ALTERNATE REALITY GAMES and why you should care

A Story Margaret’s Honey website gets “hacked” Interested visitors talk to Dana, the webmaster, about what’s going on Visitors find garbled “mayday” messages, fragments of a story in embedded code and corrupted images Ongoing blog/email contact with Dana, mysterious artificial intelligences deepen mystery

Margaret’s Honey website gets “hacked”

Interested visitors talk to Dana, the webmaster, about what’s going on

Visitors find garbled “mayday” messages, fragments of a story in embedded code and corrupted images

Ongoing blog/email contact with Dana, mysterious artificial intelligences deepen mystery

A Story, Cont.

A Story, Cont. Players come across puzzles hidden in the site, leading to more messages Players are lead to payphones across US Over 12 weeks thousands of players congregate at phones to hear story fragments, talk to an AI, and perform missions

Players come across puzzles hidden in the site, leading to more messages

Players are lead to payphones across US

Over 12 weeks thousands of players congregate at phones to hear story fragments, talk to an AI, and perform missions

What’s in a name? alternate reality? no games? no actually, sort of

alternate reality? no

games? no

actually, sort of

Pervasive Gaming (in a nutshell) (Social) Play Narrative Technology Cross Media & Common Modalities

(Social) Play

Narrative

Technology

Cross Media & Common Modalities

Pervasive Gaming (in pictures) cyberspace in-between meatspace also:

Interesting Numbers Tie-Ins / Marketing Art of the Heist: 45mil impressions The Beast: 1mil players I Love Bees: 2mil players Independent Chasing the Wish: 3k players MetaCortechs: 12k players Perplex City: 40k players

Tie-Ins / Marketing

Art of the Heist: 45mil impressions

The Beast: 1mil players

I Love Bees: 2mil players

Independent

Chasing the Wish: 3k players

MetaCortechs: 12k players

Perplex City: 40k players

The Technology (in a nutshell) Web (2.0 and otherwise) Blogs, Flickr, Youtube, Twitter, Forums, Websites, etc. Email, IM, IRC Mobile SMS, Location/Context-Sensing Telephony Phones, Asterisk ?

Web (2.0 and otherwise)

Blogs, Flickr, Youtube, Twitter, Forums, Websites, etc.

Email, IM, IRC

Mobile

SMS, Location/Context-Sensing

Telephony

Phones, Asterisk

?

Play traditional MMO

Pervasive Play Low barrier Constructive Dynamic Flexible Scalable Community

Low barrier

Constructive

Dynamic

Flexible

Scalable Community

Narrative

Pervasive Narrative Immersive Dynamic Flexible

Immersive

Dynamic

Flexible

All Together Now Actors inhabit same space as player collaboration

Actors inhabit same space as player collaboration

The Technology (in pictures)

The Technology (in pictures)

Why is this so cool? Immersive! Novel Meatspace is fun Dynamic - constant improvement Flexible - constant surprise Agile development

Immersive!

Novel

Meatspace is fun

Dynamic - constant improvement

Flexible - constant surprise

Agile development

Why is this so powerful? Collective intelligence Collective empowerment Reality <--> Game “ To make people believe is to make them act”

Collective intelligence

Collective empowerment

Reality <--> Game

“ To make people believe is to make them act”

TorGame (long-lasting meatspace)

TorGame (long-lasting meatspace)

TorGame (long-lasting meatspace)

TorGame (long-lasting meatspace)

World Without Oil (preparing for the future by having fun)

World Without Oil (preparing for the future by having fun)

World Without Oil (preparing for the future by having fun)

World Without Oil (preparing for the future by having fun)

The Future The future of entertainment? Integration with traditional entertainment media Integration of more recent technology Problem solving Greater emphasis on social networks

The future of entertainment?

Integration with traditional entertainment media

Integration of more recent technology

Problem solving

Greater emphasis on social networks