The Rise of ARGs

Gamasutra has a feature up discussing the advent of the Alternate Reality Game genre and discussing some of the early examples of the game style. They discuss the fact that most ARGs to date have been promotions of one kind or another, and the possible repercussions of this limitation. From the article: "While they have demonstrated their use as a cost-effective and entertaining way to promote a product many times, ARGs deserve serious consideration - especially from independent developers - as a way to grow and distribute unique intellectual property."

Comments

Advertising Reality Games

[Shadarr]

In my experience, the hype surrounding ARGs vastly overshadows the actual reach and market penetration of the game. Despite all the stories about it being the Next Big Thing(TM), I don't know anyone who's done more than click a couple links or, more likely, read a story like this one. Most likely, the reason for the hype is that they're advertising vehicles, and the hype is the whole reason for the game. It doesn't really matter whether anyone actually plays the game, so long as the media talks about the game and by proxy, whatever product is being pushed.