unforum

[Varin]

[catherwood]

The idea of creating a character and fleshing it out into a "real" persona, with the intention of repurposing it for use in an ARG, sounds similar to a parent conceiving and giving birth to a second child just because they need an organ donor for their first child.

[Nighthawk]

Like *that* ever happens...

[Rogi Ocnorb]

It's not common. But, more common than you'd think.
It's not reported often due to the ethical impacts and a desire to keep the 2nd kid in the dark about their "purpose" in life.

Usually it's for cord blood or marrow. But it could be for a kidney.

Here's a particularly interesting case given the bioengineering involved beforehand.
http://guanabee.com/2008/10/spanish-baby-engineered-to-cure-brother


"I ought never to act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law."
I. Kant

ETA: Actually Kant's Kingdom of Ends formula applies quite well to this discussion.

[RoninBK]

What an interesting time to wander back into the ARG community...

I'm one of the people who thinks the rules are strengthened when someone pushes the envelop and feels out how much resistance it gives. Granted I much prefer it when someone else is the one smacking themselves against the boundaries instead of myself, and in that respect I thank Martin Aggett wholeheartedly for dying for the sins of PM's everywhere. But seriously, on the whole I consider this to be a healthy discussion, and the ARG community is better off for having the object lesson.

One question though. Let's say after years of having fun on this board as RoninBK. I suddenly decide I'm masochistic to try to run one of these things. Let's assume I'm an otherwise good boy, and never touch my own game's thread on UF. But if I were to create a character in my game named "Ronin BlackKnight," would I be running afoul of the ToS?

[konamouse]

[Agent Lex]

Quick linkage for those who don't scour N&R...

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28504

[Silent|AWAY]

I like the concept of the Real ARG, i.e, the Hoax. It is only because I just feel that regular, traditional ARGs just doesn't seem right to me. An analogy:

Thomas: "Alien forces are coming in to attack my city! You gotta help me, ARGie. You're our only hope."
ARGie: "I'll save you. In a little bit though. I gotta go get me a sub sandwhich. BRB."
Thomas: "WAIT!"

Even when you know all the bad consquences of hoaxes, and even when you realize you'll need distance, I still can't help but believe you can't really be immersed in the world if you know it's fake, and you know that, at any moment, you can tell that character being held hostage by KBG agents that you'll be away on vacation to the Bahamas, and thus can't break the binary puzzle this week.

[krystyn]

Eh, I suppose if you were experiencing a single-player ARG, that would definitely be the case where you could experience the sort of detachment you describe, Silent.

However, most of the stronger ARGs have had a strong community/hivemind component to them - where the puzzle-crackers in the group fall short, the social engineers rush in, etc.

Even after all these years, I am afraid I still can't see the appeal of a true hoax as being automagically more enjoyable than a more 'traditional' ARG (IOW, one more obvious about its boundary set).

Because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much I consent to an experience if the hoax bleeds into the environment of other people in my real life who have not consented. And I think that's the problem when people talk about 'pushing the envelope' of game design - it is essential for the designer to consider the needs of the game environment itself, and its occupants. In the ginormous Venn diagram of life, the circle of ARG players is placed inside the biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig circle of All Humans, after all.

Just think about all the times ARG players have gotten in 'trouble' with their families over their phones ringing at a weird time or with strange, possibly threatening callers on the other end (usually recorded, but still: TEDDY STILL CREEPS ME OUT, Y'ALL).

That same phone call without boundaries could potentially cause more issues if it's not as explainable. If you're immersing yourself to that extent as a player, you'd sort of have to bring along everyone else. That phone call might not even have come from the original designer - game-jacking can be a fairly serious issue when the jacker goes beyond vague trolling or power-tripping.

Anyway.

[PinkCloud]

[October]

I found Jane McGonigal's recent comment on the ARGN article about prank marketing to be relevant to this discussion and wanted to share it.