Chaotic Fiction

Over at Unfiction Unforums, there’s a debate taking place about the different terms that can be used when referring to games, puzzles, realities and the like. Konamouse defines the different types.

Alternate Reality = fictional world, no matter what the medium – book, video, tv or film, or on the internet. Characters within this world believe their world is real (see “This is not a game”, i.e. TINAG) and any interaction by players with these characters supports that supposition.

So this is everything creative, all literature, media, is all an alternative reality that has various degrees of differentiation from the current real world. For marketers, that includes the world and stories they set their marketing in, the profiles and motivations they apply to their audience, the stories they build up around the ads. The UK series of ads for Nestle Gold Blend (Tasters Choice in US) took this to an extreme in the 90’s, building a credible reality for the characters; so much so that millions tuned into the ad break for the final commercial to see

ARG – an Alternate Reality GAME is where character interaction can be both automatic responses and personalized, where the players “hunt” (usually solving puzzles/codes/ciphers) for the next chapter in the story, but have some affect on the direction, twists and turns in the plot, and even sometimes the ending, depending on the interaction with the characters.

I Love Bees is generally quoted as being the ‘classic’ ARG from a marketing perception. Put together for Halo 2, it had millions playing. There’s not too many of this type being done for marketing – it takes time, people and a lot of money to do it well because you have to react in real time. Whilst your markers and main steps are set, there is still a lot of reaction and creativity that take place in reaction to the players. However, this is a common form of amateur games, which are not scaled for mass marketing and a few dozen players can still be seen as a success for the Puppet Master

ARE – an Alternate Reality Experience is when character interaction is automatic responses only. There is still puzzle solving to find the next chapter, but the players have NO affect on the direction, the path, nor the ending. The story is set in stone. Like a puzzle trail that has a story.

This is definitely more common amongst companies, being used this year for things Like Volvo, Court TV and Bourne Ultimatum film. Everything is set up front and, in theory, you just run it, release new things every day and follow the set story line. Far more than ARGs, these are tied into sweepstakes, competitions for prizes; they are more practical than ARGs for mass marketing. Even so, things can easily go wrong if the creators do not understand their multiple constituencies – puzzles attract more than the core target audience of a brand.

Chaotic Fiction - an Alternate Reality in which the players interact with the characters to create the story as it goes, not really about puzzle solving to find the next chapter, but more about the next chapter is based on interaction between characters and players.

I would argue that Ford’s Where are the Jones falls into this category. From a set premise, the story is being developed by the audience. I’m not aware of any other marketing efforts falling in the same vein, although I’d love to find some.

Extended Reality – the viral type marketing where the internet is being used to promote a commercial product (item, tv, movie, book, etc) that includes websites that may or may not appear to have interactive elements but there is NO effect by the players on the true property. There might be player generated content utilized on the internet to help players feel ownership and partnership, but it doesn’t affect the product (as a recent example, think Heroes – the interaction was automatic response, the outcome predetermined by the authors, etc). This is being utilized more and more as an advertising medium (Save My Husband) or extension of art (Year Zero) or a means to show a back story to a tv show (Lost Experience). It’s also a great way for these folks to harvest emails, track public interest, and generate advertising revenue with product placement.

For me, this has a heavy overlap with ARE – I’d call SaveMyHusband a pre-determined game (it did not tie in with an entertainment property) but the Heroes comics and in-show texts an extended reality. Any of the above mechanisms can be used for marketing, it’s all about who is paying for it! If it’s a commercial entity that has a relationship marketing plan, then they’ll always be after names and email.

From talking to many people around the industry, the interest in this area as a way of engaging customers is growing. There’ll be a lot more on the way.