Archive for the ‘ARGs General’ Category

28
Oct'10

TRON Night 2010 presents another exclusive preview

   Posted by: thebruce

Flynn Lives!
After taking a lengthy hiatus from activity, a new Flynn Lives challenge was publicized on October 8th. News quickly and excitedly spread throughout the community.

The Flynn Lives Facebook page and @OperationTron twitter cryptically posted: “Testing… 1.. 2.. 3..” Followed an hour later by another: “Wait for it…”

These mysterious taunts were given closure with the big reveal:

How fast can you figure this one out? http://xdqlrpgmqivgca9tfjcqddnbxt.com

On visiting the headache-inducing URL, players were presented with an equally headache-inducing visual design reminiscent of the website that led to the Pitcell trailer online at program-glitch-esc.net exactly 7 months earlier.

This time, the website provided three downloadable ZIP files containing a total of 168 text files. Each text file was an ASCII art image of either a Yes bit or a No bit.

Players quickly discovered that the files within each ZIP represented binary sequences, and once decoded became:

tron night 2010.com

TronNight2010.com announced the availability of exclusive tickets to another movie preview night on October 28th, and the tickets would go up for grabs on a first-come first-served basis globally, the following Tuesday October 12 at 1pm Eastern time.


The “Tron Night” preview events were to take place in locations around the globe: 31 US states, 4 major Canadian cities, Mexico, 27 European countries, 13 countries in Asia, as well as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Visit the
TRON ARG WIKI
at Wikibruce.com

On Tuesday, the floodgates were opened, and the world fell on the website. Tickets were snapped up almost instantly, selling out some locations, after having four days for the word to spread. The rabid Tron: Legacy fan base, with no hint at more than a 20 minute movie preview, eagerly wanted in.

Tonight is Tron Night. Some even refer to this day, October 28th as TRON Day. The expectations for the event are high, indeed! Will this event live up to the hype? The last preview event had fans eager for excitement, to be shown a brief 3D trailer of Tron: Legacy, and nothing officially more.

Whatever the case may be, excitement is high for Disney’s Tron Night 20 minute preview event.


Now some local TRONto TRON Day fun!

I (thebruce) will be in attendance at the Toronto TRON Night event, at the Scotiabank IMAX theater.  So, to add a little fun to the day, I thought it would be a good opportunity to hand out a bunch of Flynn Lives ARG swag to some dedicated fans!

Here’s what you need to do if you want to get some…

Once I arrive in Toronto, I’ll be using foursquare to check in to specific locations, to pass the time through the afternoon. Follow @Wikibruce, @Thebruce0, or Wikibruce on Facebook and watch for the updates. BUT! You must also watch for the simple task accompanying each check-in that you need to complete or to be prepared for before you find me. In order to win a bag’o’FlynnLives swag, you’ll need to be the first to find me, with the task completed.

There will be four opportunities to find me before the event, with prizes including FlynnLives.com achievement codes, Sam “89” logo pins and stickers, and Space Paranoids pins… amongst some other items.

I’ll be sporting the classy Threadless “My Other Ride Is A Light Cycle” hoodie… So pay close attention, drink some coffee, get your trivia on, get mobile, dress appropriately, and get pumped for the preview tonight!

To be fair, anyone can try for this, whether you managed to claim tickets to the event or not – as long as you’re a Tron: Legacy fan! (only one win per person though, to be fair)

If it happens that no one finds me before I move on to a different location, the tasks can still be completed and swag claimed if I’m located at anywhere else, any time, up to the preview event at the theater. Perhaps nothing will even be claimed by the time event starts!

Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with the marketing of the film or the event, so this is purely my simple way of giving a bit to the fans on the local grid.

Also, I lost three special Flynn’s Arcade tokens last time I was in Toronto, so if you find them, please let me know!

See you later in Toronto, maybe!

 

UPDATE: Well, isn’t that strange… Apparently some program on the grid by the name of “KLOO” just commented below saying he was able to determine the tokens’ locations in Toronto, and will be publishing their calculated GPS coordinates when he finds available windows of  communication. I’ll re-post them if necessary — If you find any, please retrieve them, and find me! There are rewards for their return…

UPDATE: TRON Night just finished, but it looks like KLOO came through after all! He commented again below with the locations of the 3 tokens:

ERR6871:UNKSRC:—————————————————//got it! quickly: I got the word from a trustworthy source, the three tokens are located at // 43.64500, -79.38675 north of the MTCC, on an inside ledge // 43.65058, -79.39063 st.patrick’s market square, nw corner of center ledge, dirt’s edge // 43.65283, -79.38751 University & Armoury, behind nw bench, edge of wood chips // I hope they’re found // good luck, gotta g–//

The tokens are specially identified, so if you find one at any point, please hold on to it and contact me by any means available. I’d like to award you with some Flynn Lives memorabilia!

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Categories: ARGs General, Movies

6
Jul'10

Defending the rights of those trampled upon!

   Posted by: thebruce

IFILR.org - Propaganda Posters

Want to know more?

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Categories: ARGs General, Rabbit Hole

26
Jun'10

Kring gives you a chance to be a Hero – Conspiracy For Good

   Posted by: thebruce

Check out this press release from Tim Kring and Nokia, revealing a new social and educational game for change. Conspiracy For Good has been running since mid-May, but anyone is able to join the Conspiracy, so go take a look.
Wikibruce is also hosting the community wiki if you need a place to get caught up!

“HEROES” creator Tim Kring and Nokia launch Conspiracy For Good
June 22, 2010

Audience participation drives social and educational change

Espoo, Finland – “Heroes” creator Tim Kring and Nokia today unveiled Conspiracy For Good (CFG, www.ConspiracyForGood.com), an inaugural movement that blends online and real-world tasks to effect social change through audience participation. CFG combines Kring’s original storytelling (www.ConspiracyForGood.com/about) and Nokia’s Ovi platform (www.ovi.com) to create a dramatic, fictional experience using interactive theatre, mobile and alternate reality gaming (ARG), music and physical participation to do good in the world. Participants will become part of the plot development and will find the necessary tools and clues to move the narrative forward and into the real-world, ultimately creating social and educational change for the Chataika Basic School, located in the village of Chataika in eastern Zambia.

“I believe that storytelling has the power to create positive change in the world. Audiences today want to be more involved in stories,” said Tim Kring, 2010 Digital Emmy Pioneer Award winner for transmedia storytelling. “Our goal with the Conspiracy For Good is to entice, engage, and inspire the audience to drive real-world change through their participation in a narrative.”

The Backstory (Fictional Plot)
Over the decades, members of Conspiracy For Good have been reputed to be quietly and effectively doing good in the world’s most troubled areas. But CFG is not without enemies, and it is now under fierce attack by Blackwell Briggs (www.blackwellbriggs.com), a London-based multinational company committed to advanced infrastructure development and security services. For help, CFG turned to Kring, a master storyteller, to share their story, recruit new members to read the signs, and bring down Blackwell Briggs.

Joining the Conspiracy For Good
Participants enter into the story, which fuses reality and fiction, through www.ConspiracyForGood.com, where they will join like-minded thinkers, artists, musicians and causes, creating a unified voice to fight for social and environmental justice. The audience can take action within their own comfort zone and level of engagement to meet new people with similar interests online and in person, and have some fun too. Participants who join CFG will be able to solve mysteries online, play casual mobile games or be a physical participant in the London events that will take place from mid-July through early August.

