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

[Christy Dena]

I understand the sentiment Kristian -- that other economic models will
emerge -- but I just wanted to follow up on one thing you said:

"if you can do something as cool as The Beast, ilovebees or Art Of The Heist
then I envy you"

I don't know if you meant this as a serious question or dare to Brian or
not...but just in case you did, you perhaps should know that Brian (and Mike
and David and many others on this list) did work on Heist.

http://www.haxan.com/2005/07/27/the-art-of-the-heist-credits/

But it may of just been a rhetorical question...

-----Original Message-----
From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org] On
Behalf Of Kristian Leth DR
Sent: Friday, 11 January 2008 00:47
To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG; Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG
Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] is ARG just a marketing technique to the press?

Hi Brian,


"What are the upsides to ARGs being collective, hyped, anti-establishment
and not suitable for classic marketing channels? What are the possiblities
within those boundaries?"

You wrote:
I'm not sure I completely buy how you got to this analogy, Kristian.
Comparing ARGing to the "music industry" or the "game industry" is really
requires that we think there is an "ARG industry" (there isn't) and that it
has established structures that can be disintermediated (there aren't.)

I say:
I'm not comparing the two as "industries", I'm trying to make the point that
trying to fit a square peg into a round hole can be very bothersome, and
might not be the only way forward.

You wrote:
Anything that aggregates attention has the potential to leverage that
attention towards marketing something. Heck, they put advertisements on
zambonis at hockey matches, because they tend to collect attention from
people in the crowds (but the zamboni isn't on the ice to produce a
marketing effect, it is there to smooth the ice!)

I say:
I actually think that the marketing ARGs have so far been the most
intruiging and enjoyable, and if you can do something as cool as The Beast,
ilovebees or Art Of The Heist then I envy you. But parts of this discussion
is "how can we change this genre into a commercially viable one (like the
_other_ game forms) without changing what's integral to ARGs?" And while
that's an interesting discussion, I think maybe the economic model has to
grow - on its own - around a genre that believes in itself and operates on
its own terms. And we're nowhere near that yet. (And that's where the music
analogy comes into the picture.)

Because this thing has grown out of the most unlikely places. ARGs have
found their form through a mix of marketing ploys and grass-roots endeavors,
and I think that that's pretty special. My point is probably that I think
the focus in this genre for the immediate future is exploring, expanding and
having fun with the genre, out of love for it. The money isn't going to
magically appear in loads, when somebody figures out "How To Do It".

For god's sake, those of us who can make money out of it should KEEP DOING
IT (and share the info!). But if that's the only reason we're here, then
we're probably on our way to doing something that we know will put food on
our tables. Let's keep it adventurous yet.

The Romantic
Kristian
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