[arg_discuss] is ARG just a marketing technique to the press?

[Deb Fuller]

My $.02 into the fray -

I think of ARGs as just another "art form". Like any art, there are
many aspects to it. There is "art for arts sake" (I'm going to paint
something and I don't care if anyone looks at it), art as ritual or
religion (religious icons, Japanese calligraphy), art in pop culture
(political cartoons, graffiti), and art for purely commercial purposes
(advertising, Thomas Kincade). Likewise, you have people who act in
the theaters for entertainment and people who act in TV commercials.

ARGs are the same way. Unfortunately, the most visible ARGs are the
commercial ones. Games outside of Parker Brothers, Hasbro, or video
games are a niche market to begin with and ARGs are like a niche of a
niche. So people who are not in the gaming "niche" trying to report on
ARGs are going to find mainly commercial ARGs.

I don't think ARGs as marketing is a bad thing but I can understand
ARG designers who design ARGs for the sake of ARGs being upset that
their "art" is being "tainted" by commercial ventures, just like stage
actors scoff at TV or film actors because they don't consider
commercials and mainstream Hollywood movies as real "theatre". And
there is a mindset of some artists that once something reaches the
"mainstream", it ceases to become "art" (aka "selling out").

Hopefully commercial ARG designers will learn from "artist" ARG
designers and vice versa. I think artist ARG designers need to learn
more ways of getting more people exposed to their work and commercial
ARG designers can learn new and different game designs and techniques
from the artists. Commercial ARGs will probably fade away in a few
more years and a new marketing trend will take its place. Artistic
ARGs will probably always be around but will change and adapt as new
technology is developed.

Deb