CFG brings to life many of the experiences that Ovi, Nokia’s Internet service platform, offers to people that use its devices. CFG participation on Ovi occurs through a series of existing and upcoming apps including casual games like “Exclusion” (http://tiny.cc/4ujaw) and “Mainframe Liberator” (http://tiny.cc/r9qfx) that unlock codes to confidential websites, Ovi Maps (www.ConspiracyForGood.com/map) to guide characters through the story, and Ovi Music where hidden information within songs can be deciphered to advance the story.

In the UK, participants will be able to download a special edition app called Conspiracy For Good: DeadDrop powered by Nokia’s Point & Find service. Available in the UK Ovi Store (http://store.ovi.com) in mid-July, the app will allow players to point at objects and images in the real-world to discover clues and participate in challenges during the series of upcoming events in London.

“Tim Kring has truly realized the potential for Nokia’s Ovi platform as an additional distribution channel to once more advance storytelling through interconnected services and active audience participation,” said Tero Ojanperä, executive vice president, Nokia. “Conspiracy For Good is Nokia’s most powerful example to date for how content owners can blur the lines between the online and real-world to connect people to change.”

How to Join ConspiracyForGood.com
Anyone is welcome to join the conspiracy from any country. For those who live in or plan to visit London later this summer, event participation is free, registration to www.ConspiracyForGood.com is required and no purchase is necessary.

About Tim Kring
Tim Kring is one of the Hollywood creative community’s original transmedia storytellers, who works seamlessly across mediums, including viewing screens and delivery devices such as film, TV, broadband, computers, mobile devices and the printed page to engage audiences around the world in narrative and immersive story arcs. For four television seasons, Kring served as the creator and executive producer of “Heroes,” NBC’s Emmy®-nominated epic saga that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. An estimated 76 million fans viewed “Heroes” every week around the world on TV and via interactive online programming.

About Nokia
At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.2 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia’s NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.

About Ovi
Ovi is a family of internet services for use on Nokia mobile devices that keeps people connected to the people and things that matter. Ovi services include Ovi Maps with walk and drive navigation and premium travel content; Ovi Music with millions of music tracks; Ovi Mail for email and messaging; Ovi Share for sharing content; and the Ovi Store, filled with thousands of apps, games and media from the content industry’s biggest names along with independent developers. Content publishers are invited to distribute and monetize their content through Ovi by visiting www.publish.ovi.com. More information is available at www.ovi.com.

Media Enquiries:

For Tim Kring
Rogers & Cowan
Sallie Olmsted/Jessica Boyer
Tel. +1 310 854-8124/+1 310 854-8141
Email: solmsted@rogersandcowan.com / jboyer@rogersandcowan.com

Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
Email: press.services@nokia.com

www.nokia.com

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Categories: ARGs General, Educational, Puppetmasters

26
Feb'10

Tron Legacy ARG gets YOU in the game!

   Posted by: thebruce

Flynn Lives!
It’s prompting nostalgic retro-flashbacks to the 80’s, all this hype for the upcoming film Tron: Legacy – a sequel to the classic cult sci-fi adventure from 1982 Tron. But the new face of Tron presented by 21st century technology and special effects has the fan-base in a tizzy. It’s having a similar effect as the recent reboot of Batman had; and perhaps it’s not unconnected that the same marketing team behind Batman’s Why So Serious campaign is heading up Tron’s Flynn Lives campaign.

Visit the
TRON ARG WIKI
at Wikibruce.com

Last year at the San Diego Comic-Convention, a very successful live event (with online components) was the platform for the public revelation of a life-size ‘Light-cycle’ and the first public teaser trailer from the film (watch the official video recap here!). This event opened the door for fans to start following FlynnLives.com – hoping, wishing, and praying that whatever happens between then and the movie’s release would also award them with some sweet Tron swag! If the Comic-Con event was any indicator, Tron fans would be in for a wild ride over the next year.

Tron: Legacy Bit NO mailed rabbithole packageSure enough, in early February 2010 I, along with other people all over the globe began receiving small packages in the mail containing a palm-sized “Bit” as seen in the original Tron, with a hand-written phrase written on the inside lid of the box reading “/zerohour“. From this, the website FlynnLives.com/ZeroHour was discovered with a binary-coded countdown to 11am EST, February 24th – Zero Hour.

ZeroHour binary countdown clockThe Tron community erupted with theories, as over the next few days a mysterious message was slowly revealed below. A list of cities appeared, located within the United States, Canada, France, UK, and Australia – but there were no instructions accompanying them.

An email was distributed just before “Zero hour” hit reminding people to watch their nearest city. Right on schedule, three cities first lit up linked with instructions to meet a contact at a specific time and place in each city. What happened was a feeding frenzy of F5’s and website refreshes for the next 9 hours as all 27 cities lit up three at a time. At the drop points, the first person to arrive and say the code phrase to the waiting contact (and only the first person!) would be given a cell phone by which they were instructed to locate a deaddrop containing exclusive Tron collectible swag – as well as codes to be entered online.

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/MFhjWPSHxcs” width=”425″ height=”264″ allowfullscreen=”true” fvars=”fs=1″ /]

At this point, FlynnLives.com allowed anyone to create a profile, including contact information. This implied potential phone calls, text messages, even physical mail to be distributed in coming months. Once signed up and connecting the profile to a facebook account, players discovered they could earn achievement badges – bragging rights. Additionally, those lucky enough to be the first to each ZeroHour location and enter at least one of the discovered codes online also received a special achievement, and their name listed as one of 66 special operatives.

Flynn Lives sample badge: Gridlock Rendezvous

At the end of this ZeroHour event, players online and offline were rewarded with a new desktop background, and instructions to visit PitCell.com at 4:00pm EST the next day — to be the first to register for an exclusive, limited IMAX screening in one of five listed cities: Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, London, and Sydney. Of what the screening is – still a mystery.

Going to an IMAX screening?
Add your name to the list
if you’d like to meet up
with others in your area!

The next day, when this second zero hour hit, once again the refresh-frenzy began. Word had spread over the course of the day through mainstream media, and people worldwide were waiting in anticipation for the moment the (FREE!) ticket registration for this IMAX event would open. In an unbelievable record (where is Guinness to confirm?) The Los Angeles IMAX event was flagged SOLD OUT in under one minute. New York quickly followed suit about 5 minutes later. Toronto and London were next in short order, and Sydney selling out closed the deal.

Sample ticket to Feb 27th, 2010 IMAX screening

A leading theory at this point is that individuals who grabbed a ticket in time (which is good for two people) will have access to view a special IMAX 3D scene from Tron, much like the 6 minute prologue scene for Batman: The Dark Knight. But details about the Tron screening as of this writing are still up in the air.

That’s not the end of it, however. After the updates, more was discovered online. Additional mysteries and strange codes, a hidden discussion forum with reference to Encom International, and what appears to be a deeper story still to be unraveled.

With tron: Legacy not slated for release until December 17th, 2010, this hype campaign is sure to kick up a notch or few in upcoming months, and those who miss out on this IMAX event shouldn’t fret about missing out entirely. Sign up for a profile, and watch for any opportunity to get in this game! One thing to keep in mind is that this kind of catering to a market fanbase is best and most successful when free, and only as good and enjoyable as the fans, players, and community make it.

You can join the search for Flynn in numerous ways:

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Categories: ARGs General, Movies, Rabbit Hole

23
Nov'09

Grayson’s IVtune recovered! All are winners

   Posted by: thebruce

This weekend, a momentous discovery was made: The hidden fortune of Grayson Ozias IV was found. After almost two months of hints, puzzles, research and anticipation, Levi’s “G.O. IV Fortune” campaign has come to a close.

