3 ms·

The Missing Locksmith

32 points by pncnmnp 4y ago

dzdt 4y ago
I had to search up what is an "alternate reality game" [1]. Has anyone here tried this kind of thing? What is it like? [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game
- bombcar 4y ago
  They were popular for a few years as a form of marketing
- washadjeffmad 4y ago
  Back around when Sierra On-Line existed, there was a subscription that would call, email, and mail you clues and errata of some kind. I'll have to see if I can find the ad for it, maybe in one of my old PC Gamers. I didn't sign up because I was afraid of how involved and expensive it would get. I guess to keep up the intrigue, they didn't make it clear you wouldn't have to call 1-900 numbers, travel anywhere, or send over personal information.
  - dwringer 4y ago
    This reminded me of the same thing, I think - I remember reading about a big game like that in an old PC Gamer but I don't remember it ever actually coming to market. Though it's possible it just went under the radar. I shared your apprehensions about the commitment and potential expense. It's strange to think about now in the era of iPhones and social media giants.
- cyberbanjo 4y ago
  My favorite example is Death Grips prematurely leaking their album, to the player after following a bunch of deep web clues
caseysoftware 4y ago
Years ago, when I was at Twilio (2012), there was an amazing alternative reality game that I got to advise. It was a stage production that "started" as soon as you bought your tickets and gave them your phone number with the in-theatre performance actually being the climax. You'd start to get texts from the cast giving you information and asking for help. It'd culminate in the audience showing up for the finale with the audience members "knowing" some of the characters and have brought objects for the cast to use. The cast would be in the lobby and continue the interaction and they could check if the audience member brought what they were supposed to use during the show. I followed how JJ Abrams put together the worlds around Alias and Lost back in the day so it was an amazing experience. And then the EA Deadspace writers were at SXSW talking about their experience about that time. If you want to learn more on the space, it's also called "transmedia storytelling"

32 points by pncnmnp 4y ago

dzdt 4y ago

I had to search up what is an "alternate reality game" [1]. Has anyone here tried this kind of thing? What is it like? [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game

bombcar 4y ago
They were popular for a few years as a form of marketing
washadjeffmad 4y ago
Back around when Sierra On-Line existed, there was a subscription that would call, email, and mail you clues and errata of some kind. I'll have to see if I can find the ad for it, maybe in one of my old PC Gamers. I didn't sign up because I was afraid of how involved and expensive it would get. I guess to keep up the intrigue, they didn't make it clear you wouldn't have to call 1-900 numbers, travel anywhere, or send over personal information.
- dwringer 4y ago
  This reminded me of the same thing, I think - I remember reading about a big game like that in an old PC Gamer but I don't remember it ever actually coming to market. Though it's possible it just went under the radar. I shared your apprehensions about the commitment and potential expense. It's strange to think about now in the era of iPhones and social media giants.
cyberbanjo 4y ago
My favorite example is Death Grips prematurely leaking their album, to the player after following a bunch of deep web clues

caseysoftware 4y ago

Years ago, when I was at Twilio (2012), there was an amazing alternative reality game that I got to advise. It was a stage production that "started" as soon as you bought your tickets and gave them your phone number with the in-theatre performance actually being the climax. You'd start to get texts from the cast giving you information and asking for help. It'd culminate in the audience showing up for the finale with the audience members "knowing" some of the characters and have brought objects for the cast to use. The cast would be in the lobby and continue the interaction and they could check if the audience member brought what they were supposed to use during the show. I followed how JJ Abrams put together the worlds around Alias and Lost back in the day so it was an amazing experience. And then the EA Deadspace writers were at SXSW talking about their experience about that time. If you want to learn more on the space, it's also called "transmedia storytelling"