Unless you pay attention, you are going to miss the next generation of storytelling.
Every few months I like to write Alternate-Reality Games (ARG)--the 21st century storytelling genre where readers get to play out a fictional story in the real world.
These are intricate scavenger hunts written by novelists, marketing folks, nerds, and gamers. They use the Internet as a springboard to launch stories into the real world.
The website Eurogamer has the scoop on a brand new ARG promoting the videogame, Halo 3. The trail of clues includes chatroom chatter, comic books, and obscure computer graphics, all part of an mystery that players must solve, on and off the Internet. Check it out:
"'Iris' is a spiral campaign designed to take gamers on an incredible journey through the Halo Universe," a spokesperson for Microsoft told us. "Led by an 'unknown' hand, users will discover bits of previously unknown information about the Halos, the Flood, the Forerunners, and the true origins behind the Halo trilogy."
If you are interested in following this story, there's more information at the Halo 3 website and xBox 360 Fanboy and this fan-controled Iris wiki. As web writers, we need to pay attention to the work of these pioneers. (Thanks, slashdot)
Just wanted to tell about a new book, The Malice Box by Martin Langfield. It comes out this fall and there will be a game associated with it.
Posted by: Nichelle | June 23, 2007 8:05 AM | Permalink to Comment