Two months ago, the campaign for Grayson’s fortune began with the revelation of the discovery of wax cylinders – audio recordings from the late 1800s. About “GoForth”, The Inspiration Room said: “Levi Strauss has launched a new advertising campaign, ‘Go Forth’, presenting an optimistic tone in a time of pessimism in the United States. The online (goforth.levi.com), print and television elements borrow words and concepts from American poet Walt Whitman to establish a pioneering tone for the ‘New Americans’.”

Levi’s new “G.O. IV Fortune” campaign included the promise that along with the discovery of Grayson’s buried $100,000 prize, the organization would donate an equal sum of $100,000 to a charity of choice. The campaign prompted players to learn about American history and solve puzzles based on clues revealed in old wax cylinder recordings of Grayson Ozias IV. The introduction to this long-buried treasure hunt can be heard from G.O. himself here.

I left my home and all I knew because I feared the complacency that was growing in me. I feared that I would be content to never experience anything of America beyond the city in which I was born. But after hearing Whitman, this complacency became unthinkable, and my comfort became my greatest burden.

This great man’s portrait of our land emboldened me to conquer fear and go forth, and I have never regretted it, even now. Which is why it is my hope that these words may in turn inspire another to conquer fear, and abandon comfort, and seek their unknown.

Therefore, I commit the fortune I have made in my travels back to the earth from whence it came. I leave all I have to America, so that America might set out and find it.

Yours most sincerely,

Grayzon Ozias IV

“In September of 2009, Levi’s verified the existence of $100,000 that Grayson Ozias IV buried.

He left it there for you.
And so did we.

Go Forth.”

Shortly after the hunt began, Wikibruce among other websites received a package from Grayson, which is documented here in the article and video “It’s never too late IV a rabbithole“.

After almost two months of clues and thought-provoking quotes from Walt Whitman by G.O. IV on Twitter, players who persevered were presented with the final clue, a final puzzle that would reveal the location of Grayson’s buried $100,000 fortune. On November 21st, 2009, Laura Hall was the GoForth participant who successfully made the trek to the boonies of southern Utah to recover Grayson’s buried fortune.

Charity: WaterLaura wasn’t the only winner though. The chosen charity to receive an equal donation of $100,000 from Levi Strauss is charity: water. “Bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of the money raised goes to direct project costs—funding sustainable clean water solutions in the areas of greatest need.”

In the planned final trip to the secret location, she recorded her progress and adventure, tweeting about it, and ensuring others could follow along.

The official final video of her discovery has been posted for viewing at goforth.levi.com, and you can watch her documentation of the buried fortune in this video.

Laura has also begun a website to document, relive, and share her GoForth experience at goforthandbeyond.com.

To check out the progress of the entire game, you can visit the community wiki at goforth.wikibruce.com, or read about other people’s adventures in recovering clues around the United States and from other related events at whereisthemaninthehat.tumblr.com.

Congratulations to Laura Hall and Charity: Water, and an enormous thanks to Grayson Ozias IV and Levi Strauss for their positive, exciting, and memorable campaign through America’s history.

Grayson Ozias IV: “I leave all I have to America”
Download (Click to play)

As “hach1r0k1d03” shared near the end of the campaign, We’re all winners because we have gone forth & followed Grayson’s journey. His story is worth so much more than $100,000.

Levis Go Forth

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Categories: ARGs General, Miscellaneous Products, Viral General

15
Oct'09

It’s never too late IV a rabbithole

   Posted by: thebruce

About the time of Levi’s launch of their new “Go Forth” campaign, reports began popping up of nifty packages being delivered from the Levi Strauss and Co. Archives in San Francisco.  Days after I reported the press release, another package arrived!  Unfortunately this time, there was no charcoal briquette goodness used as packaging.

There was, however, a red bandanna marked with a very good question: “Who was Grayson Ozias the IVth, and where is his treasure?”    So I had a creative urge and decided to share the opening of Grayson’s mail…

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ex-Anm0HEQk” width=”512″ height=”409″ allowfullscreen=”true” fvars=”fs=1″ /]

 

You can join the game and help solve the mystery by starting at goforth.levi.com

Then follow GraysonOziasIV on Twitter for updates, and stalk Grayson on Facebook

Then go and bookmark the community wiki here at goforth.wikibruce.com for help and answers (and please contribute if you want!).

You can also join a community discussion at Unfiction.

Now get II it and Go IVth!

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Categories: ARGs General, Miscellaneous Products, Viral General

5
Oct'09

Levi’s hunt IV buried treasure – Go IVth!

   Posted by: thebruce

Levis Go ForthLevi’s is stepping up. Check out this Press Release about a new game and contest with a $100,000 prize, and the chance to choose any non-profit charity for which Levi’s will match an additional $100,000 donation. Relevant links following the release.

LEVI’S® BRAND BURIES $100,000 SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA WITH THE CHALLENGE TO PIONEERS TO “GO FORTH”

The Denim Leader will match the $100,000 fortune for a philanthropic chance to change the future.

SAN FRANCISCO (October 5, 2009) ­ The Levi’s® brand challenges today’s pioneers to uncover a $100,000 fortune buried somewhere in America by solving the question “Who was Grayson Ozias IV and where is his fortune?”

Launching October 5, 2009, at levi.com/goforth, this interactive challenge invites participants to solve mysteries as they unfold, keep up with other players or go for the gold themselves with the final cipher. It is a mystery, wrapped in a puzzle and an adventure across our country.

“The question we asked ourselves was ‘how do we bring the spirit of Go Forth to life out there in the world?  How do we bring the unique history and rich legacy of the Levi’s® brand to life in a fun and compelling way?’ The story of Grayson Ozias’s lost fortune seemed like a mystery just waiting to be solved,” says Doug Sweeny, Vice President of Levi’s® Brand Marketing.

Grayson Ozias IV Fortune

The narrative behind the challenge follows Grayson Ozias IV, a fictional character based on the Levi’s® brand’s pioneering and innovative spirit, on his adventures across America until his 1896 disappearance into the wilderness, after hiding his considerable fortune. Grayson Ozias IV was a friend of Levi Strauss’s nephew Nathan, so the story goes, who recorded newly discovered details about Grayson’s journey that hint at the final hiding place of his fortune. These newly discovered recordings and the story they tell will lead participants on a new adventure of discovery.

The story of Grayson’s 1890s adventure exploring America will guide our modern-day event. The game’s scavenger hunt leads to many cities and towns across America, each a part of Grayson’s journey, encourages players to step out from behind their computers and will lead some lucky player into the real world directly to the buried treasure. Each task triggers the next clue in the challenge.

The ongoing puzzle, an elaborate cryptogram, requires a combination of knowledge, skill and determination. The players will be receiving clues and pieces of the puzzle from launch to finish. The first player to crack the final puzzle and send it to the Levi’s® game team will win Grayson Ozias’s buried fortune.  Players can also win other great prizes throughout the journey.

The Levi’s® brand is not only awarding the Grayson Ozias IV challenge winner with $100,000, the participants of the challenge will be given the opportunity to nominate and vote for a U.S.-based non-profit organization to receive an additional $100,000 gift from the blue-jean-inventing icon. Sweeny adds, “This is the legacy of Levi Strauss who himself donated a robust portion of his first earnings to a local orphanage that the company still supports today. This began the company’s tradition of sharing its prosperity with the community.”

The hidden fortune is the third expedition from Levi’s® Go Forth campaign, first launched July 1, 2009. The campaign will be supported heavily in digital social media (Facebook, Twitter), online via rich media and offline (ESPN The Magazine).  The first two expeditions—the New Declaration and the New Americans—were an homage to today’s America.

