[arg_discuss] Loose fish project

[Adrian Hon]

On 15 Nov 2007, at 00:15, Mark Heggen wrote:


> All around a lot of excellent thoughts on this thread. Just as

> clarification, the Chain Factor game actually does have cross-media  

> arms

> outside the television episode. The casual game has locked powers  

> which can

> only be unlocked by entering codes that are found in text messages,  

> banner

> ads, subway ads, and it looks like possibly television ads (which are

> ostensibly unrelated to Numb3rs). In a funny sort of way, it might  

> be the

> project that most accurately fits the term "Alternate Reality Game"  

> as it

> meets all definitions of a *game* (unlike almost all of what we call  

> "ARGs")

> and it exists in a sort of *alternative reality* which contains a  

> murdering

> game designer who has hacked into commercial media advertising.


Cool, I had no idea. I like the concept behind Chain Factor a lot, the  
idea that you can pull people in using the casual game and then wrap  
an ARG around that. I would say that Perplex City met the definition  
of being an ARG just as much, but that's another story :)

However, I would maintain that *even if* Chain Factor had no cross- 
media interaction, if it was 'just' a webgame with surrounding hidden  
story that involved mass collaborative action, fake emails, etc etc -  
but no text messages, subway ads, TV ads - then it would still be  
classified by many (including me) as an ARG.

Adrian

--
Adrian Hon - mssv.net
Chief Creative at Six to Start - www.sixtostart.com
Founder of Let's Change the Game - www.letschangethegame.org