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 Forum index » Meta » General META Discussion
All ur swag are belong to ARGN.
Moderators: imbri, ndemeter
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gazdemon
Veteran


Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 132
Location: Norway

 		 All ur swag are belong to ARGN.
Is it just me or does all the cool in-game swag go to ARGN staff?!
This is not really a jibe...more of a question.
It seems to me that all the really cool ARG in-game schwag goes to people who are ARGN staff/contributors. Is this true?
I never really hear about normal players receiving really cool stuff...like the recent headphones covered in tape and the massive wooden dragon mask. Sure the players get the odd letter, or jigsaw piece made of tin foil. My question is does all the truly awesome stuff go to ARGN...and why? Hmmm?
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:24 am
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Agent Lex
Entrenched


Joined: 11 May 2006
Posts: 1188
Location: No longer London, still in England

 		It's not just ARGN. It's Despoiler too Wink

I guess the main reasons are that they have addresses available to PMs, and that PMs know if they send something to these sources it will be posted on the site. Not all games post exclusively to ARGN and Despoiler though, for example Find the Lost Ring and Eldritch Errors both posted to a lot of people.

PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:03 am
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gazdemon
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Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 132
Location: Norway

 		Yes, that is true...so, the PMs know that they will get the fruit of their labours if they send to a recognised ARG source!
It does seem to me that they are just sending things to their friends though, and that is not very IG is it?
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:08 am
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thebruce
Dances With Wikis


Joined: 16 Aug 2004
Posts: 6899
Location: Kitchener, Ontario

 		actually the last couple of larger games have had rabbitholes reported by various media outlets... really it depends on who the target market is primarily. It's probably a tough choice to weigh who to send packages to - trusted experienced individuals, players, leaders in markets, media, "unknowns" (relatively speaking)...
it does happen, but yeah it can seem a bit unfair when it's always the same people getting stuff =). Best advice is just, play some games, interact, get your address out there (to those you trust with it, even if only PMs for games you've played), and hope for the best.
Also keep your eyes open for live events, a lot of the time there's some kind of take-home swag... or try playing a couple of games that include registration (or just register) Smile
just some thoughts
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:22 am
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gazdemon
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Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Posts: 132
Location: Norway

 		Cool thoughts. I don't really want swag for myself, I'm just opening up the topic in a devil's advocate kind of way.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:42 am
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notgordian
Unfictologist


Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1383
Location: Philly

 		Note on the dragon mask swag: that wasn't sent to me through my role as an ARGNet writer, it was sent to me b/c I submitted a video response for the Aporia Agathon contest. At least one other person (not an ARGNet staffer) got one, and I'd assume the other two who submitted videos did as well -- they just haven't posted yet. I submitted it to ARGNet because it was probably the coolest bit of swag I've seen (although the honeypot for ILB sounded really cool)

However, why send to ARGNet / Despoiler in general? Because pre-launch, it really is about building "buzz" -- and you get more proverbial bang from your buck from blogs with established readerships.

Addendum: this theory goes out the window mid to late game, where the goal switches to player retention and developing a (semi)-dedicated playerbase. At that point, it becomes more about recognizing committed players, with expansion of the playerbase as a secondary concern (think those EE coins and dead-drops in general)

PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:30 am
Last edited by notgordian on Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:40 am; edited 1 time in total
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rowan
Unfictologist

Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 1966

 		I talked about the whole idea of 'friends sending friends' swag in this post but I'll repeat it over here.

Rowan wrote:
And yes, out of the entire membership of UF, there is a 'small' number of people who 'regularly' receive trailheads. But it's not because they're best buddies with the PM (though I grant it may happen infrequently). Rather, it's because they are actual participants in games and in the ARG community as a whole. Given the choice between a random player who has only publicly shown a passing interest in the genre versus a dedicated player who is vocal in both games and in general ARG conversations - who would you choose to launch your game through?