 

About Levi Strauss & Co.

The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since their invention by Levi Strauss in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world ­ capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. Today, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry.  Our range of leading jeanswear and accessories are available in more than 110 countries, allowing individuals around the world to express their personal style.  For more information about the Levi’s® brand, its products and stores, please visit http://levi.com.

While the contest itself is open only to the United States, anyone can participate and enjoy the game.  And in case you hadn’t noticed:  “G“rayson “O“zias “IV“(th)  ;)

Links:

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Categories: ARGs General, Miscellaneous Products, Viral General

19
Sep'09

A payphone rings in New Mombasa… do you answer it? Do you?

   Posted by: thebruce

Master Chief: Bobble HeadPerhaps this article would be better entitled: Why I love Halo: An Epic Analysis.

I’m not a Halo fanatic…relatively speaking. I’m not shy about being an enormous fan of the Halo franchise, but I don’t own a Master Chief costume, nor have I ever worn one. I don’t know every little intricate detail of the Halo universe. I can’t ramble off stats, ID numbers, the name and rank of every known character. I don’t play the video game most of the day, every day, and it’s a fat chance I’d “pwn” anyone in multiplayer these days if I did. At all. I’m what you might consider a discoverer, or a story enthusiast.

Halo: Combat EvolvedI was an early adopter of the original Xbox back in 2001, due solely to previews of Halo: Combat Evolved. At that point, I was a gamer. My friends at first were annoyed with my constant raving about Halo, yet many eventually caved and began playing as well – and soon, much more than me. My game-playing fanaticism and multiplayer skill slowly faded as I was drawn further into the mystery, the story world that had been created by Bungie Studios.

I would not hesitate in the slightest to refer to the Halo franchise as “Epic”.

Quite often I compare the potential scope of this universe to that of Star Trek or Star Wars. To me, for a story to be epic, it must have potential to become a ‘part of the whole’, a story told within what feels to be a much, much larger untold story. For an epic to be successful in my opinion, it needs to employ a certain formula. It needs first to be told from the perspective of an individual, or providing only a very small portion of the larger picture, and still make a personal connection with the audience. If done right, this story alone would capture its audience.

Consider recent entertainment franchises like Terminator, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or even the Chronicles of Riddick. Each begins by telling a self-contained story from a single perspective, while leaving many questions unanswered in the end. Sarah Connor has to survive against a deadly killing machine from the future. Neo strives desperately to discover and understand what the Matrix is. The little hobbits in peaceful Hobbiton have their worlds turned upside by an unknown, evil force. Harry potter learns about a strange, magical, hidden world. The convict Riddick uses his extreme skills to survive and escape a deadly planet. Each of these tease at a larger universe with untold stories, but begin with an engaging tale of discovery or exploration of something unknown.

Enter Master Chief, Spartan John-117.

Master Chief gazesPresuming one knows nothing of the previous, indirectly related Marathon titles – with Halo, we begin from the Chief’s perspective, opening up not only in the middle of a war we know nothing about, but making that first, eerie discovery of a foe that threatens much more than we could imagine (I will never forget watching for the first time the cinematic cutscene in which the Chief discovers the Flood). Already, the premise is clear that this isn’t just a self-contained video game story, but actually only a very small window into a universe filled with history and a future, conflict, and characters that truly feel as if they have backstories and full lives.

( Continue to the next page )

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Categories: ARGs General, Books, Movies, Video games

12
Aug'09

Connecting the world one experience at a time

   Posted by: thebruce

Logo: Mosaic CollectiveWhat did you see?

Back in April, a commercial for an organization named The Mosaic Collective aired on ABC, forwarding people to themosaiccollective.com. Visitors were asked to report into a database what they saw during a very brief flash of an image on screen. The collective would then generate a mosaic of these ‘visions’ for the public.

Recently, The Mosaic Collective has begun collecting more extensive visions from people regarding their 2 minute and 17 second “Flash Forwards” – visions of their lives six months in the future, which everyone on earth experienced during the GBO (Global Blackout).

Mosaic Task Force at San Diego Comic Con, July 2009I was one of the fortunate few to meet up with the collective at Comic Con in San Diego in July, and was able to finally get my flash forward reported and off my chest. I met Mosiac Task Force Intelligence Analyst Marcie Turoff who was intrigued by my vision and asked some followup questions after my report. However, I’m uncertain if this is something I should have done, given the personal and sensitive nature of my vision. But it could end up taking one of two directions: reporting my vision ends up changing the future and I no longer have to worry about my safety, or reporting my vision has made my eventual knowledge public and inevitably leads to that very future and the danger I will soon be faced with.

Judge for yourself. The Mosaic Collective has published my report via their Youtube account. I truly hope this changes things.

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/fxN-kXOaXOI” width=”425″ height=”264″ allowfullscreen=”true” fvars=”fs=1″ /]

Marcie Turoff business cardThe Mosaic Collective is “dedicated to connecting the world one experience at a time.” The GBO wreaked havoc across the earth as 7 billion people blacked out simultaneously for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Many did not survive. The rest were left dazed and confuzed, having to make sense of what just happened. The Collective aims to unite humanity with their efforts to paint a mosaic of the future by analyzing as many flash forwards as they’re able to get a hold of.

Logo_TruthHackAn investigative journalist, Oscar Obregon, reporting for Truth Hack (Youtube), described the collective this way:

Mosaic’s general approach is an interesting one; in one way they’re offering the public a service – an international clearinghouse to find corroborating information for FlashForwards. At the same time, they’re building a database that could potentially create a a vivid portrait of our collective future – and possibly explain whatever could be behind the GBO [Global Blackout] itself. It’s not quite open source, but it’s close, and seeing the Bureau embrace a more “web 2.0” approach speaks well of Wedeck’s instincts.

Something is believed to be scheduled to happen at JoinTheMosaic.com on August 16th.  Keep watch!


San Diego Comic Con Flash Forward promo posterFlash Forward is a new ABC TV series slated to premiere September 24th.

For more information, visit these sites:

Here are some campaign sites to get you connected:

And of course, there is an Unfiction community discussion you can join in as well.

Tags: , ,

Categories: ARGs General, TV Series, Viral General

15
Jul'09

Hot Summer Events!

   Posted by: thebruce

ARGFest LogoIt has been a busy summer. Year, even. But two days from now, a community of alternate reality gamers and creators, media and casual folk, fans and fanatics, will descend on Portland, Oregon for the annual ARGFest-o-con.  2009 marks the 6th year of the ‘con, which began as a group of friends gathering for a meetup in Las Vegas. It’s certainly come a long way!

My flights are booked, hotels reserved, and later today I’m heading out for the trip to Portland.  ARGfest has always been an amazing experience, both socially, educationally, and professionally. That it’s also highly entertaining goes without saying.  If you’re also registered for attendance, keep an eye out for me and say hi! :)

For more information about ARGFest and the events of the weekend, be sure to bookmark and visit ARGFestocon.com.  Watch for new announcements, teasers, press, editorials, photos and videos, and much more to come out of the ‘con.  Catch up on the latest discussion at the Unfiction thread.


SD Comic Con LogoNot to be outdone, after the ARGFesters have dissipated, I’ll be attending the San Diego Comic Convention the following week.  There, all forms of entertainment are present and respresented, from comic book artists, to TV shows, to video games, to upcoming major theatrical releases, and of course many fans decked out in their favourite characters’ costumes.  It’s a sight to behold!

