Digital Nightfall on 5/3/2010 at 18:29
Alternate Reality Game. In this case, the alternate reality is one where Aperture Science is a real company in Washington State. The climax, it seems, of the ARG was just a countdown to the reveal of the GI article.
Tonamel on 5/3/2010 at 18:29
Alternate Reality Game. Typically it's a story told through a series of websites, email addresses, phone numbers, tv ads, and whatever other means the creators decide to use. Puzzles are generally used to provide challenge to the players, and to gatekeep information about the backstory.
But the most important part is that there's a story being told in the "real world." Valve is using a BBS system, which is sort of creeping into ARG territory, but there's no plot and no characters so I can't really call this a true ARG (yet). It's just a series of interesting puzzles.
Tonamel on 5/3/2010 at 18:39
Not that I want to derail the thread any further, but why do you think ARGs are stupid?
Regards,
Tonamel, professional ARG developer
ZylonBane on 5/3/2010 at 18:45
Because the entire point of videogames is to NOT get out and do stuff in the big blue room. If I'm going to do that, I've got actual
useful stuff to do, thanks.
Furthermore, because ARGs are pure (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88xapT0Ekzg) marketing.
Taffer36 on 5/3/2010 at 18:57
ARG's are an excellent form of marketing. And this Portal 2 stuff they're doing is pretty sweet, whether it counts as an ARG or not.
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
If I'm going to do that, I've got actual
useful stuff to do, thanks.
You aren't fooling anyone.
Volitions Advocate on 5/3/2010 at 19:01
oops.. my bad.
EDIT: fixed the link in OP
gunsmoke on 5/3/2010 at 19:16
Quote Posted by Taffer36
ARG's are an excellent form of marketing. And this Portal 2 stuff they're doing is pretty sweet, whether it counts as an ARG or not.
No to both sentences. ARGs...ugh. I just hate everything about them.
Digital Nightfall on 5/3/2010 at 19:57
Whatever it is, it's not over. Valve hid (in plain sight) a new login to the BBS in the Portal 2 announcement, which is leading to new discoveries. Mostly... that Portal 2 will have a co-op mode.
Looks like this is also worth keeping an eye on if you'd rather skip the ARG (or whatever you want to call it) stuff and just get the goods in tiny doses: (
http://gameinformer.com/mag/portal2.aspx)
Or, just ignore all Portal related stuff until March 11th. (You could always spend your time looking at images of the Deus Ex 2 lighter and beard instead.)
