[arg_discuss] ARG_Discuss Digest, Vol 37, Issue 18

[Morgan Calhoon]

Thanks Michel!

I've tried to participate in a few ARGs that I've found on the unfiction
website, but none of them have lasted very long or players get bored with
them and move on. So I've never played one to its completion. I have read a
bunch of post mortems or guides written by players while playing them.

Looks like I'll start playing Superstruct and see how that works out.

Since I'm planning on doing a localized game, I'm going to use a lot more
real world objects, interactions, and activities - I'm still going to use
the internet, but not as heavily as most have used in the past. I think the
internet is a great way to form a community for ARGs, but the nature of it
still had the potential for players to feel a little removed from the game
and the other participants. I want to see how more face to face interaction
effects the community that forms. Is it stronger? Does it last longer? Does
it continue to grow? Do people use it to accomplish anything?

I really want to test an ARG game that is more specific to the people
playing and the lives they have. I hope it will make players feel more
invested. I know this is somewhat impossible for games that are meant to
involve people from a variety of different geographic areas - so I'm curious
to see what changes and if my predictions are correct. I'm really trying to
find a local non-profit group to work with. There's a couple I'm interested
in, but I'm waiting to see which one ends up working out.

Although I haven't made a functioning ARG yet, I have been doing a lot of
interactive experiments to test people's limits and creativity. It seemed
like an easier way for me to quickly pinpoint which action or activity
worked instead of doing a full fledged game and then trying to figure out
which actions were the problem. It's also pretty easy to get one of my
little experiments together - so if it fails, I'm not too heart broken.

Thanks everyone! Morgan