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[jlr1001]

Thoughts About This ARG Design Presentation

[natas]

Here are the letters/numbers in the top right corner of each page...

SJSM51.516791-0.1178240209081830SETI1

[notgordian]

To preface: maybe it's just that I don't understand the "nuARG" definition the presentation is advancing.

However, as I understand the term, a nuARG is essentially an ARG that attempts to be more accessible to players. And as long as you have a single factor listed on slide 51 (Overt, No puzzles, No stories, Enduring, Creative/playful), it's sufficient to qualify.

Chain Factor is apparently a "nuARG" since it had the Flash game we've all come to love as the entry-level for interaction, stepping on the pyramid.

And at least as I understand the explanation of persistence, I Love Bees would be a "nuARG" because they left the persistent audio drama, which is still the only way I've experienced the game. I feel like I got a fairly full experience...I mean, six hour stand-alone audio drama! So would Blood Copy, the Sarah Connor Chronicles, and a slew of other games.

Which brings me to my other point: Ms. Robertson seems to be taking a very narrow view of the term "game". To my mind, the various elements of "We Love Stories" were distinctively game-like. The last day comes to mind, with the Choose Your Own Adventure-style take on 1001 Arabian Nights.

Now that I'm done being critical, time to dole out the compliments: there does seem to be a bit of an obsession with front-loading creativity into the rabbit-hole. At least on the surface, there does appear to be a rather sharp drop-off between "interested" and "immersed". ARGs can serve a lot of nifty purposes (Indiana University's Skeleton Chase comes to mind), and game developers taking ideas from ARGs produce some pretty cool results like Velvet Assassin.

[krystyn]

I totally don't get the No Stories thing.

Totally.

[Lovek]

I think we're overanalyzing our games a bit.

[rose]

hehe. Sorry I barely made it past the slide where the presenter (he/she??) says they have no idea what ARGs are..but intends to bore us with their impressions made from talking to people about ARGs....and I only made it up to the slide saying "ARGs are dead." Because, that's really funny and obnoxious at the same time. Funny, to me, because I've been here long enough to remember when there were no games to play. And we were sad. Obnoxious because who starts off admitting they know nothing about what they are pontificating about and then declares it dead. Perhaps a frustrated designer? Perhaps someone who made a game that the players didn't enjoy? I don't know much about [insert subject] but I talked to a bunch of people about [said subject] and we decided [said subject] doesn't work, so I hereby declare [said subject] dead.

So I have no idea what design flaws they mentioned in this talk so I can't answer that question.

I can say a couple of things about Chain Factor though, as I organized (and participated in) a panel with Frank Lantz from area/code -the creator of Chain Factor- on ARGs. One comment Frank made about ARGs that is that the mechanics aren't obvious -he goes to a page and doesn't know where to go, what to do next or where he is in the game. Of course, Chain Factor dealt with that by having the flash game, which was a very entertaining, but straightforward game - with the explanation of "how to play" the flash game right there on the first page. Following the ARG "progress bar" was simple. The players knew where they were simply by looking at what had yet to be unlocked or how many total points there were. And the in-game forums were right on the front too, so people could easily find answers to questions, or ask questions to others right there on the site without having to look any place else.

Perhaps some game designers consider an upfront explanation of "how to play," and some kind of indication of what "level" the player has attend, as essential design elements. I think that varies by game and designer choice.

I also feel that people can figure out "how to play" without being told. Players find things usually by googling the site or name or whatever leads them into the game. I think that exploration of "how to play" and what you find while you look for things, is in a real sense the "game play" of ARGs.

[faeryqueen21]

[Euchre]