MEDIAFRONT A PART OF MCCANN WORLDGROUP

ARG + AR The physical environment and the reality as a game platform.

by @johannesr - Johannes Rummelhoff, Creative @MediaFront

“A game is a problem-solving activity, approached with a playful attitude.”

- Jesse Schell

Anything can be a game. Playing games is all about solving puzzles in a fun way.

WHAT IS ARG?

ALTERNATE REALITY GAME(ARG)An interactive story that unfolds in the real world. The story is shaped by the players own actions, often through puzzles and riddles that are distributed in several media channels.

ARG is played on fictitious websites, blogs, Facebook profiles, chatrooms (msn etc..). Some tasks may require you to move away from your computer to complete them.

The game is constantly adjusted and designed based on the players behavior.

THIS IS NOT A GAME

The mantra of ARG games is to make you feel like you’re taking part in something happening in the real world.

I Love BeesAn ARG that promoted and told the prequel to Halo 2

The game's plot begins with a spaceship that crashes in an unknown location. The ship's artificial intelligence, known as the "Operator" or "Melissa", has been damaged and is not alone. Other AI applications share the system. In an attempt to contact any surviving allies, Melissa transfer signals shown as codes hidden within images or text to a webserver in the San Francisco area.This interferes with the operation of the website I Love Bees and destroys the content.

The most significant hacker message was a countdown to the "Fully wide awake and physical" on 24 August 2004.

Tasks•  The first task was a honey jar that was sent out to players from other ARGs (TheBeast). In the jar the receivers found pieces of paper shaped as the URL to ilovebees.com. The URL was also flickered onto on the trailer for Halo 2.•  A main task in the game was to decode a series of GPS coordinates and resolve their hidden message. The players resolved the task by finding phone booths near all the coordinates. Then the players had to answer incoming phone calls to the phone boots.•  Decoding of the fictional programming language Flea + +

ARG FOR EVERYONE

♦ Achievers♥ Socializers♠ Explorers♣ Killers

Players are engaged by different things:

Richard Bartle's four player types:

• Achievers: Wants to maximize their scores and climb the high score list. These players are driven by their own success.

• Explorers: Wants to understand how the game works, plan optimal strategies.

• Socialize: Love to interact with other players and meet new people through the game.

• Killers: Love to take advantage of other players. These players steal, kill and exploit.

ARGs mainly attracts Explorers as the game is based on the player constantly searching for clues and figure out obscure solutions.

Socializers also have their part in the ARGs, but it is less accessible to them as it is often necessary to be a combination of Explorer and Socializer to succeed.

Read more: Richard A. Bartle: Players Who Suit Mudshttp://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

ARG + SMARTPHONES

The game unfolds in the physical reality where your movements and actions affect the game.

I sense something of significance nearby.

Cancel Show me

The phone is your sixth sense.

♠ Explorers

Your mobile phone takes you on an adventure around the city. You develop a character (you) and use your knowledge and skills to solve puzzles to progress in the game.

On the map you can see what is going on near you.

•  Friends / foes•  Tasks•  NPCes•  Suspicious areas

MoreAttack Bag Friends Profile

♦ Achievers

Throughout your journey you will encounter a variety of puzzles and tasks you have to resolve.

•  Puzzles•  Knowledge Tasks•  Logical•  Physics

The tasks can be resolved using the phones technology:

•  Motion (gyroscope)•  Audio, voice recognition•  GPS•  Etc..

Curiosity:A puzzle / casual game with great success, Angry Birds is played in over 200 million minutes a day (equivalent to 16 human life spans)

200 million minutes played a day

♦ Achievers

MoreAttack Bag Friends Profile Once you have solved a puzzle you’re rewarded accordingly to your performance.

“The consequences of an act affect the probability of it's occurring again.”

- B. F. SkinnerWhen you do one thing that gives you a positive feedback there is likely that you repeat the action again and again.

MoreAttack Bag Friends ProfileMoreAttack Bag Friends Profile

♥ Socializers

Some tasks require collaboration with other players, creating new relationships.

Players at higher levels can train and teach skills to players on a lower level.

Players build relationships and friendships through the game. The game becomes a meeting place, a social arena.

puzzle box by flickr user: maderjanet, http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetmaderportfolio/2903161993/

“No one knows everything, everyone knows something”

- Pierre LévyARGs often requires collaboration to solve problems so difficult and complicated that it is not possible to complete them on your own.

Together the players creates a collective intelligence.

Further reading: Why I Love Bees: A Case Study in Collective Intelligence Gaming. Utmerket ført i pennen av Jane McGonigal,

Sloss mot monstre

♦ Achievers♠ Explorers

In your surroundings, there are tons of scary monsters that give you experience points and treasure if you beat them.

♥ Socializers♣ Killers

War between factions: You, the player must make a decision early on and choose which side to join. (However, one can at any time, switch sides.)

You have to watch out when you're out there. You never know who lurks around the corner.

♣ Killers

Duels are constantly occurring between players from different factions.

Players from higher levels with better skills and a better sixth sense are more likely to win battles.

The battles are carried out by using your phone as a sword or a magic wand and verbally articulate spells that harm the enemy.

MoreAttack Bag Friends Profile

♠ Explorers♣ Killers

The faction’s reputation is determined based on the size of the territory under their control. For a segment to control a territory a given number of players from the faction must have been in the territorial area for a sufficient time.

Factions can claim their enemy’s territory by "attacking" it with their presence.

Bli en helt!

The Epic Fight!

Work with your faction to kill the great dragon flying over the major cities in the world.

JOHANNES RUMMELHOFFCREATIVE at MEDIAFRONT

@johannesr