[arg_discuss] Topic of the Week Aug. 17: Ghost Players (Vlad Alex)

[Vlad Alex]

As far my experiences as players, the "ghost players" are often used
in commercial and/or strong scheduled ARGs, where you have to let
players to solve the problems and puzzles in defined time period. The
negative side effect of using "ghost players" is though, the usual
players are sensitive folk. And if they feel beeing betrayed by PMs
with not so real co-players, they can easily get mad.

In Star Trek ARG it was used accurately, even if a little bit
apparently: at least two twitter, @bevbrecher and @aliceforrest700
were soon identified by players as "ghost player", giving hints and
summarizing the plot. But since they weren't really penetrant in their
"omni-presence", they were tolerated by players. In the cause of Junko
Junsui it seems to be a little bit too offensive: some players (as I
suppose) are such "ghost players" (perhaps more than just this: they
are "PMs in players skin"). And this can surely cause some
demotivation. or desorientation. Or (de)constructiv anarchic agression
towards the story.

In my humble experience as a amateur PM I was confronted with a
problem to send to 10 people 10 parts of a link. They all should be
present, otherwise the missing part will cause the link failure. But I
wanted to avoid the "Ghost player" method, so I had to be assured,
everybody of these 10 people can be reached, and I gave every player
the name of the next to make this chain complete. Even if this method
is lamish, complicated and confusing for all participants, it's still
better than using of fictional co-players imho.

(But I did at that time another crime: to avoid another people
thinking, I were the PM, I included myself in this chain, as a player
- I know now, after all the years, it was not pretty acting. Mea
maxima culpa, so to say :-))