ARG

Most of you are not aware of this, but this is not my first attempt at a blog.  The first blog I wrote I updated everyday for 3 months before letting anyone see it, after that I updated it at least once a day for 2 more months before I abandoned it entirely. The kicker is that everything I wrote on that blog was fiction. It was the blog for a fictional law enforcement agency that I wrote for part of an alternate reality game. (you can see the blog here) And you can read the discussion of those that played the game here.

This leads us to todays pop culture topic: "ARGs".
One of my favorite pastimes is "Alternate Reality Gaming". This is sometimes known as "Chaotic Fiction" "Viral Marketing" or "immersive Role playing" In short it is make believe for grown ups.

During an Alternate Reality Game (ARG for short) players use clues found on websites, in emails or sometimes in phone calls or movie posters to solve a serious of puzzles and complete the game.

My real world activities have kept me away from playing for a few years but a quick check of one of my favorite ARG community websites shows they are just as popular as ever.

Games are played to announce the release of movies, video games or even TV shows. "Lost" "Torchwood" and "Cloverfield" all had games associated with them. The upcoming Batman movie has a game that is going on right now.

As advertisers look for new ways to attract the interest of an easily distracted public they must find new and more innovative ways to grab attention. As an inexpensive method of creating interest Viral Marketing and Alternate Reality gaming is here to stay. So the next time you see a web address in a movie poster or an email account in a TV commercial, go ahead and check it out. You may just find yourself drawn into a fun world that you never even knew was there.