[arg_discuss] we are obsolete (RE:Copycatwarningoveralternativereality games)

[Dan Hon]

One thing that's always confused me is this whole "alternate parallel  
universe" concept. Can't we just say that these games are fiction? We  
don't get hung up on all movies being in alternate parallel universes,  
or all books doing that as well. Y'know: it's a story. Some things are  
made up.

--
Dan Hon, CEO, Six to Start
m: +44 7870 600 828
t: +44 33 3340 7490, f: +44 33 3340 7494




On 10 Oct 2008, at 13:06, Jason Chrest wrote:


> Interactive Cross-Media Games in Alternate Parallel Universes run by  

> deviants!!

>

> ICMGAPURBD SIG

>

> I like the length!

>

> ICMG though could be a fair representation of the majority of games  

> I have followed in the past. It's not as sexy of an acronym as arg,  

> but - /shrug.

>

> (Just wanted to toss my two dusty pennies into the ring and hope I  

> didn't miss good emails lol)

>

> Jason Chrest

> Aporia Cross-Media Entertainment, LLC.

> http://news.aporiacme.com

> Cell:(662)251-9312

> jason at aporiacme.com

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: "Brian Clark" <bclark at gmdstudios.com>

>

> Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:22:29

> To: 'Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG'<arg_discuss at igda.org>

> Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] we are obsolete  

> (RE:Copycatwarningoveralternative

> 	reality games)

>

>

> "I plan to continue to embrace it and love it and call it george."

>

> I hope no one took my Swiftian arguments too seriously yesterday: I  

> was just

> being overly-provocative to see what oozes out if we pick the scab  

> off. Plus

> Monello gave me $5 (but I also had to eat a bug.)

>

> If I had to give my serious opinion, though, it is a variant of  

> Adam's: ARG

> was always a label, not a genre not a media not an art form. It was  

> a label

> applied by the fan community to describe SOME of what we do, but not  

> ALL of

> what we do. Internally, as a lab and studio, we see far less  

> distinction

> between our projects, but then we essentially study digital human

> interaction (so that's fine). As a creator, the label is useful if it

> provides some expectation of the experience the audience might have,  

> so I

> find myself using "ARGish" far more than I use "ARG".

>

> If I had to pick a hill to plant my flag on, the closest match would  

> be

> Experience Design of the post-Shedroff variety. I think Adam hit  

> another key

> point though, which is the general sense of déjà vu on definitions  

> to the

> 1990s and MUD/MOO/MUSH, a stable triad of different definitions and  

> goals

> for something very similar. I've always had a nagging suspicion that  

> these

> same definitions apply here as well ... that part of the difference  

> between

> my work that gets called ARG and what doesn't is related to the MUD/ 

> MOO

> distinction (MUD=ARG, MOO="Extended Experience" roughly.)

>

> But that really just brings us back to Monello's "lots of experimental

> variety" comment that opened all of this, and only really brings to  

> it the

> idea that ARG might just be a subset of that variety rather than the

> umbrella.

>

> Which begs what the umbrella concept is all over again, right?

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org 

> ] On

> Behalf Of Wendy Despain

> Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 6:32 PM

> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

> Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] we are obsolete  

> (RE:Copycatwarningoveralternative

> reality games)

>

> I for one have no problem with the ARG label or the hanging out with

> video game folks. Videogames are more and more interested in narrative

> these days, and I think the "gamey" parts of ARGs improve the player

> experience.

>

> And when I tell videogame devs that I also do ARGs they no longer

> stare blankly at me and think I just choked on something.

>

> I plan to continue to embrace it and love it and call it george.

>

> Wendy Despain

> quantumcontent.com

>

>

> On Thu, October 9, 2008 3:03 pm, Adam Martin wrote:

>> 2008/10/9 Brian Clark <bclark at gmdstudios.com>:

>>> So no need for an IGDA SIG anymore?

>>

>> The IGDA seems happy with supporting us so far :), and with what we  

>> do

>> (and it's relationship to games). IGDA's "games" remit seems to be  

>> set

>> very broad, generally speaking.

>>

>> They're even offering us money, just waiting for us to tell them what

>> we need it for...

>> _______________________________________________

>> ARG_Discuss mailing list

>> ARG_Discuss at igda.org

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

>>

>

>

> Wendy Despain

> quantumcontent.com

>

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