[arg_discuss] Antecedents to ARGs

[Markus Montola]

Tracking direct descendants and relationships is usually hopeless, and 
creating timelines that imply causality can be counter-productive. But 
making lists of influences, inspirations and antecedents still makes 
sense. It is useful for:

  - practical design inspiration
  - to remember that "I" did not invent the wheel first
  - to remember that "I" did not invent my wheel from scratch
  - to elaborate and expand the understanding of the concept

To say that A has influenced ARGs does not mean that A is an ARG, that 
any of the creators of ARG X were aware of A, or that B that is very 
similar to A was somehow less influential. Or that C that is very 
different from A couldn't influence ARG as well. Or that A was the first 
or only one of its kind.

You have to understand that it's not like games influence games. It's 
like books influence chat in coffee room which influences a game that 
influences a movie that influences a web discussion that influences 
another web discussion that influences another movie that influences a 
book that influences a game. Only rarely you can obtain evidence that it 
was designer D:s experience of product E that influenced her work on ARG X.

Even if you ask them, it's doubtful if they can analyze their processes 
sufficiently. Also, it's way cooler to be influenced by War of the 
Worlds than to be influenced by the little innovative promotion by the 
local shopping mall.


It's still worthwhile to map those influences, but you should do that in 
an inclusive manner, without claiming direct causality where none can be 
seen.

  - Markus

PS. Boal did not invent acting outside the stage. Candid Microphone did 
not invent pranks. Gary Gygax did not invent role-playing. Did The Beast 
/ Publius Enigma / Blair Witch Project have a single genuinely new 
invention that was not a new permutation of something that had been done 
before?

Brian Clark kirjoitti:

> But Bryan, I think that paper suffers from the same problems we're

> discussing here: it is a fairly arbitrary selection of items, missing out on

> many of what I see as the deeper influences. Because no one can seem to

> build a shared definition of what ARGs are, it is easy to point to ANYTHING

> as an antecedent ... and all you're really doing is revealing some wrinkle

> of your definition of what you think an ARG is.

> 

> For example, I think the TINAG principle is really quite irrelevant

> (although I think there are interesting specific historical stories about

> why that phrase was created as an alternate to established phrases like

> "suspension of disbelief," as well as business cover that phrase provided

> certain practitioners.) Conversely, I think ARG derives quite a bit from

> practices like Nathan Shedroff's experience design and Augsto Boal's theater

> of the oppressed.

> 

> But that's my perspective. What we lack as a community is a common

> perspective or a route to get to it, so the general public cemented their

> own definition instead.

> 

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

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

> Behalf Of Bryan Alexander

> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 8:15 PM

> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG; Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

> Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] Antecedents to ARGs

> 

> And there's always our paper:

> http://www.igda.org/wiki/Alternate_Reality_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Antecedents_

> to_Alternate_Reality_Games

> 

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

> From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org on behalf of Andrea A. Phillips

> Sent: Wed 1/14/2009 1:46 PM

> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

> Subject: [arg_discuss]  Antecedents to ARGs

>  

> Brooke has pointed out that the conversation the last day or so has  

> come up with a lot of stuff that are of interest to ARG developers,  

> whether or not they could be qualified as ARGs themselves.

> 

> And wouldn't you know, we do actually have a place in the SIG Wiki to  

> record information like this, which was completely blank up until  

> about *checks watch* two minutes ago:

> 

> http://www.igda.org/wiki/Alternate_Reality_Games_SIG/Antecedents_to_ARGs

> 

> If anybody feels like spreading the love and the knowledge, that would  

> be a *most excellent* place to do it!

> 

> --

> Andrea Phillips

> http://www.deusexmachinatio.com

> Words * Culture * Interaction

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