Comments on: Future Cookies

By: Desedo | Des Temps : Heart of the City

Desedo | Des Temps : Heart of the City — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:57:05 +0000

[...] urban teens, rife with mischief, rabbit holes and romance. The storyworld encompasses a web series, ARGs, original products and a feature [...]

By: Pixel Pitch Award Helps Desedo Turn “Heart of the City” Daydream Into Reality | ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:07:38 +0000

[...] intelligently to them. To grasp the nuance of niche.” You can read about some of their early thoughts on how to utilize the alternate reality gaming space with their perpetually-in-beta thought [...]

By: nerditry

nerditry — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:11:06 +0000

Think about this : web based platform for Choose Your Own Adventure. interactive. scripted, filmed cut scenes. product placement. accomplishing a certain task a certain way gets the prize. only the first 10-20 people to accomplish (without prior indication) the task will win X prize.

You could design a new game at almost any time based on the advertiser’s demands.

If you dig this, hit me @nerditry.com

By: MHB

MHB — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:43:07 +0000

@ Nerditry: Yup, real reward, as discussed in the original post, via brand integration – not narrative – so you can win plane tix, clothes, etc…
It’s not deep, it’s shallow:)

By: nerditry

nerditry — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:48:42 +0000

@MHB : What do you mean by “…and get a â€˜realâ€™ reward that exists outside of the text.”

Are you saying reward them with something tangible as opposed to additional knowledge? I would agree with that, but at the same time, the engagement comes from luring them past the initial dangling carrot.

If you’re going to build depth into the ARG, then there is almost no point at which you can make it stop except that you have the benefit of the show being on a schedule. So in that sense, you can only get so far because the future has yet to reveal itself.

I do see the benefit in solving a puzzle related to what was happening and winning a prize that was used in that part of the show. Like going around Jacob’s cabin with a flashlight and being able to win that model flashlight or a book that was on the shelf.

By: MHB

MHB — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:55:22 +0000

@ Cuzzo: Yeah those books reminded me that we’re all a bit more sleuthy than we think, even things like playing Sudoko or reading DaVinci code stoke our desire to solve

@ Nerditry: Totally right on Lost, I should have made the point in my post that Lost is the model for this – but that it would be diluted for more casual viewers – ones who want to snoop about for a few minutes and get a ‘real’ reward that exists outside of the text.

By: nerditry

nerditry — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:58:55 +0000

@MHB : You’ve already got the framework built and it’s proven to be successful. I’m referring to LOST which has built the most amazing ARG and offline community. Because intense viewers will go over every detail in the show with a fine-tooth comb, they are prone to uncover the names of books, background music, stores, tv shows, etc.

The writers of the show have built depth into each one of these facets where there is no end point and eventually you are directed back to LOST, itself. They’ve even supplemented the show with books that are again referenced on the show.

I think tougher than figuring out the spokes on the wheel is figuring out the center mass. You can send them off on a million quests, but what are they returning to as this central concept has to be just as interesting as the offshoots.

By: cuzzo

cuzzo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:18:19 +0000

Well written indeed. It is a very interesting age that we live in. That fact about video games having more screentime than film is definitely one that I hadn’t thought about. It seems that the viewer’s demand for interactivity is a lot more than it ever was.

I remember all those books btw… Took me down memory lane just now…