unforum

[maxim]

The question is, is an ARG no more than a pantomime? Occasional audience participation, the fact that they do not need you, the story will not change, and all they want is your response to pull you in a bit? Or is it more that the story WILL NOT go on without participation?

Perhaps a game will some day be divised in which the outcome depends entirely on the audience's participation. Or maybe, just the illusion of control within the game could be improved, so that where you *think* you are playing a part, the result will always be the same, however since the 'game' plays one time only, you can never know the results of your actions?

[strife777]

Too many words from other people to read right now, so I apologize if I repeat any. I'll catch up later.

Does "Blurring the Lines" work for me? Yes, and no. My main issues are.

1) The blurring of the lines isn't obtrusive into my own daily life. As cool as it might sound to some other people, I don't want a character researching me, then contacting me without my permission. Lack of boundaries sound great, but it takes a great deal of proper handling by the PM's, and I'm not sure every one of them would handle the responsibility properly.

2) Believability of the "blur". WI had characters posting on the boards on IU. Great, fine, part of the style of game. Right now to the forum is another forum called "WI Out of Game". To me, that totally wrecks the whole point of having the characters be able to post. I understand that there is a place for in-game chat, and out-of game chat, but if they're both in the same place, the blur shatters. How would a character notice one and not the other? I mean no disrespect to WI or IU with that, its just an example in a game thats meant to blur a bit more.

3) Using the "blur" to manipulate players unfairly. Characters should NOT be able to lie about solves/spread rumors or misinformation about the storyline/other characters, for shits and/or giggles. Yes, its realistic, but if I was playing a game that was purposefully wasting my time (as if ARG's aren't the greatest timewaster ever...but you get my point), I would drop it immediately. If we, as players, tried to do that, we'd be viewed as trying to hijack the ARG.

4) For a HUGE positive, it really DOES expand the believability of the storyline and the immersion. I WANT to see characters comment on current events. I WANT characters to respond believably to the story, and to the players (and to the fact that 10,000 people are helping find Fido the Wonderous Talking Puppy).

To me it all comes down to one thing: Respect. If the PM is respectful, and knows his/her actions will not offend/upset and person/site, I really don't see how the blurring could go wrong, or could be negative. I refuse to believe that people honestly cannot figure out real from fake, and I refuse to believe that they cannot tell right from wrong.

As for the Confusion thing...I thought that was the point of any good ARG...or Mystery film...or mystery book. Keeps you guessing, so the end is a surprise. Unless I'm missing something?

[catherwood]

[GuyP]

You know, I always quite liked the idea that there was a real need for players to crack puzzles. That rather than PM's slowly revealing hint after hint to move things forward, the lead characters kicked the bucket and that was it. ARGs are a little less pressured than computer games in that it's impossible to 'lose.'

Then again, if *I* was a PM, I wouldn't be too keen on wasting all my hard work just for the sake of a little added realism.

[Phaedra]

[yanka]

[Katsurame]

I think that ARG's should be dependant on players, or why make it in the first place? By making the ARG dependant, you make the players feel important, and more involved with the story. Players feel that without them, all is doomed. It's a great way to suck players in and make them feel good about the game. Anything to elicit real emotions from players, anger at a character, sadness because of a death, happiness at a good result of a puzzle, is worth the extra time to make the players say "Wow, this game rocks".

[Alzheimers]

[Alzheimers]

[catherwood]

[SpaceBass]

[Alzheimers]