Excerpt from “Alternating Reality”:
“A man in a robot suit is dashing through Manhattan. Rockefeller Center, stippled with lights from office windows, looms overhead. The neon marquee of NBC Studios streaks by. It’s dusk, and the district is lit with the starbursts of head lights and an overgrowth of signs.
“I just got a text from Chuck! She’s in Times Square. We’ve got to catch her!” he pants, waving his mobile in the air.
He stumbles onto Broadway. The suit, which is cobbled together from cardboard boxes and resembles a Halloween costume, is obviously bothering him. He stops to catch his breath. The bystanders look confused. Then he spots her. She is swathed in tangled red hair and a white T-shirt, headed toward the 42nd Street station. A brief trot, and the moment crescendos into a scene straight out of a movie: The one where the girl is getting away, and the guy who loves her--or, in this case, the robot--must catch her.”
by Jason Johnson (Killscreen V1, iss. 04)
What was it?
The critically acclaimed and fan adored Must Love Robots told the story of Tim as he tried to help his robot roommate O11iver (pronounced Olliver) find love. One of the few romantic comedy Alternate Reality Games ever, Must Love Robots was experienced as an interactive webseries, live events, and game in real-time for 3 months. Hundreds of people from around the world played along and many wound up in episodes of the dynamic show. The gameplay included complex puzzles, call-in robot dating advice, live robot speed dating, player generated photos, videos, and stories, over 10 hours of video, and plenty of websites.
> Check out the videos here
> Check out a complete player-created guide here.
The ARG phenomenon of the year!
Jonathan Waite
ARGnetcast
30K
forum views
50k
page views
35k
video & podcast views
2.5 mins.
average time on site
What is it?
Socks Incorporated is a family-friendly game that blurs the line between the real, the digital, and the imaginary. Using real-world sock puppets as online avatars, families are sent out into the real-world on storytelling missions. Players take pictures and videos to share their own sock puppets’ story and play through the world of the Socks, Inc. factory.
Socks, Inc. has been recognized for its innovative play as at Indiecade, Power to the Pixel, ARGFest-0-Con,
We may just have come across the best case of old school meets new world that we have ever seen.
The Pop Culture Passionistas
and 01SJ. The press can’t get enough of it, either! Since its release, it’s been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Wired Magazine, and called “a brilliant idea” by Rock, Paper Shotgun.
> Check out Socks, Inc. here
Interested in partnering up with AH to expand the world of Socks, Inc.? Let us know! Collaborators can develop departments, host live events, sponsor installations, and more.
What is it?
The Wisconsin Hustle is a card game and a game for Android devices; more than that, The Wisconsin Hustle is an American tradition clothed in mystery and from unknown origins. Men, and recently women, challenge each other in pantsless dance-offs for truth, money, and above all honor.
On a rare occasion Hustlers, as they are known, will pants-off dance-off to the death! However, players of our game need not worry, since we are more interested in the ethnographic, ethnochoreographic, and pantsnographic study of The Wisconsin Hustle than creating a “two man enter, one man leaves” sort of affair.
> Check out the party-friendly card game in our store
> The app will be released Winter 2011, sign up here to be notified
What a fun game! Wisconsin Hustle works your brains *and* your booty. A sock-hoppin' great time!
J.C. Hutchins
Author of 7th Son
