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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » Old News & Rumors
[TRAILHEAD?]Project Sigma-NeverRestGame "Instructional ARG"
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Semioclast
Boot

Joined: 30 Oct 2003
Posts: 68

 		[TRAILHEAD?]Project Sigma-NeverRestGame "Instructional ARG"
I just came across this business about an "Instructional ARG" at Ian Bogost's site WaterCoolerGames:

http://www.watercoolergames.org/archives/000842.shtml

Quote:
Exceptional Software Strategies and Media Edge offer Never Rest Game, a new counter-terrorism ARG in which players must "thwart terrorism by using their own methods against them when they least expect it."

The unusual thing about this ARG is that it bills itself as explicitly educational, and even tries to coin a new term for such a subgenre: the Instructional Alternate Reality Game, or I-ARG:
An I-ARG applies adult learning theory to the ARG format, creating a flexible framework in which learning is delivered through story and gameplay. With engaging storylines controlled by the instructor, I-ARGs deliver immersive 'stealth' learning, and can be adapted to suit learners at every level. I-ARGs cater to the Internet Generation now entering the workforce, while also introducing an exciting new learning format to people of all ages.

There's very little information on the website, but you can find more in the PDF brochure. Among the "learning elements" the creators say the game addresses are decision-making skills, after-action report generation, and adaptation to performance. It looks like they intend to sell the game as a sort of "kit" into corporate learning environments.


The link to http://www.neverrestgame.com appears to be down for the moment, but there is a trailer for the game on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROkoh01BHTg

The trailer mentions an "Elite Counterterrorism Unit" called "The Sigma Project." It informs you of your "Activation" and that you must check in immediately.

I found this link via Google: http://www.sigmaproject.com/

The Text is pretty interesting:

"NOTICE: By order of the interim Director of Operations, PROJECT SIGMA has gone black. All operations are suspended until further notice. (MILINT-33a)"

The sites for Never Rest Game and Sigma Project have different WhoIs info. The first is registered to Media Edge, the second through GoDaddy.

I don't really know what to make of all of it, but it seems interesting.
_________________
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:19 pm
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Shiningfist
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Joined: 20 Jun 2007
Posts: 316

 		Why, this looks like my cup of tea! Crazy government society, and crap like that! This looks very interesting!


But what does that MILLINT-33a mean in parenthesis on the Porject Sigma website?

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:31 pm
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Colori
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Joined: 11 Jul 2007
Posts: 132

 		This looks like fun!

I'll definitely take part.

Yippee!

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:33 pm
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Shiningfist
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Joined: 20 Jun 2007
Posts: 316

 		Dude, the Project Sigma website expires in only 17 days! Why is it so early?

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:34 pm
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Colori
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Joined: 11 Jul 2007
Posts: 132

 		Me's be guessing-

Game jack...or...

Previous game from some other time. 'Sigma' is a popular word. lol.


EDIT:: Also, looks like they will be 'selling' it to learning environments. meaning it probably won't be available online. sigh.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:37 pm
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Kaiya
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Joined: 31 Aug 2007
Posts: 50
Location: Norfolk,UK

 		Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: SIGMAPROJECT.COM
Created on: 11-Dec-02
Expires on: 11-Dec-07
Last Updated on: 15-Aug-07

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:44 pm
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ncfriend
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Joined: 04 Apr 2007
Posts: 694
Location: Your imagination

 		yea!
vigilante anti-terrorist terrorist... sound GOOD!
heehee
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:52 pm
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Shiningfist
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Joined: 20 Jun 2007
Posts: 316

 		...So what do we do now?

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:16 pm
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ncfriend
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Joined: 04 Apr 2007
Posts: 694
Location: Your imagination

 		the text from the pdf:

Quote:

NEVER REST
Learning Does Not Sleep
t: 410-694-0240 f: 410-694-0245
849 International Drive | Suite 310 | Linthicum, MD 21090
www.media-edge.com
A division of Exceptional Software Strategies, Inc.
An Overview of Never Rest:

First-Person Thinking
Never Rest is a first-person-thinker game, with the only requirement for gameplay being an active, open, and innovative mind. When learners first
log into the game, they will begin their journey into the game's scenario. This scenario is tailored to meet specific instructional goals, such as reinforcing a skill-set, training a new technology, or causing learners to think differently—with the common theme of a large-scale set of problems that must be resolved.
Content for the game is delivered using the latest Web 2.0 technologies, where learners make use of wikis, blogs, podcasts, and shared workspaces as well as websites, videos, chats, and emails in order to proceed through the game. Traditional media, in addition to real-world scavenger hunts, geo-caching exercises, and other hands-on approaches, can also be used depending on the learning situation.
Once the game begins, learners must seek out information regarding their assignment, contact other learners, review work that has already been
completed, and decide how to contribute to the task at hand. Alerts, messages, audio recordings, and video recordings will be sent out to show the consequences of past actions and to give guidance for the future.
As the learners work with others to solve problems, the story for the game will unfold—immersing them more fully into the experience. This narrative
climaxes in the learners' collective success or failure, with the consequences of all past actions woven together to their logical result. Learners are periodically debriefed on their performance, given praise for achievements and suggestions for improving on any shortcomings.

