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History Of Alternate Reality Games
Alternate reality games are a modern genre of gaming often consisting of an interactive, networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a story that may be altered by players' ideas or actions. Most of these games are either independently run or used as a viral marketing campaign by a company or brand. Before 2001: Influences and precursors Early examples of major ARGs or proto-ARGs prior to 2001 ''Ong's Hat''/''Incunabula'' was most likely started sometime around 1993, and also included most of the aforementioned design principles. ''Ong's Hat'' also incorporated elements of legend tripping into its design, as chronicled in a scholarly work titled "Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong's Hat". Some scholars disagree on the classification of the ''Ong's Hat'' story. In 1996, Wizards of the Coast launched a proto-alternate reality game called ''Webrunner: The Hidden Ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alternate Reality Game
An alternate reality game (ARG) is an interactive networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a story that may be altered by players' ideas or actions. The form is defined by intense player involvement with a story that takes place in real time and evolves according to players' responses. It is shaped by characters that are actively controlled by the game's designers, as opposed to being controlled by an AI as in a computer or console video game. Players interact directly with characters in the game, solve plot-based challenges and puzzles, and collaborate as a community to analyze the story and coordinate real-life, online activities and AI. ARGs generally utilize multimedia, such as telephones and mail, but rely on the Internet as the central binding medium. ARGs tend to be free to play, with costs absorbed either through supporting products (e.g., collectible puzzle cards fund Perplex City) or through promoti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Majestic (video Game)
''Majestic'' was one of the first alternate reality games (ARGs), a type of game that blurs the line between in-game and out-of-game experiences. ''Majestic'' was created by Neil Young.The Game Archaeologist: EA's Majestic , www.engadget.com It debuted on July 24, 2001. While noted for its unusual concept, it did not fare well commercially. Gameplay ''Majestic'' was a based on a |
Cloudmakers
''The Beast'' is an alternate reality game developed by Microsoft to promote the 2001 film ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''. Entry points to the game embedded into the film's promotion centered on the fictional Jeanine Salla and the death of her friend Evan Chan. In 2142, Jeanine learns that Evan was murdered and her investigation uncovers a network of murders of humans and artificial intelligences. The game launched on March 8, 2001 and continued running past its initially scheduled end date on June 29, the film's release date. Players were led through a network of websites created by Warner Bros. registered to fake names, and further clues were given in subsequent promotional materials and events for the film. The game drew a large, tight-knit player base who created online groups dedicated to the game, most prominently the Yahoo! Group Cloudmakers. ''The Beast'' was described as "unprecedented even by Hollywood standards" and is considered among the most influential early altern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Is Dead
"Paul is dead" is an urban legend and conspiracy theory alleging that English musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike. The rumour began circulating in 1966, gaining broad popularity in September 1969 following reports on American college campuses. According to the theory, McCartney died in a car crash, and to spare the public from grief, the surviving Beatles, aided by Britain's MI5, replaced him with a McCartney look-alike, subsequently communicating this secret through subtle details of their albums. Proponents perceived clues among elements of Beatles songs and cover artwork; clue-hunting proved infectious, and by October 1969 had become an international phenomenon. Rumours declined after ''Life'' published an interview with McCartney in November 1969. The phenomenon was the subject of analysis in the fields of sociology, psychology and communications during the 1970s. McCartney parodied the hoax with the title and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Game (1997 Film)
''The Game'' is a 1997 American mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger and James Rebhorn and produced by Propaganda Films and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. It tells the story of a wealthy investment banker who is given a mysterious birthday gift by his brother—participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his everyday life. As the lines between the banker's real life and the game become more uncertain, hints of a larger conspiracy begin to unfold. ''The Game'' was well received by critics like Roger Ebert and major periodicals like ''The New York Times'', but had middling box-office returns compared to the success of Fincher's previous film '' Se7en'' (1995). The film later gained a strong cult following among Fincher's fans, with some noting it as one of his most underrated films. Plot Nicholas Van Orton is an investment banker in San Francisco. He is very successful and wealthy, but als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Beast (game)
''The Beast'' is an alternate reality game developed by Microsoft to promote the 2001 film '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence''. Entry points to the game embedded into the film's promotion centered on the fictional Jeanine Salla and the death of her friend Evan Chan. In 2142, Jeanine learns that Evan was murdered and her investigation uncovers a network of murders of humans and artificial intelligences. The game launched on March 8, 2001 and continued running past its initially scheduled end date on June 29, the film's release date. Players were led through a network of websites created by Warner Bros. registered to fake names, and further clues were given in subsequent promotional materials and events for the film. The game drew a large, tight-knit player base who created online groups dedicated to the game, most prominently the Yahoo! Group Cloudmakers. ''The Beast'' was described as "unprecedented even by Hollywood standards" and is considered among the most influential early alt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Time (magazine)
