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[IndependentPsycho]

[Rumour] Violent Players?

[Rogi Ocnorb]

[ScarpeGrosse]

Moving to Meta.

[vpisteve]

Yes! It involved pillows.

It was awful.

[IndependentPsycho]

Sounds like fun, but not exactly what I was talking about...

I believe it was Numb3rs did a show on ARGers or the Assassins game in NYC. But I'm asking if people have been hurt or committed crimes while playing an ARG.

I'm looking at this from two angles.

1) I'm trying to remember that rumour. Don't you hate it when you can't remember what it is you want to remember. I feel like I'm 50+

2) What about liability? If a player commits a crime in the name of one of these games who can be held responsible? Because ARGs are intended to blur the boundaries between the physical world and the game, it is a sure bet that some jury will find it reasonably foreseeable that a player will lash out violently.

That would mean that a PM's defense against a Negligence suit would rely solely on proving that they did everything a reasonable person would do to prevent it from occurring.

It's a scary thought.

[Arcas]

There was some discussion about the double suicide of Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake here:

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22193&search_id=757788130

I think there were other posts about this also, but I just did a quick search. I realize this didn't directly involve participation in an ARG, but the genre was subject to some scrutiny while this was going on.

I'm not sure if this is what you were asking about or not...

[Rogi Ocnorb]

The worst thing I can think of, directly related to an ARG was what some could consider trespassing.

People do stupid stuff all the time and sometimes we talk about it those things and how they went south, but they're usually not tied to an ARG, proper.

The Joker arrested for stealing posters in a theater
Moonites
Leaving empty shotgun shells on a picnic table

I'm sure flmutant can provide some further examples of altered perception.

Some of the more established denizens may have something, but my guess is that you'd be hard-pressed to find an ARG that fomented real harm to anyone.

Mess with your mind... Sure.
But do real harm... No.

[notgordian]

I don't know any instances of violent players, but I do remember one instance of bad stuff happening TO a player.

This happened pre-Beast, but one guy got paralyzed while playing an ARG back when a group of Microsoft buddies put on elaborate ARGs for their close friends and families...

Overall, I think the dangers of players becoming mean/violent are overshadowed by the dangers of puppetmasters abusing the trust placed in them.

And yeah...in the Numb3rs episode Primacy, a couple players were murdered. But nobody got hurt playing the Chain Factor ARG that sprang from the show.

[Nighthawk]

[Euchre]

You know, you have to be careful with these ARG things...

Could lead to dancing.

More seriously, much as with anything if someone has a loose grasp on reality, anything that can involve imagination can be taken too far. The problem isn't in the activity, but the people playing it.

[IndependentPsycho]

Euchre, you make me sad. As if anyone needs a reason to dance... Might as well put that warning at the entrance of every grocery store, airport, and courthouse. Though I have yet to dance in court, it is on my to-do list.

The problem is that while it is players that comitt the crime, any subsequent civil suit would be brought against the Puppet masters and their sponsors.

This isn't the same as the case against Ozzie's suicidal lyrics because an ARG is intended to blur the line between reality and fiction.

I mean it doesn't matter until the issue comes up in court, but this could be useful in creating a legal defense. I mean is anybody here a lawyer? It would be great to get a actual legal opinion on this issue.