unforum

[imbri]

[GuyP]

But with such a blurred definition of where the game begins, then how can we be sure what is or isn't hype? The ILB site was live before the honey went out - does that mean the game was live, so the honey wasn't hype, because the countdown was running? And if so, can we call PS "live" because there's already been a few puzzles and whatnot, so it's not hype?

Pre-game is hype but a slow beginning to a game isn't? What's the difference? Only players decide what's pre-game and what the real thing is.

OK, that said:

1) One reason 'hype' is good is because it creates a longer amount of time between the game being publicised and stuff being 'discovered' and the game getting underway. That way, when things kick off, everybody is on the same page, especially considering players' aversion to joining in midway (mine included.)

2) Another reason is because the fact PM's have thought to hype it adds credibility, from my perspective. Depressing huh? This isn't to say that the hypothetical hypeless ARG can't be credible, but it could also be completely unplanned and amateur. Which means I tend to hold off until I can see it's going to be good, by which time it's started and I'm less tempted to join in. This is less relevant if the

3) The hype is also 'content' itself in the sense it's been created by the same people who are creating the game, which also provides something of a judge of what the production values might be like. Was I surprised about the Dark Code fiasco? Not after that horrible font.

4) It does whet the appetite. If there's good promotion then the next time I hear about it then I'll remember having heard about it before and be that little bit more excited. If there's great promotion, then I'll be actively checking up on it. Have you seen how many posts the Syzygy forum has?

An ARG needs players! Otherwise it's like a rock concert nobody turns up at, and sure the band might have played their best-ever set, but that means at best five people are chuffed with themselves. If I was a PM, I'd feel I failed unless there were a decent number of players.

[GuyP]

Re: Known Commodities

[imbri]

[GuyP]

Well, I pretty much agree with most of what you just said. I think the line betwixt 'hype' and 'launch' is pretty blurred still... in some ways I think we're probably talking about the same thing. I don't think massive hype is necessary. I certainly don't think meta-sites are necessary in any way whatsoever. When I talk about credibility what I mean to say, is that it shows the PMs are at least going to a little bit of effort to generate an interested player base, which suggests that there's been a little bit more forethought than simply knocking up a website and a puzzle and 'making it up as you go along.' Whether that's through a carefully planned launch or pre-game promotion is up to them.

Caution is definitely important, too. I think if it became more 'the norm' then there'd be a lot of overexcited grassroots people putting out all kinds of meta-promo-pizzazzy material before they'd even started development. To my mind it would be best to not even worry about it until the game is ready for launch. Patience is a virtue eh?

I have to say though I'm really happy to see other people keen to expand the domain of ARGs into other areas and target them at whole new groups of players. It's exactly what's required - we can't hope to make games for ourselves and attract other people through internet-gravity, we've got to push stuff outside UF instead.

What were your private/corporate projects? (if you're allowed to talk about them...) Sounds awesome!

[Alzheimers]

Please, don't misunderstand me. I'm not arguing the case *for* Hype. On a philosophical level, I believe that in order to maintain the "Reality" of a project there should be little to no pre-game information released, unless it's required to maintain the reality of the game.

But on a realistic level, I understand why we hear about games in production weeks or months (or years) before Launch. Attracting as large and wide an audience as possible is key for those who want to see their games become popular. And the PM's aren't the only ones who do this -- fans, at the slightest rumor of a project that might interest them, will eagerly buzz and spec and create their own hype about it.

My only point is that it's beginning to feel as if, in order to compete for the attention of the fan it's becoming more and more important to get the word out early and often. Attention, it seems, is becoming a premium.

Am I saying it's necessary? No. Can a game succeed without hype? Yes. But there is a tradeoff for not reaching as many fans as *EARLY* as possible--a smaller audience in the long term. Why? Because many players don't want to jump into a game midstream, and because many players feel that they need to "Save themselves" for whenever one of their eagerly awaited projects starts.

And I understand Imbri's concern that most projects focus too heavily on the #UF community, and that PMs should branch out into other communities to try and attract new fans. Perhaps I'm too stubborn about my opinions to fully agree with her on this, but I've seen with my own eyes the backlash that can result from such "Viral Marketing" in unrelated communities. While some communities (all things Fandom, for instance) are open to new ideas and alternative means of expression, many are not. It might amaze some people, but sometimes I think we're spoiled by the high level of maturity and civility demonstrated on Unfiction by it's users. Other communities are not so civil.

I remember many members of this community were turned off when the boards were flooded by the Halo fans who brought with them a wave of immaturity and disregard for these boards. I remember because I was one* of those immature Halo fans; but I found the Urban Hunt project much more interesting, and decided to focus on what it meant to be a member of this community rather than just trying to get one of those rumored demo disks.

I'm not saying this as a sweeping generality for all other communities on the net, but it does lend to the argument that in addition to being creative, a prospective PM needs to be extremely careful about what audience they choose to market to. If you're confident about your ability to draw a new audience, that's great. In my opinion, though, the mainstream audience needs a bigger hook than a grassroots game can provide to get them intereseted.

Maybe I'm just too pessimistic about the open mindedness of the rest of the world. But that's what my experience tells me, and until I've seen otherwise I really can't say any different.

*edited for clarification

[MageSteff]

RANT!