[arg_discuss] Why puzzles

[John Evans]

>I agree the overlay of wacky puzzles ontop of most ARGs these days is kind

>of redundant and over-used, but many ARG players seem to have come to

>expect it, and aren't sure it's "really an ARG" if there isn't a word

>puzzle to figure out in the first week.


I have a few books about Babylon 5; one per season, they analyze each
episode with quotes from actors, writers, directors, everyone really.
J. Michael Straczynski, the mastermind behind Babylon 5, seems to have
a certain amount of disdain for people who are impressed by flashy
stuff like CG space battles. He felt he had to put stuff like that in
to satisfy, or even *distract* the "propellerheads" so that he would
have a chance to tell an interesting story. I'm not going to get this
word for word, but he said something like: "I think of the audience as
a big dumb beast, I have to whack them on the head with a newspaper so
I can slip a story past them."

--John Evans