ARG Netcast, Episode 25: Tales from the Clark

ARG Netcast, Episode 25: Tales from the Clark [ 53:29 ] Play in Popup | Download

It’s our silver anniversary netcast! Jonathan Waite (ARGNet) hosts a memorable discussion with returning panelists Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction) and Jessica Price (ARGNet editor) and also featuring special guest Brian Clark (GMD Studios). This marks Brian’s first visit to the ARG Netcast, and the timing is just right as his company has recently launched Eldritch Errors, a new episodic ARG. Spoiler alert: while we don’t talk specifics about the game, its puzzles or its storyline, there is a great deal of out-of-game discussion which some players might want to avoid (timeframe: 22:12 – 42:09). Subscribe to the ARG Netcast feed through this link or via iTunes. Contact us at our special netcast email address, netcast@argnetcast.info with your tips, suggestions, concerns and submissions. Call us on the ARGNet voicemail at 630-274-5425.

ARG News of the Week

• The Frozen Indigo Angel ARG, promoting BBC Radio 1′s Big Weekend music festival, took a wild turn on the 12th when Violet Kiteway of Perplex City fame mentioned Radio 1 in a blog post at Violet Underground. A puzzle used in a video starring Paul Denchfield led to a new web site for PXC, officially linking the two. There is a full wrap up at ARGNet.
• Dan Hon recently published the transcript from the SXSW Panel discussion “ARG! The Attack of the Alternate Reality Game.” You can read the transcript in its entirety at Dan’s web site, danhon.com.
• On May 8th, Geoff May of ARGNet was contacted through AOL Instant Messenger by a mysterious character calling themselves itstarted1988. The conversation led to a MySpace page for a game players are calling “Love Nevr Dies“, and the game continues through videos and various blogs.
• There might be an ARG developing for the 2008 movie “The Dark Knight.” The next installment of the Batman series stars Heath Ledger as the Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, the DA for Gotham City. The trailhead site ibelieveinharveydent.com is where people found clues which led to a puzzle which, when assembled, reveals Ledger’s face in full makeup as the Joker. All indications point towards a December launch.
• Campfire Media, one of the creative forces behind Art of the Heist and the Blair Witch Project, is promoting the USA Network series The 4400 with a new extended reality promotion. The game, which centers around a fictional neurotransmitter called Promicin, will include web sites, video, mobile technology and real world events, and players are able to add their user-generated content to the game.
• Jan Libby of Sammmeeeees fame has begun writing for the Lonelygirl15 video series, according to a tip ARGNet received from Greg Goodfried, one of the LG15 creators. The tip promises more puzzles and interactivity into the show. ARGNet also received a tip regarding The Human Pet, as it is about to enter Phase 2.
• Jane McGonigal of World Without Oil fame was one of the featured guests on the most recent BoingBoingBoing podcast. Topics include the search for happiness and predicting the future.
• Clues for Sheepskin Ts, a locally-based ARG and t-shirt company, prompted investigation from the police when left in a downtown area. The objects in question included shell casings and what authorities described as a “crude” note. Shockingly, this did not take place in Boston, but in Des Moines, Iowa.
• Finally, the June issue of WIRED magazine features an article on alternate reality gaming which contains a hidden message leading to a contest and a web site owned by none other than 42 Entertainment. The issue should be on newsstands near you.

Special Guest Q&A
This week, Brian Clark is on the hot seat. We tackle all sorts of topics related to Eldritch Errors, including:

• Episodic content
• The curtain and out-of-game discussion
• Homeland Security
• How the mailed packages impact the game
• Telling stories with disappearing media
• Setting up game mythology
• The pace of storytelling
• Suspense, tension & frustration

“This Week in ARG History”-Lite
On May 13, 2002, Unfiction was born. Lucky for us, Sean C. Stacey is on to discuss where it all began and how it has evolved to this day.

Thanks for listening!