[arg_discuss] Res: Introductions

[despain at quantumcontent.com]

I hadn't heard about this. I think you're my new hero.

Wendy Despain
quantumcontent.com


> 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

>>

>

>

> --

> ** Please ask before forwarding this email.

> Dan Hon {dan at sixtostart.com}

> CEO, Six to Start

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>

>

>

>

>

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

> armazenamento!

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

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