[arg_discuss] Re: Communities and resources

[Michael Monello]

On Apr 8, 2006, at 11:48 AM, adam wrote:
> Films, computer games etc you pay for up-front. Although a small  
> percentage additionally have subscription models for ongoing play,  
> the vast majority are still pay-once, suck-it-and-see.
>
> Hence there is a huge need for reviews for the benefit of the  
> general public who are not *allowed* to try before they buy.
>
> ARGs do not currently use this business model, hence it seems there  
> is comparitively little need for reviews (and even less so for  
> previews). I'm not saying there is no value, just that it is orders  
> of magnitude less than for other media.

I disagree. As Brooke noted, you used a pre-game for Perplex City to  
great effect. Whether the audience has to buy a ticket up front or  
watches it free on TV, or plays it in front of their computer, the  
net goal is always the same -- butts in seats. We're all going after  
eyeballs here.

>
> Films, games, etc are also identical experiences whether or not  
> anyone else has ever experienced them.

Having sat through countless screenings of films I've been involved  
with all over the world I can tell you that's not true. The  
experience of going to a cinema changes completely based on who is in  
the theater, how many are in the theater, etc. That's why studios  
don't like to screen films only for critics. Ever wonder why so many  
movies have an "advance sneak preview" with a radio station or  
newspaper giving away free tickets? It's because the local critics  
need to watch the movie and the studio wants to pack the audience  
with happy people.

And games are completely different based on who you are playing with.  
Even single player games are different depending on environment,  
mood, etc.

> OTOH, as Wendy points out, ARGs are "ultimately a collaborative  
> form of entertainment", and the experience is heavily dependent  
> upon the community. Given that ARG designers can and do change the  
> plot in reaction to players interaction with the characters and  
> plot, adding or removing or modifying elements, we are dealing with  
> something much less deterministic.
>
> How much value is there in a review of a non-deterministic experience?

I think there can be huge value in it. On Audi we weren't sure  
exactly which cities we were going to do live events in, but we knew  
we were going to hit both coasts and at least one major metropolis in  
between. We knew we had the easter eggs, we knew people were going to  
go on missions with the characters, we knew which forms of media we  
were using to tell the story, etc. While so much was changed during  
play I think it is very possible to give people a sense of what kind  
of experience they are going to have. Like letting people know if  
they are in for an action adventure, sci-fi, horror, or romantic comedy.


> At the end of the day, I think reviews of ARG's just gone are  
> extremely interesting and valuable, but previews have little merit.  
> The best way I can see of reviewing or previewing an ARG is simply  
> to review a major arc of story as it completes, giving readers a  
> flavour of what it is like to play that game *right now*. They  
> won't have long to decide to drop in and start playing too, but  
> it's certainly the most accurate review they're ever going to get.

Again, I'm not suggesting reviews up front -- that would have been  
impossible for us to do on Adie, certainly, but feature stories are  
what makes the entertainment world go round.

> ...which of course is what happens in forums every day whilst an  
> ARG is going on and the word is being spread. Forum-based ARG- 
> playing communities are a review-mill, constantly sampling and  
> commenting on all aspects of the game and playability. Isn't that  
> why we all follow UF et al so slavishly whilst our games are in  
> progress? :)

I disagree here, too. You can't take forums at face value in mid- 
game, because often the audience is completely in the dark about  
what's coming up. They might feel frustrated today because something   
is unclear and then tomorrow you pay it off with a fantastic event  
and a plot twist and everyone is thrilled -- the moods and emotions  
of players constantly change, so I think you can gleam what people  
are feeling "right now" about a game, and you can see how they feel  
about what has transpired, but I don't think you can look at a forum  
mid game and make a judgement about the game that easily.


Best,

Mike
__________
haxan | films | http://www.haxan.com