Alternate Reality Games (ARG)

Today I came across this new and interesting gaming stuff thats happening quite a lot it seems. Its called Alternate Reality Gaming, which is like a real life role-playing game. Let me quote an article from ARGnet about a LEGO ARG,

Two weeks ago a set of mysterious signals from deep space led to a startling discovery. On November 7th a group of Scientific Researchers from the Bradford Rant Institute of Cosmic Kinesis (B.R.I.C.K.) were the first to intercept and decode the signals, which contained detailed coordinates. Following the coordinates, the researchers soon found themselves within Legoland:Billund
This alternate reality game was played, to create hype and publicity for an upcoming release of a LEGO online multiplayer game!

On similar lines when a guy in New Hampshire wanted to propose to his girlfriend he staged a day long ARG!!

For Kiaya Steele, the men in suits and dark glasses who appeared suddenly through the raindrops of a New Hampshire morning were the first sign that something very unusual was going on.

One of the men stood under an umbrella next to the car Steele and her friend Kellin had been riding in moments earlier and delivered a message. As Kelli's sister Jenna was brought out of a second car that had pulled up mysteriously behind them, Steele was told that if she couldn't quickly prove that she was "the real Kiaya," the bomb planted inside Jenna would explode.

And this was just the tip of the iceberg of a day spent driving all around the countryside, complete with vans, staple guns, cameramen in trees, threats, red phone booths, and a series of hidden clues. Read More.

This is so cool! I remember as kids when the boys (girls didn't play that kind of stuff) used to play commando and they were making forts and running around with fake pistols. Those games were a whole lot of fun!
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I did not know people were actually pursuing this as a media/entertainment industry of sorts! Reading the various articles about it I find it quite an exciting idea!

Infact Improv Everywhere that I blogged about earlier has this 'alternate reality' feel to it! Killer stuff!

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