This will be my first attending of the SDCC, and to say I’m extremely excited is an understatement. Be sure to watch this space for updates, news, rumours, and – hopefully – intimations of upcoming ARGs and quality promotional campaigns!  These events are hot spots for mysterious happenings and hints of upcoming announcements. Let’s hope there are some upcoming campaigns with some meat, some substance!

At the very least, there will be a sore lack of sleep, lots of talking, lots of news, definitely lots of photos, and many announcements.  Watch this space for updates!

Two years ago Comic-Con was host to a part of Batman: The Dark Knight‘s campaign Why So Serious, with a live event and lots of fanatical attendee activity. Last year, Comic-Con saw dropping of content related to Resistance 2‘s campaign Project Abraham.  What might this year hold?

We shall see…

As above, if you’re also planning to be in attendance, watch for me – the guy with the black Canadian ball-cap – bold red maple leaf in the front! :)

Tags: ,

Categories: ARGs General

2
Jun'09

Kim-Lee-Thomas-Dombrowski: Storytelling in New Media

   Posted by: thebruce

Elan Lee, co-founder of Fourth Wall Studios and long-time ARG Puppetmaster, recently tweeted that a new paper he co-authored about ARGs and storytelling had been published online.

Titled “Storytelling in new media: The case of alternate reality games, 2001-2009“, authors Jeffrey Kim, Elan Lee, Timothy Thomas, and Caroline Dombrowski cover and discuss a variety of Alternate Reality Games that took place over the past 8 years, and compare their strengths and shortcomings.

Abstract:

New media allows previously passive consumers to tell and shape stories together. Yet most information is still disseminated in a top–down fashion, without taking advantage of the features enabled by new media. This paper presents five Alternate Reality Game (ARG) case studies which reveal common features and mechanisms used to attract and retain diverse players, to create task–focused communities and to solve problems collectively. Voluntary, collective problem solving is an intriguing phenomenon wherein disparate individuals work together asynchronously to solve problems together. ARGs also take advantage of the unique features of new media to craft stories that could not be told using other media.

You can read the entire paper at UIC.edu.

Tags: , ,

Categories: ARGs General, Educational, Puppetmasters

21
Apr'09

Detecting Star Trek chatter

   Posted by: thebruce

Star TrekAbrams’ next big screen gem will officially be hitting theatres in 2 1/2 weeks, and the virals are finally ramping up.

Long ago, the website NCC-1701.com was activated, displaying four security camera angles of what appeared to be the construction of a very large vessel (the Enterprise, of course), and it drew throngs of interested followers. This week, however, the website went offline (rather, it now redirects to StarTrekMovie.com) after many months of inactivity, to the disappointed sighs of many fans looking forward to some high quality visuals and experiences.

Replacing it, however, is a very subdued, mysterious multi-lingual chat session occurring between five individuals, believed to be operating under the pseudonyms Si, Ca, Al, Fe, and O. The mystery has ongoing coverage at the fan site TrekMovie.com, first reporting on April 10th about a number of binary-URL websites that were discovered.

Later, an individual named Malak0 reported finding a device in France, and wanted to return it to its owner, but no one could convince him they were the rightful owner. TrekMovie.com covered it on April 15th.

Once again, the website containing the chat between the five individuals was updated with more chatting, as outlined on April 17th.

Most recently, these chatting individuals were discovered to have transferred to Twitter in order to better converse.  Primarily, User #4 and #5 have been active.  This was reported April 20th.

(You can also follow the ARG happenings by tracking the twitter keyword #startrekarg)

Today, however, Malak0 decided to share a video where he shows off the strange PDA-like device.  The video is entirely in French, and begs an English translation (or whatever language you may otherwise prefer).

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/x4WipajXmpA” width=”425″ height=”344″ allowfullscreen=”true” fvars=”fs=1″ /]

If you are able to translate the video, please comment below. (update: A full english transcript has been added to the wiki)

I had previously set up a wiki, prepared to update with happenings at NCC-1701.com, but it is still a great tool to keep up to date with the happenings of this particular viral.  You can read the chat transcripts and catch up with other details at:

startrek.wikibruce.com

You can continue continue conversing with the Trek community at any of the articles linked above, or you could also join the discussion and coverage at Unfiction.

Star Trek

 

Tags: ,

Categories: ARGs General, Movies

24
Mar'09

Resist or be Terminated

   Posted by: thebruce

Skynet Research

SkynetResearch appears to be having some technical difficulties. From an email sent earlier today:

ATTENTION: ALL VISITORS TO SKYNETRESEARCH.COM

Skynet Research is experiencing technical difficulties on our corporate website. A networking error has generated interference in the audio presentation. Do not be alarmed. Skynet Research is doing everything in our power to resolve this technical issue as quickly as possible and resume normal operation.

Visitors to the SkynetResearch.com website should ignore this interference entirely.
Do not attempt to discern, repair, or otherwise tamper with the audio signal broadcasting during this time. Failure to follow this command can lead to further corrupting of the impacted data and cause further difficulty.

Skynet Research is also aware of rumors circulating that there is another explanation for this interference on the website www.ResistOrBeTerminated.com. This is false information. Skynet Research has no affiliation with this particular URL, and Skynet Research suggests all Internet users avoid www.ResistOrBeTerminated.com altogether.

Thank you for your patience, and you can be rest assured that Skynet Research will soon return to providing services that improve life for all human beings!

We are committed to making your life different,
Skynet Research

Visit SkynetResearch.com and you’ll find a strange distorted sound in the background.

Some quick audio manipulation to slow the sound down to a fraction its speed reveals a radio transmission from what sounds like a resistance ground assult team.

Listen
(1.2MB)

An attempted transcript of the audio reads:

This is recon team (—- three) to base. Base, do you read? Requesting extraction. (pause) I say again – we’re overdue by three days. We’re (—–) and we’re ready to debrief. Say (again) – we’ve completed reconnaissance. We’re prepared to (set) all tech comm units on (skynet attack). Current coordinates: (Romeo 2#####). Repeat. Immediate extraction for four man team. One (injured). We’ll attempt next contact at 0900 hours. (——) *cut*

Update: Full transcript revealed and added below.

This update has revealed a new website, ResistOrBeTerminated.com, which looks to be updating with news about Skynet Research.

Things are starting to heat up, it seems!

And now, more ‘behind the scenes’ information 

Some clever users at Unfiction have uncovered some preview content from ROBT.com, that wasn’t yet supposed to be available for the public.

…Content that indicates this ARG may very well be tied to the upcoming video game Terminator: Salvation (Wikipedia), scheduled for release May 29, 2009 on all major consoles and PC – as well as the Terminator: Salvation movie opening May 22, 2009.

Nevertheless, while the video game is looking very nice, and the movie even moreso, there’s certainly something going on with Skynet Research here and now!  So go check it out!

UPDATE:

Here is a leaked video clip from the Terminator: Salvation movie…

UPDATE x2:

Unfortunately, the leaked video clip has been removed from Youtube by request. In other words – expect to see it again soon!

UPDATE x3:

ResistOrBeTerminated.com has been updated with an image containing single frames from the leaked video:

As well as a new video from Bre Pettis

UPDATE x4:

ResistOrBeTerminated has posted an analysis of the reduced audio, filling in the holes:

This is recon team Strider Three to base. Base, do you read? Requesting extraction.   I say again – we’re overdue by three days. We’re (garbled) and we’re ready to debrief. Say again – we’ve completed reconnaissance. We’re prepared to set all Tech Comm Units on Skynet Attack. Current coordinates:  Romeo (garbled). Repeat. Immediate extraction for four man team. One injured. We’ll attempt next contact at 0900 hours.