Learning through Instructional Alternate Reality Gaming
Never Rest pioneers the concept of Instructional Alternate Reality Games (I-ARGs) to create a pseudo-realistic environment for hands-on skills practice. Based on communication and information gathering from everyday life, the I-ARG approach to training provides the following major benefits:
• The learning environment is the real world. Learners have to make use of the tools and resources available to them at work, at school, and at home to succeed.
• Learners are drawn into a compelling storyline that mimics real-life situations. Each learner is given the motivation to complete the exercise and achieve learning goals.
• Web-Based Collaborative Workspace. Never Rest provides players with the ability to contact other players as well as receive notifications from the game. Web 2.0 Tools. Players use wikis, blogs, email, chat, and other tools to collaboratively solve problems.
• Challenges must be solved through innovation and collaboration. Learners discover how everyday obstacles can be overcome in new ways.

An Instructor-Driven Experience
For the entire length of the game, learners will be under the guidance of a qualified instructor. The instructor has access to all of the gameplay information, collaboration tools, and logs of learner activity in order to monitor and guide progress of the scenario. The game allows the instructor to provide learners with hints, suggestions, challenges, and other feedback to facilitate performance improvement.
As an I-ARG, Never Rest offers a long list of crucial learning elements, such as:
• Application of decision-making skills. Learners must choose to collaborate with their peers, request information, and task others
with assignments.
• The generation of After Action Reports. Learners receive feedback on their performance from periodic briefings and suggestions from the instructor.
• Adaptability to performance. The instructor has several tools within the
game to guide or challenge learners toward the achievement of instructional objectives.

Episodes and Customization
Never Rest is episodic and can be customized to meet your learning and performance improvement needs. Never Rest: Cohiba is the prototype episode and is focused on reinforcing collaboration skills within the Intelligence Community as a supplement to the highly acclaimed IC Primer in-person training course (also developed by mediaEdge).
Other episodes planned will be teaching Geospatial Intelligence Systems (GIS) technologies, conducting media campaigns, overseeing project management, and more.
For your own episode of Never Rest, we will spend time developing a customized experience based on a thorough instructional-needs analysis. We will work with you and your Subject-Matter Experts to identify the specific learning objectives for your personalized Never Rest episode. We will then mold the storyline, content, and events of the episode to
address your goals and requirements. How to find out more — To purchase your own version of Never Rest or to see a demonstration of the system, please contact us at 410-694-0240 or visit us on the Web at
www.exceptionalsoftware.com.



seems like this is an ARG business. Sad not a ready available game to play.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:38 pm
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Shiningfist
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Joined: 20 Jun 2007
Posts: 316
ncfriend wrote:
seems like this is an ARG business. Sad not a ready available game to play.


NOOOO! I've been wanting to play a government conspiracy ARG for sooooo long!!!! All we've been seein these days are:


Insane Cult ARGs...

Crazy Killer ARGS...

and


Mythical Whatever ARGs...


I WANT SOMETHING SCI-FI!!!!



Unless....we start being cool and all of us together make our own sweet government conspiracy ARG Wink


Og course, I'm currently developing my own ARG that isn't government conspiracy and creating another one while creating the one I'm currently doing....would be very inconvenient...

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:48 pm
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notgordian
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Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1383
Location: Philly

 		Shiningfist: I believe there are a few government conspiracy ARGs / Sci-Fi ARGs going on at the moment.

Overwatch (Project Osprey) probably maps the most directly to that description, while Deus City handles the sci fi government conspiracy angle on things.

Back on topic though, it's nice to see some more corporate training ARGs out there (at least that's what I'm assuming this is...I could be misunderstanding something here). The targeted learned skillsets seem fairly vague, though--perhaps intentionally so, allowing for adaption for the client?

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:52 pm
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Semioclast
Boot

Joined: 30 Oct 2003
Posts: 68

 		I've been waiting for a good spy-themed espionage ARG. Something like Majestic seemed to be becoming before it got canceled. That's why I got so excited about this one, too!

Is anyone listening? *tap tap* Is this thing on? *tap tap*
_________________
"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth." --Umberto Eco

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:10 am
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Angelus78
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Joined: 22 Feb 2006
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Location: halifax, nova scotia
Semioclast wrote:
I've been waiting for a good spy-themed espionage ARG. Something like Majestic seemed to be becoming before it got canceled. That's why I got so excited about this one, too!

Is anyone listening? *tap tap* Is this thing on? *tap tap*


Ahh Majestic, the good old days. lol

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:44 pm
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the_velociraptor
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Joined: 08 Aug 2007
Posts: 237
Location: A pen in Isla Sorna

 		So, we're basically using the terrorist's own medicine, guerrilla tactics?

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:31 pm
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Hati
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Joined: 04 Nov 2004
Posts: 127
Location: Deepest Darkest AR

 		Actually
All three sites mentioned above are down. The only thing you can access is the youtube video.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:23 pm
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