Alternate reality gaming

Stepping into futures: Exploring the potential of interactive media for participatory scenarios on social-ecological systems

“…Alternate Reality Games have shown us that with creative approaches to content, a different kind of engagement can be created, especially when connected to a high capacity for creative input from participants (level 2) [92]. This way of interactive media development is synergetic: the communication remains feasible and flexible, and uses its focus on content and participant input as a strength to foster engagement.…”

Building Social Commmunities around Alternate Reality Games

“…The game environment, and hence players' information space, thus frequently includes regularly visited Web sites, Internet Messaging, e-mail, physical locations and news sources. One metaphor put forth by ARG designers is the formation of the story as creating an archaeological dig for players to explore; instead of creating shards of pottery, bone and fabric, game designers hide pieces of content that players need to assemble into a coherent story and solve the problems the story presents [12]. Historically, much ARG investment and development of has been undertaken to provide 'added value' or generate excitement about forthcoming products through the stimulation of web communities via ARG participation.…”

Design tactics for authentic interactive fiction

“…An ARG is a genre of transmedia storytelling [13], comprised of interactive elements that are scattered and hidden in websites, books, phone and text messages, movie trailers, and even billboards [14,16]. To engage with an ARG, players collaboratively solve puzzles and share clues to reassemble the fragments of a story that has spilled out into their everyday world.…”

“…As players weave their own hypotheses, interpretations, and extensions into gaps they perceive in the unfolding storyline, the ARG effectively becomes a collective narrative. ARG designers monitor player response in real-time and often modify the storyline based on player speculations [8,14,16,17]. Ongoing summaries that players compile on "the story so far" act as a guide for new audiences and a ready reference for existing players and even designers [8,14].…”