ARGs are the blend between video and in-person gaming. Players are meant to interact with the story and their own environment. We are not limited by a single medium or platform. ARGs can incorporate text, video, audio, phone calls, scavenger hunts, email, code-breaking puzzles, and theatrical performances.
I wanted to take a deeper dive into the “this is not a game” aesthetic and how ARGs are not exactly video games. The game itself does not know that it is a game. There’s no real ruleset or set of boundaries since the “rules” are determined through the trial and error of the player. These acts take place in real-time with characters that respond authentically and are not controlled by a code. Everything within is real. Emails, phone numbers, stores, etc. all exist and can be used.
ARGs use your existence as a medium. The game caters to the player. The creators of an ARG will have a story in mind, but most of the time will have to respond and incorporate player content and actions and change the narrative.
ARGs incorporate all sorts of different narrative architectures. They use evocative spaces, giving more meaning to the world around us, not limited by the creator. Its incorporation of embedded narrative allows its players to discover as they go along. Since there are little to no boundaries, this could entail discovering the narrative in a non-linear fashion.
I shared an article at the bottom of this post that I found to be very interesting.
I agree with your ideas about ARGs! I think that’s why I personally find them so interesting, haha. Using vocab from the course, ARGs tend to take on unilateral dynamics, where the players/audience are on a different playing field than the creator(s) behind an ARG. However, instead of it being a unilateral competitive dynamic, it’s actually a unilateral cooperative dynamic. I like ARG creators to dungeon masters for table top roleplaying games – when I DM a game, my goal isn’t to kill off all of my players. Instead, I’m working with my players to create an engaging and entertaining story, even if I’m the only one with a “peak behind the curtain”. I think ARG creators operate in much the same way – it’s a form of storytelling/entertainment first and foremost, and if you’re inviting active audience input and participation, you have to be willing to allow that to influence the direction of the story, lest you fall into the dreaded trap of “railroading” your players – ignoring their choices and making them feel powerless within the game, just because you want it to go a certain way. It definitely keeps you on your toes!