Tags:

Categories: ARGs General, Movies, Video games

20
Mar'09

A Writer’s Therapy: The Charlotte Sessions

   Posted by: thebruce

As if ARGs blurring the line between fantasy and reality weren’t enough, a new mystery is being uncovered, blurring the line between fantasy and reality about a writer whose line between fantasy and reality is blurred!

Wednesday, march 18th: Wikibruce received a package with a bulge in the mail from one “P. Martin” on Mission Blvd. in San Diego.  It was mailed March 13th.  Inside – a riddle wrapped in an enigma…well, a newspaper at least; the San Diego Union Tribune, of March 10th, pages A3-4,9-10.  If that’s important at all.

Contained within the neatly folded newspaper was an old, rattled audio recorder.  Taped to its front was a sticky note (redundancy for the win) with the phrase “Play me” teasingly scrawled across its face.

Some clarification on the instructions would have been nice, but I went with the easy answer and pressed play on the recorder. Success! For once, batteries were included.  Immediately, a recorded interview began playing betwen a man and woman.  The nature of the conversation appeared to be one of a doctor / patient relation.

Based on the discussion ensuing at Unfiction, it’s been determined that this is an ex-novelist, discussing her problems with her therapist. Put on your crazy pants!  Characters in her stories come to life. Most recently, a character Charlotte, whose story the writer chose to leave incomplete, appeared to her – on the street, supposedly as the cause of a large multi-car collision.

The writer’s first episode, however, starring one of her other characters – Julia – would have been enough to traumatize most people. But I’ll leave you to discover that story.

This doctor / patient interview has been getting pieced together segment by segment by people who’ve received similar packages in the mail.  At the time of this writing, 5 segments have been reported, spanning (what is believed to be) two and a half sessions.  This tape was labeled “2/2” (2nd session, part 2). You can hear below.

Download (1.3MB)

What’s known so far? The story is very reminiscent (well, undoubtedly related) to the novel Therapy, by Sebastian Fitzek, released March 17th. From the website:

A twelve year old girl, Josy, has an inexplicable illness and vanishes without a trace from the doctor’s office during treatment. Her father, Viktor Larenz, a well-known psychiatrist, withdraws years later to an isolated North Sea island in order to deal with the tragedy. Here he receives a dangerous visit from a beautiful stranger. Anna Spiegel is a novelist and she suffers from an unusual form of schizophrenia: all the characters she creates for her books become real. And in her last novel she has written about a young girl with an unknown illness who vanishes one day without a trace. …
Is the inconceivable possible? Do Anna’s delusions describe Josy’s last days? Viktor Larenz begins the therapy in an attempt to uncover the horrible truth.

Below is the full compiled audio from the currently reported session segments: 1/1, 1/2, 2/1, 2/2, and 3/1. Take a peek…

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/-USqKS7nixo” width=”480″ height=”295″ allowfullscreen=”true” fvars=”fs=1″ /]
  • Join in the discussion at Unfiction, where people are actually trying to determine where the recordings took place and where the locations mentioned are!
  • Transcripts are listed at Wonderweasels.org

Tags: ,

Categories: ARGs General, Books, Rabbit Hole, Viral General

17
Mar'09

Personal Effects followup – JC Hutchins on ARG Netcast 81

   Posted by: thebruce

ARG NetcastAs a followup to my previous article covering JC Hutchins’ Personal Effects: Dark Art novel / ARG hybrid, I’d like to direct you to the ARG Netcast, episode 81.  JC Hutchins graced the panel with his presence. It was he, Jonathan Waite (ARGN), Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction/Despoiler) and I, shooting the breeze, discussing all things Hutchins.

You can download the Netcast directly via this link (29MB), or listen to it below.

Download

If you were watching the live video stream of the netcast, we were also privileged to have the first stunning PE:DA video trailer air Live!

Don’t forget to visit JCHutchins.net to get the skinny on Personal Effects first hand.

Tags: , ,

Categories: ARGs General, Books

16
Mar'09

JC Hutchins Endorses Art Therapy at The Brink – Commit Yourself

   Posted by: thebruce

Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital LogoHorror thriller novelist JC Hutchins is at it again. This time, he’s taking his dark art cross-media. Coming in June, a hybrid Book/ARG supernatural thriller called Personal Effects: Dark Art. I was introduced recently to JC when he blogged his experience at the mobile FEAR lab for the video game F.E.A.R. 2, being the recipient of a mysterious silver briefcase. Since then, he’s been tirelessly promoting his upcoming novel Personal Effects: Dark Art, and the immersive online experience coupled with it. Published under St. Martin’s Press, and co-created with Jordan Weisman of Smith & Tinker (who also created Book/ARG experiences in Cathy’s Book and Cathy’s Key), Personal Effects: Dark Art is scheduled for public release on June 9th, 2009.

JC has been forging his way into cross-media storytelling recently with his previous, and very popular podcast thriller trilogy 7th Son, which paved the way for the fan-powered community The Ministry of Propaganda Online. He also maintains a series of additional podcasts to boot. JC’s been busy!

J.C. Hutchins’ new horror thriller novel, Personal Effects: Dark Art, chronicles the story of Zach Taylor, a young art therapist. Taylor works at Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital, a facility with a dark, bloody history. Locals call it “The Brink.”

And now, J.C. Hutchins and Personal Effects creator Jordan Weisman are opening the doors of their bloody creation, and allowing you to step inside. You’re not getting a guided tour of The Brink. You’re … being committed.

Welcome to a first-ever in publishing called Commit Yourself To The Brink. Here, you’ll find ways to inject yourself into the Personal Effects universe and become a patient of art therapist Zach Taylor. Create a patient profile (complete with backstory), receive your admittance papers, contribute artwork, video and more … and earn the horrifically cool privilege to appear on Brinkvale’s official website.

Get creative. Get crazy. Get committed.

From the book:

Brinkvale Psychiatric was not built over the [brownstone] quarry, but in it. Nine stories of howling, brain-boiling madness, stacked two hundred feet into the bedrock. If you’re at The Brink, you’re at the end of the line. Only dead-enders need apply.

The physical Personal Effects novel includes a number of ‘personal effects’ such as photos, business cards, and other eerily realistic items that will help you, the reader, truly enter the world of Zach Taylor and Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital. Explore the mystery and immerse yourself in the thrilling fiction created by these masters of the storytelling experience. The book is now available for pre-order via Amazon, and they’re promoting frantically to keep it rising in the Amazon best-sellers list, even before the book’s release!

To keep the promo train rolling, JC is also planning a podcast-exclusive prequel novella, for release in May titled Personal Effects: Sword of Blood.

Back in November, ARGNet sat down with JC Hutchins for an interview about Personal Effects, which can be viewed here, but others in the industry also have many good things to say about his work:

“So compelling is the journey, … readers may scarcely recognize their own transformation from passive to active, as they pick up where the text subsides and become the protagonist.”
–Gore Verbinski, director

“This is the future of storytelling, and it’s a thrilling ride.”
–Anthony E. Zuiker, Creator/Executive Producer of the CSI: franchise

“[A] rocking genre-mash that mixes mystery with psychodrama and serves it up in a high-bandwidth torrent of terror.”
–Scott Sigler, author of Infected and Contagious

Get Committed!

