ARG Netcast, Episode 40: 365 [60:37m]: Play in Popup | Download

One year after we started this crazy train of ARG Netcast discussions, we’ve reached episode 40. Joining host Jonathan Waite (ARGNet) for the festivities are Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction, Despoiler) and konamouse (Unfiction forum moderator).

News Items of the Week

• Congratulations go out to the team at 42 Entertainment as their puzzle game Vanishing Point won multiple W3 Awards. The company, well known for its alternate reality games, won three eleven awards, including the Best in Show. The W3 Awards are sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts.
• Daniel van Gool, an Unfiction forums administrator, was kind enough to report on PICNIC ’07 for ARGNet. His three part report is available on argn.com, and is an in-depth look at this year’s cross-media conference.
• The end has come for It’s Coming, a viral marketing campaign we last told you about in episode 37. As it turns out, the game was a buzz-generating project for the Ditch Witch Zahn, a trenching machine.
• Many people have been receiving postcards and strange emails for a game being called “The Book of Minimer Randibone” or “Zetria Atrian”. The Chaotic Fiction narrative is filled with references to the classic arcade game R-Type, the printed quality of the postcards is quite high, and a privately-registered web site has recently been discovered, so its anyone’s guess where this one is going, but so far it’s providing enigmatic fun for onlookers and participants alike.

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 Netcast, Episode 40: 365 [60:37m]: Play in Popup | Download

One year after we started this crazy train of ARG Netcast discussions, we’ve reached episode 40. Joining host Jonathan Waite (ARGNet) for the festivities are Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction, Despoiler) and konamouse (Unfiction forum moderator). News Items of the Week Congratulations go out to the team at 42 Entertainment as their puzzle game Vanishing Point [...]

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 ARG Netcast, Episode 39: Lance Weiler [60:40m]: Play in Popup | Download

Thanks to regular panelist Marie Lamb, the associate editor at ARGNet, we are honored to be joined by Lance Weiler for an hour of captivating discussion. Lance is a film director who has written and directed Head Trauma, a movie that is also known as a ‘cinema ARG’. Lance answers all the questions we could throw at him, including queries about Hope is Missing a new ARG that has been created to promote the DVD release of his film.

For more information on Frank, see:

Stage6 wants to help you find Hope
“I’ll have some nachos–oh, and one creepy guy to follow me home, please.”
http://www.lanceweiler.com
http://www.headtraumamovie.com/ (scroll down for content)
http://www.htmob.com/blog/

News Items of the Week

• Red Monday is the name of a new game that has elicited both positive and negative reaction from ARG players. While the codebreaker puzzles and interaction are attractive to some participants, the game creators have decided to treat the Unfiction forums, a clearly out-of-game resource, as part of the game’s content. You can start in at the game’s trailhead web site, red-monday.com.
• The Case of the Coveted Bottle seems to have wrapped up. The game was well received by players and the waiting game is on to see who won the grand prize. In the meantime, some people who had a chance to experience the ARG are hoping for a Q&A session with the game creators.
• Guy Parsons, formerly of Mind Candy Design, has published a presentation he gave to Penguin Books in which he references Perplex City. Guy suggests that stories be told in a more ‘rock and roll fashion’, which generally means adding more flash and spark to the reading experience. Head over to vexappeal.com/mashup for the write-up.
• Michael Andersen reported at ARGNet this week on the recently launched Hope is Missing game, noting that the game has gone through significant changes since its unveiling to make clear that it is an ARG. The game deals with a missing person and incorporates video into its narrative.

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 Netcast, Episode 39: Lance Weiler [60:40m]: Play in Popup | Download

Thanks to regular panelist Marie Lamb, the associate editor at ARGNet, we are honored to be joined by Lance Weiler for an hour of captivating discussion. Lance is a film director who has written and directed Head Trauma, a movie that is also known as a ‘cinema ARG’. Lance answers all the questions we could [...]

Continue reading " ARG Netcast, Episode 39: Lance Weiler "

 ARG Netcast, Episode 38: Gaming the System [54:45m]: Play in Popup | Download

When it comes to the ARG Netcast series, it’s better late than never, right? We hope so, because it was a busy week for host Jonathan Waite (ARGNet) who apologizes for the delay in getting this quality recording out to you, the public. Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction, Despoiler), Brooke Thompson (Giant Mice) and Marie Lamb (ARGNet) are featured panelists in a discussion that revolves around the recently announced Let’s Change the Game ARG design competition, what the “gaming” in alternate reality gaming means, and why games sometimes fail to meet expectations.

No time for show notes, Dr. Jones. Catch us later in the week for links and stuff mentioned in this episode.

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 Netcast, Episode 38: Gaming the System [54:45m]: Play in Popup | Download

When it comes to the ARG Netcast series, it’s better late than never, right? We hope so, because it was a busy week for host Jonathan Waite (ARGNet) who apologizes for the delay in getting this quality recording out to you, the public. Sean C. Stacey (Unfiction, Despoiler), Brooke Thompson (Giant Mice) and Marie Lamb [...]

Continue reading " ARG Netcast, Episode 38: Gaming the System "