[arg_discuss] Defining ARG's and the marketing effect

[Adam Martin]

Brian Clark wrote:

> I totally agree with your core point, though. Interesting question for the
> group: how many of us are sitting around thinking more about the limits of
> these definitions than the cores? Personally, I'm starting to find whether

I dropped by the Blast Theory offices at the conference (they're just up 
the road, and I was with a friend who had to call in there) and tried to 
persuade Matt to come along to the ARG sessions. My impression was that 
he wanted to avoid things with the name "ARG" on it, feeling that the 
term misrepresents what they do and what they aim to do. Fair enough - I 
think this is an issue for a lot of us.

However, outside what we each do as companies and individuals, you have 
to choose *a* single name for events, lectures - and even this SIG - and 
whatever name you choose people will be unhappy. What tends to most 
important about such names isn't their accuracy but their currency with 
the outside world - the extent to which they are recognisable on sight, 
attract people's interest, and are already in common usage.

For instance, I remember many attempts to derail the "MMOG" term to 
describe the MMOG industry, and ultimately almost none of the 
professionals were happy with the term - although none could agree on 
any replacement. In the end, that term had already picked up substantial 
recognition from the playing public in the 1990's, and so it was the 
best name to move ahead under, even for the many of us who felt it 
unfairly limited and proscribed what we (didn't actually) do.

So, to a certain extent, these days I just shrug and accept that whilst 
names themselves are very important and getting them right or wrong has 
a big effect on what you do, generic and collective names are rarely 
that accurate despite how hard you try to improve them :).

For instance, I've often found it an easy opening for a conversation or 
elevator pitch to launch into "we're an 'MMOG company' but what we make 
aren't MMOG's" - IMHO if someone knows the term, you have an easy way to 
show your USP. If they don't, you get to describe the general term 
briefly, but focus their attention on what you do (the listener is a 
blank slate).

-- 
Adam Martin
CTO, Mind Candy Ltd

tel: 0207 501 1904 - fax: 0207 501 1919
www.perplexcity.com - www.mindcandydesign.com