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[AngriBuddhist]

Realistic Character Backstory

[Rekidk]

Legally, it's not a good idea (impersonation). Ethically... Hm, well, if you get their permission, it's no big deal, but...

As much as I like the idea (and as much as it works for things dealing with mythology, etc.), I don't think this would work well. It's legally messy and it's potentially ethically messy. Although the 'blurring of the lines' would be neat, it also confuses IG and OOG information. Players would try to contact the real person that your 'character' is 'based on.'

Now, if you could do this in an entirely IG way (eg. using a fictional character), that'd be amazingly awesome. For example: Have them signed up for several forums where they make a few posts about their opinions on things. Give them a MySpace, even if it's not used in the game. Maybe have them on another person's YouTube video (such as a video of them dancing at a party). If you can get a full page of Google search results based on your fictional character (in different forums, websites, etc.), that's great!

But using a real person? Messy, messy stuff. Too much blurring, IMHO.

[zeeman]

I agree with Rekidk. Using a real person is messy business, unless it's you.
However, you could probably use a real person other than yourself by getting this person to work with you on your ARG by acting as one of the characters (in this case, themselves). Of course, if you're looking to get someone like a scientist, it will probably be very difficult, since they will likely be busy, and unable to help you.

[notgordian]

Every time I've seen characters in-game using their real name, they've come to regret it. Because when you agree to do that, it's not just your identity you're signing away, it's the identities of your associates. Families and friends might get called or pestered, workplaces get investigated, and bad experiences generally abound as players explore where the boundaries lie.

And there's the rub...players WILL explore the boundaries of the game, because there are no explicit rules in ARGs. So when you're setting the curtain, you need to place it well within your comfort zone, expecting players to surprise you.

If you develop a compelling character, you won't need blogs or social networking sites to convey what makes that character interesting. You just need to utilize whatever form of communication you choose for the character to its utmost.

[jwiv]

Playing up a particular stereotype doesn't have to be a negative and can be an extraordinarily effective method of portraying a character.

Since doing visuals with the NPCs tends to be difficult, giving your characters noticeable speech/writing patterns or habits can also give the players a hook into the character.

[AngriBuddhist]

This is, unfortunately, the response that I expected.

1. "Internet Saturation"- Rekidk, you have some good ideas about saturating the Internet using the typical methods to gain a more realistic search result.

This just adds some realism though and doesn't address the fact that the character seems to have sprung into being a couple of weeks or (at best) months prior to the story.

2. "Impersonation"- I am sure that you could get around this by never actually claiming to be that person. You could use initials or go by "Mr. Scientist" as opposed to "Evil Scientist". notgordian, Rekidk even with a in-game statement to NOT contact this character, I believe you are right. The players will try to contact the real world person.

3. "Main vs. Supporting Characters"-

[notgordian]

Ah, that's a different situation entirely--sorry, misconstrued what you were talking about. I still stand by my statement that basing your character too heavily upon a real-world person would be a mistake, but there are a few workarounds.

What you're asking for seems to be ways of telling about characters without actually leaving them open for interaction. If it's for a main character or a character who plays a pivotal role (even as the kidnapped, as you described) it's worth going through with it.

If you want, sure--you can plant fake news stories. But for that kind of character, the allure is the only information you can get about him are little tidbits dropped by people either unaware of the situation or surprised out of being tightlipped. Drop your hints through the course of your story using whatever media you're planning on using.

Essentially, you want to fill your fictional city with signs that he was there, just like some people fill the internet with digital footprints of someone's presence. In a photo that relates to your game, maybe there's some graffiti "Uncle Joe" put up for his girlfriend--that gives players something to investigate. A letter he addressed gets returned-to-sendered (or mistakenly mailed to a player).

To answer your question, yes--it is very possible. At ARGFest, Adam Brackin explained that the "main character" of his ARG is someone the characters never actually talk with, but they see the effects of his actions throughout the story. You just need to think of what kind of footprints, digital or otherwise, your character would be likely to leave.

[BubbleBoy]

A very good question...

[thebruce]

Ocular Effect
Fallen on ABC Family (4 ep. miniseries starts August 3)

And yes, a few real people were used in the game, by permission, unknowing really how involved their lives would be. The players were respectful though, and to help the players know what was ingame and what was 'too far', or real, the symbols were like a stamp of approval. Anything about the person that didn't have a symbol somewhere, chances are it was oog or irrelevent. Without that, the players would have been digging almost endlessly through the peoples' lives.

[konamouse]

Oh, there have been other games that have used real people. Either on purpose (Deus City) or a real person by accidental association (that guy with the phone number close to a number in Halo3 who just happen to have a answering machine message from the Halo universe).

Don't do it. Stalkers are everywhere and ARG players dig deeper and deeper these days.

[Rekidk]

One thing I was thinking about is that most people don't have articles written on them. For example, if you were to google my real name, you'd find very little that was actually relevant to me. But I suppose that a famous scientist would probably have some articles written about him.

One way to create the illusion of longevity on the internet is to create blog posts from a perspective of several years ago. (For example, Blogspot users can choose which date their post was posted on [Eg. 3 years ago], though the default is 'today.')

[johnny5]

Last Call Poker used historical characters both as interactive characters and to fill the backstory of the main characters.

So maybe the rule is you can do this if your character is long dead.

[Rekidk]

Yes, I think that famous dead people would be okay.

(I want to see a George Washington ARG.)

[sixsidedsquare]

[AngriBuddhist]

So, that's it then.

The only way to establish a character's background, outside of direct interaction, is to liter the Internet with forum posts and MySpace pages.

Unless, of course, I want a Night of the Living Dead Presidents ARG.

Well, thanks for your help. I better get posting.