Have a listen to the audio promotion for Personal Effects

Download
(3.2MB mp3)

The online experience for Personal Effects has already begun, but it’s certainly not too late to join and get committed at The Brink. You can begin by visiting JC’s site The Brink and reading up, or by directly visiting Brinkvale Psychiatric Hospital. Take a look at the “flagship alternative therapy program is the art therapy program headed by Zachary Taylor. Check out some of what’s already happened by visiting Zach’s girlfriend (GameSetWatch has a good overview as well). Read up on past news at the New York Journal Ledger. Visit Back From the Brink and chat with ex-patients in the process of healing. Or jump right in and commit yourself to the Brink and complete the first art assignment:

Are you a visual artist, graphic designer or photographer? Want to show Brinkvale’s staff (and the world) the madness in your head? Perfect. Grab your paintbrushes, colored pencils, Wacom tablet … however you best express yourself … and get cooking on a piece of art worthy of The Brink’s patient gallery.

You’re welcome to use artwork you’ve already created, or whip up something brand-new for this assignment. Create your patient profile by filling out the form, upload your artwork, and become a patient at The Brink!

Get creative. Get crazy. Get committed.

Links:

Brinkvale Psychiatric Institute Invitation

Tags: ,

Categories: ARGs General, Books

25
Feb'09

Now it’s personal…

   Posted by: thebruce

A.R.E. Rabbit HoleYou stumble on a blog, one created by a high school student a few days ago who received a mysterious package in the mail and videoblogged it on Youtube. The package contains a small memory card with some pictures and mp3s, and a crumpled paper on which is written a scratchy message to this person by name, saying that something’s coming – something big.  ‘Cool! A new ARG rebbithole!’ you think.  You pass the link around to some friends and let your immediate ARG community know about it… some even secretly wonder what it would be like to get a hold of this note to add to their ARG swag collection at some point.

Yes, this is an ARG, and the blog creator is a puppetmaster; the student is an actor.

Now what if this person were real?  What if the creator of the blog were a real person who received this real package, which was sent to them, and no one else, which even mentioned them specifically by name?  What if this were you?  Is that still cool?  Many would reflexively say yes!

Over the years I’ve been in the ARG scene, I’ve seen a few mysteries like this crop up occasionally.  Anywhere from personalized contact containing mini puzzles like secret santa riddles, to friends pranking friends or creating special birthday experiences. It’s rare that a lot of time and effort are actually put into producing a complex, deep experience, drawing them ever deeper down the rabbit hole, with no other target audience than a single individual. Actually, the only other example I can personally recall to that extent is fictional – depicted in the movie The Game, with Michael Douglas.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags:

Categories: ARGs General, Grassroots, Puppetmasters, Rabbit Hole

23
Feb'09

Home Is Where the Mystery Is (updated! 3-23-09)

   Posted by: thebruce

Update! – (March 23, 2009)

“Xi has begun!” says the official US Playstation blog. Clearly stating:

The world’s first console-based Alternate Reality Game starts today in PlayStation Home.

Called Xi , the adventure takes place in a series of secret areas in Home – and beyond – changing day by day, week by week, in real time. Anyone with a PLAYSTATION 3 can join in the fun for free – in English, French, Italian, German or Spanish.

To discover the mystery of Xi, simply log on to PlayStation Home and look for the graffiti on the wall in the main square. Find that, and all will be revealed…

So, if you’ve got a PS3, go check it out!  See what the hype is about, and whether this really is an “Alternate Reality Game”.


Xi Greek Letter, mysterious symbol found in PS HomeSony is beginning to make good use of their communal Playstation Home virtual space for the PS3 community. While still in an open Beta phase, it’s being adopted by many, many players.  But all is not static and ordinary in this organic, virtual utopia.

North America and Europe have both been receiving odd messages, and finding short, strange video clips eerily displaying a symbol or logo of the greek letter Xi, and what looks like robot head.  At first glance, they may look like bugs in the system, little holes in the code from developers that haven’t been fixed yet.  But… that seems too easy an explanation. Especially since it’s happening world-wide, they’re not getting fixed in a timely manner, and well, the videos are blatantly placed for optimal viral effect. :)

In Home, the player has a PDA that is viewable at any time. That’s the interface to community updates, news, locations, general commands, etc – a typical ‘start’ menu.  In the Community section, however, the News tab has been showing strange text messages; but these don’t seem to be aimed at players, but rather mistakenly placed messages between… well who knows?  The Updates tab has also been showing some odd Java-based code content.  These updates have only shown for short periods of time, but they’ve coincided with discoveries of hidden video clips found in various locations of Home spaces.  It appears these updates have occurred on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Discussion of this mystery is spreading, but the primary sources of player sleuthing are at the Playstation forums for Europe and the US, and at Pandemic Studios.  One user has also set up a Google site to help track the updates.  It’s not easy when the pieces of the puzzle vary from place to place and don’t match up between the US and Europe regions.  So the mystery must be in the content, not the context.  What can you make of these snippets?  I’ve done my best to try to organize what’s known, but dates and locations are hard to nail down.

“AlphaSpace/AlphaZone”

News:
ACCESSING RECORDS…1 ENTRY RECEIVED…FILE
PARTIALLY CORRUPTED…Date…unknown.It has
been days since we had an accurate report from the
computer.The CPU is…failing. Fast. Communications
are…too erratic. External is down. Internal is patchy at
best. Core life-support functionality…that’s restricted
but still working. For now.
Update:
–Open Alpha Test Space–
if s==”AlphaZone3″ then
OpenDoors(AlphaSpace[8])
end
(Video-EU-robohead) at the end of the Redbull video
(Video-EU-zone1) ‘AlphaZone 1’ (EU)

“Barrier”

News:
Visual recognition confirmed.
Security barrier now open.
Update:
— r =
Validate(cSecurityAvatar[g->MAINTENANCE_DATABASE]);
if (r) then bBarrierOpen=true;
Trigger(AudioSecurityOpen);
else
–Transmit(AlertSecutity) //jess :)
Trigger(AudioSecurityFailed);
end
(Video-EU-hallway) at the end of the Redbull video

“Water Pressure Valve”

News:
Three weeks ago there was a significant drop in water
pressure – too large to be explained by any leak.
Yesterday, another drop in pressure was noticed.
Update:
–Home maintenance Aqua – 3/cs:1
svalve=GetWarningSource();
if sValue==’FEC819′ then
–Home Square
CallEngineer(t1);
elseif sValue==’A76bC1′ then
–Central Plaza
CallEngineer(t2);
else
–Apartments
NotifyMaintenanceControl();
end
Return 0;
(Video-EU-stairway) at the end of the Redbull video
(Video-US-hallway) at the end of the Bowling alley “I Love Ninjas” video

“Xi_S93”

News:
jess are you there? ————- Xi is almost ready.
Update:
function Xi_S93() {
MemCpy(&Stapler,&35623,sz);
for ctr=1,MAX_EXP do
SecureWrite(exp[ctr]}
end
Wipe(&Stapler); }
(Video-US-robohead) after the movie theatre previews

“Maintenance Elevators” UPDATE!

News:
HELPFUL REMINDER
Maintenance elevators serve as vital conduits for
Maintenance personnel only, not as a short cut for
alpha testers. Please respect Maintenance rules.
Update:
–Maintenance Power Usage – period to 20th February
2009.
 
% change on previous period
————————————————–
Security +2.1
Repair  -3.8
Manufacturing  +0.6
Staff areas  -7.2
Elevators   +28.4
(Video-EU-underground) after the Redbull video
(Video-US-underground) after the MLB video, Central plaza

An additional mystery (and it’s uncertain if this is related to the strange code, messages, and videos above) has been discovered only in the US Home, where if looking out to the upper-left-most area of the Central Plaza from the right side of the exit doors still within the bowling alley, you can make out the corner of an ad billboard that looks like the latter half of a “KILLZONE 2” title banner. Some have also found a very low-resolution, blurry clip of what looks like a screenshot from the game.  Could this be a hint that a Killzone 2 space is coming to Home soon?

