ARGNet reports on "The Resistance" ARG elements
(thanks to Rekidk for pointing out this article in a comment here on LG15 Today blog)
On August 28, in an article titled Lonelygirl15 sequel proves that resistance isn't futile after all, ARGNet reports:
"Yesterday afternoon, we received word that EQAL, the company behind LG15 and Kate Modern, is preparing a sequel to begin in September. For ARG fans, we have exclusive news that there is, indeed, an alternate reality game - now playing and full of surprises - preceding the launch of the debut video.
According to an inside source close to the project, the game includes assets that go beyond the online videos which have become a signature of the brand. In the mix are crowleycollection.com, lifesbloodlabs.com and verduspharma.com/press/, the latter of which outlines a legal battle between a pharmaceutical company and an experimental R&D sub-division gone rogue."
"we can reveal that entering the code 1103 at the Crowley site will yield information important to the game"
The ARGNet article also provides a link to this thread on the LG15.com forums, where information about these events "leading up to The Resistance" is being nicely documented.
Full coverage can be found on LG15: The Resistance on LGPedia
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Does this really meet the ARGnet criteria for an ARG? I was under the impression that there were specific rules that should be followed. You remember? The ten commandments of ARG.
ReplyDeleteARGN has been pretty liberal with their coverage lately, even expanding into pervasive games, street games, viral marketing campaigns, and chaotic fiction (which is what LG15 is considered to be).
ReplyDeleteThe boundaries for what is considered an ARG are always changing depending on who you're talking to, so the agreement has been reached that "if it's fun, play it." Sometimes we spend so much time defining something and creating boundaries when we really should be encouraging new ideas and just enjoying the games.
I think 'ARG' is a fuzzy term, but the LG15 stuff does include websites that have a 'realistic' presentation and there is some interaction (the pamphlets given to a few people with the passcode to the crowleycollection site, and the sign-up form for lifebloodlabs). I'd say it's at least ARG-lite, if not totally immersive, and even though the curtain is not closed very tightly.
ReplyDeleteBut people have repeatedly told me that LG15 is not an ARG......and even the c describe it as ARG/interactive component.
ReplyDeleteSo the question is why did Jonathan Waite choose to not describe it as such when even the creators do not pretend it is an ARG. The concept of a curtain has been important to any ARG I have ever played. Has ARGnet throw that to the wolves too?
To see regular ARG players defend this is quite incredulous. I have seen many ARG players turn up at other ARGs in the Breeniverse and then turn away because of the way ARG rules are not respected.
The curtain is ALWAYS appreciated, but often is optional. Some professional games, such as Eldritch Errors, had a META blog running while the game was going on! Everyone knew that GMD was behind the game, and that was all fine-and-dandy because there was a line between IG and OOG.
ReplyDeleteWe constantly debate the necessity of the curtain (see: http://snurl.com/3lbjc and http://snurl.com/3lbjm ), the definition of an ARG (see: http://snurl.com/3lbju ), and the role of TINAG (see: http://snurl.com/3lbjw ). We attempt to redefine the genre in more objective (but less rigid) terms by creating terms such as 'Chaotic Fiction' (or CF) (see: http://snurl.com/3lbjz ).
LonelyGirl15 is certainly a work of CF, and it certainly utilizes TINAG. Sometimes, the line between IG and OOG is a rather fuzzy; also, the Creators are always present. Therefore, the work utilizes a transparent curtain (as opposed to an iron curtain). You might remember Jeromy Barber and Glenn Rubenstein having similar types of curtains, with varying degrees of success. (It seems to me that one reason for LG15's transparent curtain is to make it easier for the casual viewer to follow along without feeling alienated.)
Whether or not LonelyGirl15 is an ARG is debatable. Recently, with more interactive and puzzle elements, it's been easier to classify it as an ARG (albeit a very unorthodox ARG). I even proposed that the earliest stages of LonelyGirl15 were an ARG because there were some gates from one story piece to another (see: http://snurl.com/3lblq ).
Even if we choose to put LonelyGirl15 into the category of 'CF w/ ARG elements,' then we can classify this 'pregame' stage as an ER (extended reality, a term used for when TV shows have 'IG' websites) or ARE (alternate reality experience, an outdated term describing properties that are ARG-like but contain no gates/puzzles).
The main issue is this:
"I have seen many ARG players turn up at other ARGs in the Breeniverse and then turn away because of the way ARG rules are not respected."
There are no ARG rules. There are no set standards as for how an ARG has to be run. (If there WERE a rule, it would be simply, "Respect the players.") Some people prefer an iron curtain and refuse to play games without one (this number is shrinking); others don't really care much about the curtain as long as IG and OOG are clearly defined. Others just want to play something fun. You can't lump all 'regular ARG players' into the same category, because ARG is such a vague term.
That said, trying to define LG15 (or even LG15 fanfic) as an ARG is difficult because it IS new. Web video is extremely new, even in the world of ARGs. Trying to force a line between an Internet TV show and an ARG is extremely difficult, especially with properties like LG15 that share elements of both. That said, LG15 (and LG15 fanfic) tend to be extremely unorthodox ARGs. Not a bad thing, just a DIFFERENT thing.
There are plenty of unorthodox ARGs, like The Dark Knight ARG [run by 42entertainment] which only had a few days of activity--usually a live, in-person event--per month; the game ran for over a year. People debated whether that was an ARG, but in the end it didn't really matter because it was FUN.
ARGN doesn't report exclusively on ARGs because it's near-impossible to define an ARG. Therefore, they also report on properties with ARG-like or CF-like elements.
Ultimately, the best guideline for players to follow is this: "If you like it, play it."
(Just a side-note: the Ten Commandments of ARGs are actually player guidelines, not puppetmaster guidelines; also, they're pretty old. You can read them at the bottom of this page: http://snurl.com/3lbt0 )
I think the other terms are fine. But an ARG no. Even ARG/interactive component as used by the c suggests it is not a pure ARG. The way Jonathan Waite presented the information on ARGnet was just deceptive and poor journalism. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it is probably a duck.
ReplyDeleteThe curtain in chapter 1 was actually very good. The PM did not come out from behind the curtain till after Maddison died.
Also we have a link to the 10 commandments in the ARG links on LG15 Today.
maybe he should have said ARGish....lol
ReplyDeleteI really can't say it better than rekidk has already. While I appreciate your concern over my 'deceptive' presentation of information, the fact remains that (a) it's hard to define what an ARG is, exactly; (b) as rekidk mentioned, those Ten Commandments are at least five years old; (c) the players ultimately decide what a game is (ARG, MMPORG, casual game, etc.), not ARGNet. My source called it an ARG, and I see no reason to call it anything else.
ReplyDelete