''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published Weekly newspaper, weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on March 3, 1923, and for many years it was run by its influential co-founder, Henry Luce. A European edition (''Time Europe'', formerly known as ''Time Atlantic'') is published in London and also covers the Middle East, Africa, and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition (''Time Asia'') is based in Hong Kong. The South Pacific edition, which covers Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, is based in Sydney. Since 2018, ''Time'' has been owned by Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, who acquired it from Meredith Corporation. Benioff currently publishes the magazine through the company Time USA, LLC. History 20th century ''Time'' has been based in New York City since its first issue published on March 3, 1923 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yahoo! Internet Life
''Yahoo! Internet Life'' was a monthly magazine published by Ziff Davis, which licensed the name from Yahoo!, the well-known web portal and Web search engine, search engine website. It was created and launched by G. Barry Golson, the former executive editor of ''Playboy (magazine), Playboy'' and ''TV Guide''. The magazine was published 1996–2002, and focused on the emerging Internet and computer culture of the late 1990s and early 2000s. History The forerunner of ''Yahoo! Internet Life'' was started in 1995, when Ziff Davis invested in Yahoo! and subsequently published just one issue of ''ZD Internet Life'' (Vol.1 No.1 Fall 1995). In 1996, along with other publications, Dan Rosensweig led the relaunch of the magazine as ''Yahoo! Internet Life''(first issue was Vol 2. No.1 Spring 1996)– which had been retooled by Golson –before being appointed Yahoo! chief operating officer, COO, in 2002, with Golson serving as editor-in-chief until the magazine's demise in 2002. The magaz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, which later became fantasy literature, fantasy literature and drama. From the twentieth century onward, it has expanded into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga, animation, and video games. The expression ''fantastic literature'' is often used for this genre by Anglophone literary critics. An archaic spelling for the term is ''phantasy''. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror fiction, horror by an absence of scientific or macabre themes, although these can occur in fantasy. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings that reflect the actual Earth, but with some sense of otherness. Characteristics Many works of fantasy use magic (paranorma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Science Fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space exploration, time travel, Parallel universes in fiction, parallel universes, and extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial life. The genre often explores human responses to the consequences of projected or imagined scientific advances. Science fiction is related to fantasy (together abbreviated wikt:SF&F, SF&F), Horror fiction, horror, and superhero fiction, and it contains many #Subgenres, subgenres. The genre's precise Definitions of science fiction, definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Major subgenres include hard science fiction, ''hard'' science fiction, which emphasizes scientific accuracy, and soft science fiction, ''soft'' science fiction, which focuses on social sciences. Other no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sean Stewart
Sean Stewart (born June 2, 1965) is an American-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author. Biography Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sean Stewart moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1968. After stints in Houston, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, Irvine, California, Monterey, California Davis, California, Davis, Santa Monica, California, and Pasadena, California, he now again lives San Pedro, California. He received an Honors degree in English studies, English from University of Alberta in 1987, following which he spent many years writing novels. He gradually moved from writing novels to interactive fiction, first as lead writer on the Web-based alternate reality game ''The Beast (game), The Beast''. He served as a consultant on several computer games, and was on the management team of the 42 Entertainment experiential marketing and entertainment company, where he was lead writer for ''Haunted Apiary, Haunted Apiary aka ilovebees'' and ''Last Call Poker''. His novel series '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elan Lee
Elan Lee is an American game designer, developer, and creator. He has designed games for the Xbox; helped create the world’s first Alternate Reality Games; and with Matthew Inman created the card game '' Exploding Kittens'', whose Kickstarter campaign was the most-backed of its day. He and Inman founded the Exploding Kittens company in 2015. Biography Lee began his career as a character designer at Industrial Light and Magic, where he worked on several movies, including the computer special effects for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Lee was then hired by Microsoft Game Studios as Lead Game Designer, designing and directing games for PC and Xbox. While working for Microsoft, he was the Executive Producer and Lead Designer for '' The Beast'', one of the world’s first Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) used to promoted the Steven Spielberg film A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Lee has co-founded several gaming start-ups. In 2003, he co-founded 42 Entertainment, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