My theory is this: Sony is brilliantly using mystery within the tool itself, to hint at upcoming additions to available content (it seems to me the timing of new spaces and content is related to the updates above) – rather than just announcing updates, this viral aspect increases hype and discussion, getting people into Home who may not be already.  Well, it worked for me: after hearing about this mystery, I decided to check it out myself.   Home is still in open beta – but third party content spaces have been added already, including spaces for Far Cry 2, Redbull, and Uncharted.  I think people who are speculating at upcoming Spaces with these snippets as clues are on the right track, and the current mysteries may very well be pointing to a new space soon, such as for Killzone 2.  But it’s just a theory.  The significance of Xi, however, remains a mystery. The announcement of a new game would certainly be a strong possibility as well.

UPDATES!

This area will be kept up to date with news on this mystery…

  • (2/24/09) A ninja named Locust_Star could be heard/read shouting “sensootaka sannyuu mokuyoubi” – or, “sensou taka sannyuu mokuyoubi” which translates directly to “war hawk coming thursday”, confirming the arrival of a Warhawk game space with the v1.11 PSHome update Thursday.
  • (2/24/09) A new daily message indicates that there will be certain ninjas running around between 9-10am PST (12-1pm EST) within PSHome, carrying messages to their masters, which could be intercepted.  Version 1.11 of PSHome will also be rolled out on Thursday.
  • (2/23/09) TheSixthAxis has a new entry that’s quite suspicious… The RSS summary for this entry reads: “XI, My Friend. Open Up. I remember when all this was just grass. Sorry, glass.”  TSA has previously posted entries hinting that they have inside info.
  • (2/23/09) The recent video shown on the EU server Redbull video is now available in North America’s Central Plaza.

Whatever the mystery is, however, it’s creepy enough, vague enough, and enticing enough to have people going bananas over this “Xi” the world over.  Suffice to say, they want answers…

Xi Protest

Tags: , ,

Categories: ARGs General, Video games, Viral General

10
Feb'09

SXSW 2009 Web Awards Finalists Announced

   Posted by: thebruce

wb_sxsw09South by Southwest Interactive has just announced the finalists for the 2009 Web Awards. The 12th Annual SXSW takes place March 13-22, with the awards ceremony on Sunday, March 15.

A number of familiar names appear in the list of finalists this year, including:

(full list of finalists below)

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ,

Categories: ARGs General, Puppetmasters

6
Feb'09

Smorgasboard of News and Updates!

   Posted by: thebruce

In an attempt to cover quite a number of running projects and games, here are a few launches, news items, and announcements to pore over.

Serious Games

Akoha – Come play it forward!
Self-labeled as a “social reality game”, Akoha is physical card-based game with ‘act-of-kindness’ missions to carry out on or with friends. You can get cards by buying decks, or by being given a card by someone who just completed a task. The visual explanation explains how players registered at akoha.com can see each card’s history of good deeds (including video blogs, testimonies, etc), who’s done what, when and where, and players can also earn karma points for carrying out these tasks. With enough karma you can begin creating other missions for people to carry out. Akoha is currently in a beta testing phase, but it’s a “big, bold and crazy kind of idea”, and it’s Canadian!

Ruby’s Bequest
Ruby’s Bequest is a new game from Institute for the Future telling the story of the (fictional) town Deepwell and its residents, and providing “a unique immersive experience in which thousands of people will help forecast the future of caring in the United States.”. Sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy and AARP, the game will play similarly to World Without Oil, where 7 years will pass between the month starting from launch, March 9th to the April 10th conclusion. Find out more information and join in at RubysBequest.org

Movies/TV

Terminator: Connor Chronicles or Salvation?
A website has recently appeared on the radar: SkynetResearch.com. Little to nothing is known about it besides what’s currently visible. More weight seems to be placed on this being related to Terminator: Salvation, slated for May 22 release, as the site is owned by Warner Bros, according to the Privacy Policy linked in its footer. What do you think?

Who’s Watching the Watchmen?
Much has been revealed since TheNewFrontiersman.net was discovered and its contents opened. The New Frontiersman, reporting on ‘hero’-related news in a very mid-20th century manner, also has a twitter account you can follow, a Youtube channel to watch, a Flickr account to view, and a newsfeed to read. Content galore! A true alternate reality – Nixon on Mt. Rushmore?
Watchmen is slated for release March 6.

Video Games

FEAR 2 Level III Testing
FEAR 2’s viral campaign recently executed a live event in New York City, with the Armacham Mobile FEAR Lab experience. Silver case recipient J.C Hutchins was on the scene to record the report the entire experience. Read about and watch his test and experience at JCHutchins.net. Visit Armacham.com (don’t be afraid!) and see what upcoming dates are listed on the calendar… FEAR 2: Project Origin is slated for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, February 10th.

Singularity’s Mir-12
Russian spies, conspiracies, sci-fi, gorgeous women, it’s all here: visit MIR-12.com to find out what happened to Natasha Norvikov, and follow the ongoing investigations. If you can read Russian, you’ll have a much easier time! Raven software is releasing their first person shooter Singularity on Xbox360, PS3, and PC soon.

Halo Mysteries Return:
Mbaraki.2552
– Reported yesterday here at Wikibruce, new mysterious content has appeared in Bungie’s weekly updates in the Halo 3: ODST sections. The latest insert: “IDENT PROC 13262.0 MBARAKI.2552” appeared in Jan 30th’s news.
* B.Net group Compound Intelligence discussion (membership req’d)
The Way Their World Ended – a twitter account named intimation, believed to be run by a form of AI, made contact with some people earlier this year. A dream-style puzzle was solved leading to the website thewaytheirworldended.com with weekly updates. Explicit references have been made to Halo, and past ARGs Iris, and I Love Bees. Speculation is mixed as to whether this is official or a grassroots ARG.
* Unfiction discussion

More Mirror’s Edge?
Hot on the heals of EA’s release of Mirror’s Edge, a new mystery has arisen hinting at an upcoming Mirror’s Edge 2 (confirmed to eventually become a trilogy). Pirandello/Kruger teases a red door… which soon after led to Newstream Energy. The investigation is ongoing!

Grassroots / other

Are you 23?
Disney’s launched a countdown of their own, located at Disney.com/23, for March 10, 2009. What’s so special about the number 23? (Besides Jim Carrey’s movie of the same name) Speculation, as it pertains to Disney, makes note of points such as Disney’s founding in 1923, or Steve Jobs’ purchase of Pixar in 1986 (23 years ago). The leading speculation which seems to be gaining ground is that it’s related to the March launch of Disney’s “Club 23” (or D-23?) program. A revealing post on a Disney site has since been removed, but you can read the message here.

Ice Shock – Descendant
M.G.Harris was fairly open and public about an upcoming ARG for her book “Ice Shock“, which I reported on via ARGN.com back in November. She has now revealed the name: The Descendant, in a recent blog post. You can watch a 60-second trailer for the upcoming ARG at TheMGHarris.com fan site. Harris has slated its launch for March this year.

Yellow Curtain returns!
The Yellowcurtain wiki was recently updated with the news: “ATTENTION: Countdown for Yellow Curtain Episode 3 is ON!” While Episode 3 was apparently scheduled for launch January 15th, it may have been pushed a few weeks. Visit Yellowcurtain.com, watch anashel’s channel, or join the Facebook group for updates.

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Categories: ARGs General, Books, Grassroots, Movies, Video games, Viral General