To me, personalized trailhead launches are less about who you've shared a drink with at ARGFest and are more about rewarding people who have actually made a difference in alternate reality games (although, I will grant you that those two groups intersect quite a bit). ARGs, like with many other things, can only give back what you put into them. If someone is only going to put a few minutes of effort into discovering an ARG (say by putting some random contact info on a list), they aren't going to get a huge reward in return (unless they get very,very lucky). Greater efforts means a greater reward - either tangible or intangible.


Adding a bit more to this particular conversation, sending ARG launch swag to ARGN or Despoiler is like movie studios sending out posters and other fun stuff to movie theatres and critics. The swag here is all about advertising - and getting the most bang for the buck. Besides, considering all the work that it takes to run sites like ARGN or Despoiler/UF, they deserve a little compensation.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:48 am
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Nighthawk
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee


Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Posts: 4751
Location: Miami, Florida, USA, Earth

 		As part of my launch for the Looking Glass Laboratories ARG, I sent the welcome flyer to unFiction and to ARGN.

Unfiction received it and posted it; thanks, SpaceBass! I was going to send you a Rubik's Cube too, but I ran out Sad. Next time!

If ARGN did receive it, they ignored it. Guess next time I'll have to send something bigger to get their attention... So, no cube for you! Evil or Very Mad
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:35 pm
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Jas0n
Decorated


Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 244
notgordian wrote:
Note on the dragon mask swag: that wasn't sent to me through my role as an ARGNet writer, it was sent to me b/c I submitted a video response for the Aporia Agathon contest. At least one other person (not an ARGNet staffer) got one, and I'd assume the other two who submitted videos did as well -- they just haven't posted yet. I submitted it to ARGNet because it was probably the coolest bit of swag I've seen (although the honeypot for ILB sounded really cool)

etc etc..


Exactly on why you got one and who all got one. I will admit here that there was a difference in the one you got and the one the other three got, but it had nothing to do with you being on staff at ARGN. We kind of voted on the best video and sent the larger mask to the creater of that video. I wish I could have made them all that big, but where I got them they only had 3 of the smaller ones - one of the size you got - and a bunch of some bigger and much more expensive ones Smile

I am upset it didn't change you into a cartoonish character with pink polkadots on your suit - lol.

Back to topic:

Rowan and a few others hit it on the head with the majority of launch materials. It's easier to drum up a larger audience when you target people whom you know will get the word out. If you sent me something, I'd be like - ooh neat, and I MAY post it - but no garauntees. If you send something to the folks at ARGN/Unfiction/Despoiler... if it's cool, it'll get posted and people will be drawn to it. If you send it to someone like Redhatty or Sylvia - you know it'll definitely get posted and may even be researched really well before it is posted.

Later in the game, definitely you want to use it to retain players if your story doesn't retain them... or to help further expand the playerbase (ala Harvey Dent swag).

and one final note... if the people making the game don't know how to get it to you - you definitely won't get anything.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:07 pm
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jamesi
Sentient Being


Joined: 25 Sep 2002
Posts: 2195
Location: Canadia
Nighthawk wrote:
If ARGN did receive it, they ignored it. Guess next time I'll have to send something bigger to get their attention... So, no cube for you! Evil or Very Mad


I didn't see anything in the mail, and my wife didn't see anything either. I'm usually pretty good for posting things that we get in the mail, because we do appreciate the effort it takes to send things in the post, except for the Tom Tooman mail I got (and lost) a looooooong time ago. For what it's worth, post service around here is incredibly slow, a fact that the post office blames on Canada Customs.

(The other possibility is that one of my daughters got a hold of it before I had a chance to see it, and used it as a drawing pad. I take no responsibility for their actions, and they're already sleeping, so I can't ask them. Smile )
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:30 pm
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Nighthawk
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee


Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Posts: 4751
Location: Miami, Florida, USA, Earth

 		OK, so next time I send you something...

1) I'll chain it to a bowling ball so it won't get lost
2) I'll put several thousand dollars in postage on it so it does get delivered.
3) I'll demand a signature. In blood.
4) I'll include a case of beer for the postman.
5) Hmmm... First born child... No, no, that's too far.

Razz
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:58 am
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