Does anyone here like, or follow any ARGs? For those who don't know, an Alternate Reality Game is a game that takes place "in the real world" usually through various media outlets (Though it is is different from LARP Games). "Players" find clues, and ciphers on websites, in media, or in the physical world. It's a pretty general field, with lots of different styles, and ways of giving clues, recruiting players, and moving along the story. Some examples loosely include, Kanye's Quest, Unedited Footage of a Bear, This House has People in It (which is terrifying), and one of the most famous, Marble Hornets to name a few. There is also the ill-fated CL44, which looked really cool, but sadly, got cancelled cause the guys behind it had a falling out (This is not part of the game, these were the Marble Hornets guys, and two of the IRL writers quit cause of creative differences with a new staffer, among other things.)
Anyway, ARGs can also be used by big companies to market stuff as part of a viral marketing campaign. For example, The Dark Knight had an ARG that went on for about a year before the film came out called "Why so serious?". Microsoft also launched one for Halo 2 called "I love Bees". ARG elements can also seep into media-art projects, not unlike the horrific things that happen to Alantutorial, or the uncanny, and off-putting robotic tone of Poppy (Only look up Alan, or Poppy if you don't plan on sleeping for a few days-- You have been warned).
I really like the idea of ARGs. I've always been into weird stuff like that, and a lot of them do incorporate horror elements to some degree. I have to admit though, I have not actually participated in an ARG myself. All of the ones I've seen, or followed have been post-end, and I watched videos on YouTube about it, from one user in particular, Night Mind. He makes good content. It's long, but usually really interesting. I recommend checking him out if you are into this stuff. He's one of the better sources out there, and is very matter-of-fact, and informative.
So, does anyone here get into this stuff? I think the reason I'm drawn to this form of interactive story telling is because of how it can make you feel, and how it can mess with your perception. It is a type of immersion that other games can't offer, and it is a budding "industry" only really coming into prominence in the last decade. Now, I know there are older ones, like Ong's Hat, and stuff, but they are only getting better, and more intertwined with the world as technology, and media consumption advances.
Tl;dr, it's a really cool form of interactive story telling.