[arg_discuss] Penny Arcade and the Ovaltine Disappointment

[John Evans]

So recently Penny Arcade did a strip about the Halo 3 ARG, whatever that might
be. Here's the strip:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/06/20

For those who might not want to read it, here's a summary of the strip:
"Man, they've got a new ARG going for Halo 3!"
"You saw A Christmas Story, right? Remember when Ralphie got his decoder ring
and locked himself in the bathroom to translate the top secret message? Well,
that was an ARG too. And all ARGs end the same way."
"Drink your Ovaltine?" "Buy teh Haloz."

The news post that accompanies the comic is actually more forgiving.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2007/06/20

He says, for example, "I know perfectly well that I am being subjugated by a
sophisticated marketing effor, that the best one can accomplish in these games
is to get a real good look at the teeth before the mouth closes around you."

I think, as amusing as this comic is, it misses the point of ARGs. (Well,
first of all, not all ARGs are marketing efforts, but we can leave that aside
for this discussion.) The point of an ARG as a marketing effort is not to
simply deliver an advertising message. If it were, I believe the players would
be disappointed. The point of an ARG, as I see it, is to provide an experience
that players enjoy. Then they associate that enjoyable experience with, say, a
brand. If the players are disappointed, then the ARG designers have done
something wrong; they haven't provided an experience that's enjoyable enough
in and of itself.

Assuming I'm correct (and if I'm not, go ahead and disagree ;) ), then we
have two things to worry about. First, is there anything specific we can do to
make sure players understand and accept the marketing nature of an ARG? (Other
than just, you know, making it enjoyable.) And second, how can we dispel this
preconceived notion that an ARG will ultimately be disappointing? Because if
players feel slighted by the very idea of an ARG, they probably won't get
excited and into it...

--John