interactive story that unfolds in the real world. The story is shaped by the
players own actions, often through puzzles and riddles that are distributed in
several media channels.
ARG is played on fictitious
websites, blogs, Facebook
profiles, chatrooms (msn etc..).
Some tasks may require you to
move away from your computer
to complete them.
The game is constantly adjusted
and designed based on the
players behavior.

5. THIS IS NOT A GAME
The mantra of ARG games is to
make you feel like you’re taking
part in something happening in
the real world.

6. I Love Bees
An ARG that promoted and told the prequel to Halo 2
The game's plot begins with a spaceship that crashes in an unknown
location. The ship's artificial intelligence, known as the "Operator" or
"Melissa", has been damaged and is not alone. Other AI applications
share the system. In an attempt to contact any surviving allies, Melissa
transfer signals shown as codes hidden within images or text to a
webserver in the San Francisco area.This interferes with the operation
of the website I Love Bees and destroys the content.
The most significant hacker message was a countdown to the "Fully
wide awake and physical" on 24 August 2004.
Tasks
• The first task was a honey jar that was sent out to players from other
ARGs (TheBeast). In the jar the receivers found pieces of paper
shaped as the URL to ilovebees.com. The URL was also flickered onto
on the trailer for Halo 2.
• A main task in the game was to decode a series of GPS coordinates
and resolve their hidden message. The players resolved the task by
finding phone booths near all the coordinates. Then the players had to
answer incoming phone calls to the phone boots.
• Decoding of the fictional programming language Flea + +

7. ARG FOR EVERYONE

8. Achievers Players are engaged by different things:
Richard Bartle's four player types:
Socializers
• Achievers: Wants to maximize their scores and climb the high
score list. These players are driven by their own success.
• Explorers: Wants to understand how the game works, plan optimal
strategies.
Explorers • Socialize: Love to interact with other players and meet new people
through the game.
• Killers: Love to take advantage of other players. These players
steal, kill and exploit.
Killers ARGs mainly attracts Explorers as the game is based on the player
constantly searching for clues and figure out obscure solutions.
Socializers also have their part in the ARGs, but it is less accessible
to them as it is often necessary to be a combination of Explorer and
Socializer to succeed.
Read more: Richard A. Bartle: Players Who Suit Mudshttp://
www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

9. ARG + SMARTPHONES

10. The game unfolds in the
physical reality where your
movements and actions affect
the game.

11. I sense something of significance
nearby.
Cancel Show me
The phone is your sixth sense.

12. Explorers
Your mobile phone takes you
on an adventure around the
city. You develop a character
(you) and use your knowledge
and skills to solve puzzles to
progress in the game.
On the map you can see what
is going on near you.
• Friends / foes
• Tasks
• NPCes
• Suspicious areas

13. Achievers
Throughout your journey you will
encounter a variety of puzzles
and tasks you have to resolve.
• Puzzles
• Knowledge Tasks
• Logical
• Physics
The tasks can be resolved using
the phones technology:
• Motion (gyroscope)
Attack Bag Friends Profile More • Audio, voice recognition
• GPS
• Etc..

14. 200 million minutes
played a day
Curiosity:
A puzzle / casual game with
great success, Angry Birds is
played in over 200 million
minutes a day (equivalent to
16 human life spans)

15. Achievers
Attack Bag Friends Profile More
Once you have solved a
puzzle you’re rewarded
accordingly to your
performance.

16. “The consequences of an act
affect the probability of it's
occurring again.”
- B. F. Skinner
When you do one thing that
gives you a positive feedback
there is likely that you repeat
the action again and again.

17. Socializers
Some tasks require
collaboration with other
players, creating new
relationships.
Players at higher levels can
train and teach skills to
players on a lower level.
Attack Bag Friends Profile More Attack Bag Friends Profile More
Players build relationships
and friendships through the
game. The game becomes a
meeting place, a social arena.
puzzle box by flickr user: maderjanet, http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetmaderportfolio/2903161993/

18. “No one knows everything,
everyone knows something”
- Pierre Lévy
ARGs often requires collaboration to solve problems so difficult and
complicated that it is not possible to complete them on your own.
Together the players creates a collective intelligence.
Further reading: Why I Love Bees:
A Case Study in Collective Intelligence Gaming. Utmerket ført i pennen av Jane McGonigal,

19. Achievers
Explorers
Sloss mot monstre
In your surroundings, there
are tons of scary monsters
that give you experience
points and treasure if you
beat them.

20. Socializers
Killers
War between factions: You,
the player must make a
decision early on and choose
which side to join. (However,
one can at any time, switch
sides.)
You have to watch out when
you're out there. You never
know who lurks around the
corner.

21. Killers
Duels are constantly occurring between players from different
factions.
Players from higher levels with better skills and a better sixth
sense are more likely to win battles.
The battles are carried out by using your phone as a sword or a
magic wand and verbally articulate spells that harm the enemy.

22. Explorers
Killers
The faction’s reputation is
determined based on the size
of the territory under their
control. For a segment to
control a territory a given
number of players from the
faction must have been in the
territorial area for a sufficient
time.
Attack Bag Friends Profile More
Factions can claim their
enemy’s territory by "attacking"
it with their presence.

23. Bli en helt!
The Epic Fight!
Work with your faction to kill
the great dragon flying over the
major cities in the world.

24. JOHANNES RUMMELHOFF
CREATIVE at MEDIAFRONT
@johannesr