ARG! (No, I'm not speaking Pirate)

MgFalcon · 2011-07-30, 07:30 PM

Alternate Reality Game. It's simple just look at this Wikipedia page.

Too lazy to read that?... Thought so, you'd be horrible at one of these games.

Anyways here's the lowdown of an ARG - pretty much they are one of the best viral marketing schemes out there, and in recent years have been gaining A LOT of attention by the media.. as the Wiki likes to state it:

An alternate reality game (ARG) is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions.

Remember Halo 2? they had this little thing called "I love bees"
Even The Dark Knight had an elaborate well-executed ARG bringing the players into the game as the Joker's henchmen... It got to the point where the players were getting messages to go to certain bakeries to tear open a fucking cake to find a cellphone with yet more clues and websites!

Why am I telling y'all this? I believe that Planetside 2 needs to bestow upon us one of these brilliant games!

This is one of the best ways to get the core community and clueless idiots on the street to get involved, and become more intrigued into the World of Planetside. Plus the "I'm a fucking detective figuring out clues!!" feeling gets people really excited and get their friends involved.

I can see it now - posters on the street (or internet) "Enlist Today! For the Terran Army" followed by a website with a personality assessment; concluding with a message saying we will be contacted through email if we are accepted. Something cool like that leading up to either TR, VS, or NC contacting you by hacking into the Terran's mainframe or something trying to get back to Earth and contact you instead. Then something goes hay-wire and sends them into a New Auraxis or something (Thus making PS2's story re-vision possible)

IDK how y'all feel about this. Personally I would be going nuts and devote A LOT of time to it haha!

Bags · 2011-07-30, 07:34 PM

ARGs are stupid. Portal 2's was just a trick to get people to buy indie games. Not to mention it didn't make Portal 2 release earlier.

So no, no ARGs. You know what ACTUALLY gets people stoked? Trailers, teasers, gameplay videos, etc.

bjorntju1 · 2011-07-30, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by Bags

Not to mention it didn't make Portal 2 release earlier.

Well actually it did.

By a few hours lol

Bravix · 2011-07-30, 11:35 PM

Its an interesting concept, though I don't have enough experience to comment on its real usefulness.

Bags · 2011-07-31, 02:16 AM

Hmm, did cracked inspire you to make this thread?

DviddLeff · 2011-07-31, 02:26 AM

I literally just finished reading that cracked article!

A ps2 arg could be done in a variety of ways, and not necessarily organised by the developers...

exLupo · 2011-07-31, 04:44 AM

i love bees was great as was a lot of the early secret world arg. Most are pretty weak and are just used a commercial as opposed to entertainment or hype building.

The concept itself is fine. It's the people you hire to execute it that swing it from great to trash.

MgFalcon · 2011-07-31, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Bags

Hmm, did cracked inspire you to make this thread?

Hahahaha you know me so well!

krnasaur · 2011-07-31, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Bags

Hmm, did cracked inspire you to make this thread?

lol after reading that i thought about a PS2 one... then I remembered this was SOE. We are lucky we got a trailer.

basti · 2011-07-31, 01:52 PM

Go for an ARG! Portals 2 arg was epic, loved every second of it. The tension of getting that next clue, hurrrr.