Why Alternate Reality Games Aren't For Everyone

The idea of alternate reality gaming is somewhat of a new frontier in the world of media.  The alternate reality game is a relatively ambiguous concept that involves taking elements from a fictional world or fictional set of circumstances and implanting them into the real world for users to interact with as if they were a part of their reality.  These alternate reality games can be implemented in a variety of ways, usually taking advantage of the the ubiquitous technology we've all become so entrenched in.  Also, they can be implemented for a variety of purposes such as advertising (The Art of the Heist), storytelling (The Lost Experience), and even social action (Evoke).

Alternate reality games provide a unique, pervasive form of "play" that is becoming increasingly popular, and amassing small groups of hardcore fans and followers.  But, a few of the factors that make these games so intriguing to some, make them nearly or completely inaccessible to others.  Alternate reality games are definitely not for everyone.

First, for someone to get involved in such a game, one must have a committed and deep interest in the content.  Second, even if that interest is present, one must have a certain knowledge base to attain or understand most of the content from the game.  Because of this, the number of actual participants in these games is quite small compared to the number of passive observers, or people who are completely oblivious to the game.

To examine these limitations more closely, let's look at The Lost Experience.  In a nutshell, the Lost Experience was an alternate reality game that provided an unfolding narrative parallel to the narrative of the ABC television program Lost.  Most of the content from this ARG was web-based, however there was also a tie-in novel that was published, and at least one live event that was considered part of the game.

However, for a user to even become aware of this game, he/she must have enough of an interest in Lost and enough media literacy to discover the allusions made to the ARG.

In addition to this, once one became aware of the game or "fell down the rabbit hole," an entirely different and unique set of skills were required to actually play it.  According to the Lostpedia wiki-entry on the game, to find all of the clues and fully comprehend all the information from the game, users must have some knowledge of web-browsing and source code, Adobe Photoshop, cryptology, mathematical coding, classical mythology, foreign languages, and more!

Undoubtedly, the game was designed to be a cryptic and difficult "scavenger hunt" and to require a great amount of collaboration among users.  However, this isolates the vast majority of the Lost audience and leaves The Lost Experience to only the most hardcore of fans.  And in the case of this particular ARG this was more than likely the intended outcome by the creators of the game.

There is definitely an exclusivity factor underlying all of these alternate reality games.  Sometimes it can enhance the game, as in the case of the mysterious narratives of The Lost Experience.  But this same exclusivity factor could easily be detrimental in the case of ARG's that are designed solely for the purpose of promotion and advertising.  While alternate reality games are very interesting and becoming more prevalent, they aren't reaching mass audiences in the same way other forms of media are. 

Wikipedia and Politics

"A Wikipedia article is a process, not a product, and as a result, it is never finished," says Clay Shirkey, author of Here Comes Everybody.  He describes Wikipedia as a collective knowledge base where anyone can contribute information on any topic at any time.  What results is one of the most up-to-date, detailed, and (usually) accurate sources of information on the web.

Because of these things, Wikipedia is currently one of the most visited websites in the United States.  So, in the search results for nearly any subject on any popular search engine will have the Wikipedia page near the top of relevant sites.  Of course, there are many positive and negative implications that come along with Wikipedia's ease of accessibility and editing.

To exemplify the fluidity and popularity of Wikipedia, let's examine the way in which the site was used in the 2008 elections.

Wikipedia articles were one of the first pages to appear after a search for any given candidate.  And because these pages were completely user generated, campaigns had very little control over what was posted on their candidates page.  Of course, it is the campaign's desire to paint their candidate in the most positive light possible.  So, naturally, they want the page to be as factually accurate as possible.  Or do they?

Supporters of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards apparently wanted to omit the highly publicized $400 dollar haircuts he received on the campaign trail.  Mitt Romney's campaign were attempting to leave out details of his two weddings--one for a Mormon audience, and one for those who were not part of the religion.  And Fred Thompson supporters were allegedly trying to conceal the fact that the former Senator from Tennessee's birth name was "Freddie."

Of course these are all minor biographical details about each individual, but all these pieces of information ended up being accurate--and they would have probably not been as widely known had it not been for Wikipedia.  Because any one can post anything on any subject, that information sees the light of day.

However, this free and fast information comes with a price.  Wikipedia, being user generated, often faces questions of legitimacy.  And sometimes this questioning is legitimate, as the site has seen it's fair share of vandalism.  For example, the page for President Obama has been attacked with false information and pictures on several occasions.  In one instance a picture of a naked black man was posted as a picture of Obama on his Wikipedia page.  However, in this case, the picture was taken down only two minutes after being posted.

So Wikipedia is definitely susceptible to its pitfalls.  However, what makes it vulnerable to such vandalism is also what makes it such a valuable tool in the information age.  And in Wikipedia's case, I believe the good firmly outweighs the bad.

Lamebook!

Without belaboring the obvious, social networking is something that nearly everyone is making use of, all be it in a variety of ways.  Users are able to carry over their daily personal socialization into Facebook, connect to old friends living in other parts of the world, promote and organize upcoming events, and much more.

Facebook, like it or not, has become a cultural institution, and most of the general population is familiar with it's more implicit functions.  However, there are also a variety of other functions that people may not be acutely aware of--like how funny it can be.

Now, Facebook has even become a source for humor.  Websites and blogs such as Failbook, Lamebook, and FacebookFails.com host captured images from anonymous Facebook profiles for all the world to see.  The images on these sights highlight a variety of things including humorous comments, status updates, and pictures, and the kind of content found on these sites covers an entire spectrum.  After all, the content on Facebook is whatever users choose it to make it.

Some of this humor is harmless.  Some is overtly offensive.  Most of it is really funny.  Examples:

One of the recurring themes of these sites is highlighting the ineptitude and/or carelessness of users.

Another theme is highlighting users that share too much information.

Yet another is the comical interaction between parents and children.







These images are funny and entertaining for us, but also serve as a friendly reminder to all of us.  First, that we should all be conscientious of the kind of content we are sharing on social networking sites.  Second, that the ways in which these social networking sites is constantly evolving beyond their intended or implicit functions.

Facebook wasn't designed to provide comedic entertainment, but it now does because of these sites.  And this is only one example of how easily secondary functions can emerge from a social networking site such as Facebook.  With time, creativity, and even more prevalent use, I'm sure we will see even more functions emerging from these sites.