Alternate+Reality+Games

**Description**
"An ** alternate reality game ** ( ** ARG ** ) is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform and uses transmedia to deliver a story that may be altered by participants' ideas or actions." ARGs are sometimes best describe by their attributes. The have all of the attributes any game has like goals, rules, feedback system, and voluntary participation but they use the real world as an environment. In the real world they can use the computers, internet, phones, and and cached items to participate and achieve goals. [|Perplex City] is one example of an Alternate Reality Game that has been presented to the world, in which the players must solve real world puzzle in order to win __cash__ prizes. [|World Without Oil] is another ARG (alternate reality game) that forces players to imagine a world where there is no longer oil in production. Player must then find solution to everyday life problems such as getting groceries, in order to solve the bigger problem of the world running out of oil. Players then share ideas of their solutions through blog posts, video posts, text, and other visual ideas that aim to solve the problem.

**Features**
One of the main features of an Alternative Reality Game is that it features the real world as a medium. You may be answering public phones, receiving text messages, meeting up with other players or solving a puzzle in a park- but it all ties together as part of the game. Alternative Reality Games can be used for purely entertainment, or for marketing and advertising purposes as well. Instead of having your viewers look at an advertisement, why not engage them into being the advertisement themselves? If they have a passion for what you are selling, the response will be overwhelming.


 * Real life is a common medium for the game. Clues to complete tasks are often looked for in the real world.
 * ARG's are often found through the use of phones, computers, and television as well, opening up new ideas, clues, and puzzles.
 * ARG's might directly involve only a small number of "players," but as the tasks grow and become more complex, the types and number of people may grow.
 * ARG's often have what is called a puppetmaster, or a storyteller, that helps to lead the group in the direction of the next task or obstacle. They often allow "white space" that needs to be filled in, which creates the overall story.

**Strengths**

 * Allows users to evaluate the process to solving the aftermath of a natural disaster. It guides the users to understand the steps leading to best outcomes if similar events were to occur.
 * Engagement in the activity is strong: The desire to trial solutions until you have reached the best possible outcome is both stimulating and beneficial to the user.
 * Low risk, high __reward__: The information gathered through and during the activity can be a helpful representation of what may happen if a specific scenario may actually happen.
 * Healthy competition in the activities between users may lead to stronger result of in the game.
 * Creative alternative to network with people who share like interests. People who share common likes can gather and communicate from around the globe.
 * Research to the benefits of "learning while gaming" has proven to be a successful method of teaching __students__ who either don't or can't learn in a more traditional setting.
 * Within each game, there is steady, ongoing progress (usually associated with rewards) for students/gamers to overcome. This progression through the rewards system (conquering levels) can be married to assessments.
 * ARG's create opportunities for students which requires them to collaborate on problem-solving strategies necessary to be successful within the game and in real-life.

**Weakness**

 * Time consuming to build
 * Time required for teacher professional development to implement in education
 * Competition can increase hostility between students
 * Physical objects involved in the game can be disturbed
 * Aggression in games cause more aggression in children in the real world
 * Many channels so users can easily get distracted from the goal
 * Need internet access
 * Limits socialization in the game

**Leading Tools**

 * Video clips
 * Voice mail recordings.
 * Podcasts
 * Websites
 * News articles (real and imagined)
 * Geocaching
 * Virtual worlds
 * References/links planted in TV and movies
 * Puzzles

**Open Source Options**
It is possible for developers to create alternate reality games without corporate funding or promotion, as did the Lockjaw development team. However, open source options remain the exception rather than the rule. An alternate reality game of high quality is hard to build with a low budget. The massive-scale commercial games are the ones that receive mainstream attention because they are marketed by the large corporations that fund their development.

=**Alternative Reality Games in Education**= There are many uses for ARG's in __education__. The most obvious area ARG's can be used is in the laboratory setting for science or health classes. In a health class real-life scenarios can be set up as a game that students must work through to solve a health-related emergency. The severity of the injury or whether the patient lives or dies will determine the score. In science lab situations the game could be set up so the student must complete a certain task with certain results. The major advantage in education would be cost savings. Over time it would be much cheaper to run games and simulations over real-life laboratory experiences. ARG's can also be used used to teach social skills by placing students in tough situations that they must figure and act out the best solution. There is a lot of power in this technology to teach kids how to handle tough situations. This is usually done by role playing but most students scoff at role playing and have a very negative attitude towards it.


 * Examples Alternate Reality Games**

I Love Bees wove together an interactive narrative set in 2004, and a War Of The Worlds-style radio drama set in the future, the latter of which was broken into 30-60 second segments and broadcast over ringing payphones worldwide. The game pushed players outdoors to answer phones, create and submit content, and recruit others, and received as much mainstream notice, finding its way onto television during a presidential debate, and becoming one of the New York Times' catchphrases of 2004.
 * I Love Bees **


 * Last Call Poker **

Designed to help modern audiences connect with the Western genre, Last Call Poker centered on a working poker site, held games of "Tombstone Hold 'Em" in cemeteries around the United States -- as well as in at least one digital venue, World of Warcraft's own virtual reality cemetery -- and sent players to their own local cemeteries to clean up neglected grave sites and perform other tasks.


 * Cathy's Book **

The young-adult novel contains an "evidence packet" and expands its universe through websites and working phone numbers, but is also a stand-alone novel that essentially functions as an individually-playable ARG. Neither the cost of creating the book nor sales figures are available (although it made both American and British bestseller lists) to determine whether the project was successfully self-funded.


 * The Lost Ring **

In March 2008 McDonalds and the IOC launched Find The Lost Ring (game official site), a global ARG promoting the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The game was run simultaneously in six languages with new story lines developing in each, encouraging players to communicate with residents of other countries to facilitate sharing of clues and details of the game as a whole. American track and field athlete Edwin Moses acted as a celebrity Game Master, and McDonalds Corporation promised to donate $100,000 (USD) to Ronald McDonald House Charities China on behalf of the players.