Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) can be a fun and exciting way to promote you library, collections and services to a diverse audience. This type of 'real world' gaming can showcase and spotlight you collections and services in an entirely different perspective and expose your patrons to traditional resources that may tend to be hard to 'sell'. They are also a great way to promote your brand and update your image in an exciting and imaginative way.
The page serves as a web based supplement to my presentation given at the NJLA Annual Conference (2011). Please feel free to contact me with any questions, ideas or even gaming collaberations. I am open to pretty much anything that is
A) Legal (gray areas not excluded)
B) Results in a good time to be had by all
1. Articles/Books
2. Presentations
3. ARG Resources
- ARGNet.com - Probably the single best resource on the Internet with news and articles about alternate reality games. The website also includes a section that lists currently active games that players can participate in.
- Unfiction - This forum is basically a sandbox for ARG players where they can collaberate, share and work out puzzles and clues from the various ARGs that are currently being played. The website also provides links to helpful resources and tools for players, as well as current information about current ARGs as well as games that may be coming in the future.
- Transmedia 360 - A company that specializes in multimedia, gaming as well as ARG gaming design and deployment
- Avant Games - The home of Jane McGonical, one of the iconic figures in the world of both alternate reality gaming, as well as gaming for social good. She has worked on and developed numerous ARG's designed to challenge and educate participants, as well as allow them the creativity to work out real like problems and solutions within the gaming context. She is a real pioneer.
- ARGology.org - A fantastic blog dedicated to ARGs and ARG research. The website is a great resource for general information about this gaming type with lists of links to various resources on design, development, and history
- 2006 ARG SIG White Paper - a lengthy but complete resource outlining the history, influences, categories and research of alternate reality games
- Alternate Reality Gaming : A Quickstart Guide
4. ARG Examples
5. Game Design Tools and Resources
- How to Create Codes and Ciphers - how to web guide to creating various types of ciphers and codes
- Cipher Tools - various web based tools for generating various cipher types
- YouTube - free hosting service for digital videos for video related game content
- Audacity - create, edit and convert audio files to MP3 format for audio related game content
- Google Voice free texting and customizable voicemail services for use with phone/text based gameplay elements
- Wordpress.com - free blogging service which can be used to create a website, or websites, for your game
- Blogger.com - another free blogging service
- Facebook - social network useful for game information dissemination, as well as creating fictional characters and content to supplement game plotlines
- Twitter - microblogging service which can also be used for dissemination of game content as well as fictional character creation
- QR Code Generator (convert text, url, or image into a QR Code for use with mobile devices)
- Note: they are being phased out for more sophisticated embedded chip technology but its a nice cost effective solution still, and free mobile readers for QR are still free :)
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