[arg_discuss] Res: Introductions

[André Sirangelo]

here we go:

Basically the villains of our game were a company with a project to buy the Amazon rainforest and turn it into an area under private control, which of course has always been a delicate issue in Brazil. But that was the idea, to generate some buzz and attract people to the game. So we put a video out on YouTube - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=LPrdeL2Lr98 - in which a fake CEO said the amazon doesn't belong to any country etc. etc.

The buzz was just OK in the first 2 months, so we didn't expect much more of it... until the press found out about the video and forwarded it to the Senate. 

Now, at this point the game was in progress, and it wasn't difficult at all, with the aid of Google, to realise it was all just a game. Even so, one of the most important senators in Brasilia made a speech alerting the people and the government against the menace of this multinational corporation that wanted to buy the amazon. I believe he even showed the video in the session.

So the next day there were a few websites (including the senate's) that ran stories on the subject. Among other things, they said the senate was trying to contact the company looking to start an inquiry.

It wasn't long until some journalists connected the dots and found out the company didn't exist. That's when it really exploded - after all, there are lots of companies that actually do want to buy the rainforest, but it's not every day a powerful senator makes a speech about one that doesn't really exist. 

So we made the cover of the country's biggest newspaper. 

Suddenly the game was on every news channel and every major news website. The players went crazy and created the "National ARG Day" (it's March 30th by the way).

We were ecstatic, but a bit terrified as well, nobody had ever expected something that massive.

So because of our sponsors we had to break TINAG and apologize to the senator, which was right I believe. Surprinsingly, he was OK about the whole thing when he found out, he even made jokes about it. But other senators and politicians WEREN'T OK with it. They wanted to sue and maybe even arrest us for making a video that was against the nation's sovereignty and all that. It was all BS though, because there wasn't really a crime. We never published fake news, we just put the video on YouTube and some people tought it was real. Not our fault! :)

To make it even more surreal, before they found out it was a fake there were reporters contacting the characters via e-mail, even quoting them from the blogs , reporting the game's story as if it was real. 

And a few days ago, more than 6 months after the game wrapped, we found out there was a governor who went live on TV to talk about the company (there's a video here - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=_qD1Tjcl-Ns)



----- Mensagem original ----
De: Dan Hon <dan at sixtostart.com>
Para: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG <arg_discuss at igda.org>
Enviadas: Segunda-feira, 12 de Novembro de 2007 14:03:34
Assunto: Re: [arg_discuss] Introductions

Yes, please explain!

(this may be a close tie with the Fictional Media/Soho Project game a
few weeks ago in London where a couple people got cautioned by the
police...)

On 11/12/07, Mike Stein <mike.j.stein at gmail.com> wrote:

> "As a bonus, it almost got us arrested. (long story)"

>

> Wait... what?

>

> On Nov 12, 2007 6:54 AM, André Sirangelo <asirangelo at yahoo.com.br>

 wrote:

>

> > Hi,

> >

> > I'm Andre and I'm an ARG writer/developer in Brazil. I was in the

> > development team of a game called 'Zona Incerta' last semester,

 produced in

> > association with one of the country's best-selling magazine. It was

 great.

> > We learned a lot. As a bonus, it almost got us arrested. (long

 story)

> > Besides writing for a few magazines and websites, my work now is

 basically

> > research and trying to convince companies (including my employers)

 that

> > investing in alternate reality is a good idea. Can't wait to be

 part of a

> > new game though, hopefully next year.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >      Abra sua conta no Yahoo! Mail, o único sem limite de espaço

 para

> > armazenamento!

> > http://br.mail.yahoo.com/

> > _______________________________________________

> > ARG_Discuss mailing list

> > ARG_Discuss at igda.org

> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/arg_discuss

> >

>

>

>

> --

> Mike Stein

> Grad Student - USC Interactive Media

> 650.283.4623

> mike.j.stein at gmail.com

> _______________________________________________

> ARG_Discuss mailing list

> ARG_Discuss at igda.org

> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/arg_discuss

>



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Dan Hon {dan at sixtostart.com}
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