A question that I’ve been asked recently relates to the length of time a puzzle/game campaign for your brand should last. Should it be short and sweet or longer, potentially increasing frequency of exposure to the message. Of course, the answer is ‘it depends’. What are your trying to do? As important, maybe more so, what resources do you have at your disposal.
I’m looking at a proposal that suggests a game lasting 6-7 weeks, with one clue released per week. Some successful games this year have been very different, with timelengths …read more

For those of you interested in the Heroes ARG (link goes to my previous piece) it’s started again with an email or text message to all the registered users this morning, pointing people to new content at Hana’s blog
For those who never saw it last year, sign up now, to watch one of the best examples of extended reality using mobile, web and TV there is. This is not a game, but there are puzzles and activities to follow. The path is set, but the integration between the elements is pretty seamless, with URLS in the show leading …read more

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 …read more

Games and software have been some of the most fertile areas when it comes to interactive marketing, extending a campaign beyond pure advertising. Halo 3, the third instalment of the XBox game, is no exception. Its predecessor, Halo2, was promoted through oneof the biggest ARGs to date, I Love Bees. A similar development appears to be in the works in the run up to the September release. Interestingly, this is not been done by 42 Entertainment but appears to be an internal programme to Bungie and Microsoft.
Campaign elements are slowly coming to light, lovingly documented …read more

Court TV, along with sponsors Suzuki and Applebees, are pushing boundaries again. After the CourtTV campaign That Girl Emily to promote Parco PI, they are now taking it a step further with a fully fledged ARG attempt. But not everything has gone smoothly.
The Game
The principle is straightforward. Andrew Goodis has been kidnapped and his wife is trying to find him. Over 8 days, clues and puzzles will be provided for the players to answer, by sending the game the solution to each puzzle, you get the link to the next days puzzle. The game …read more

One of the most enjoyable SXSW sessions for me was Attack of the ARGs. Following a comment on my write-up, I met up with Dan Hon the COO of Mindcandy to ask about Perplex City and some of the thinking behind the marketing of the project. Over a couple of sessions, Dan was kind enough to cover a lot of ground. Forgive me if it jumps around a bit, it was taken down as a first person transcript, but I’ve tidied it up a little and tried to focus on key areas – and …read more