You may not realize it, but there are vast numbers of people participating in scavenger hunts all over the world - right from the comfort of their own neighborhoods, backyards, and even rec rooms. No, I’m not talking about augmented reality games - games like Pokemon Go, where the game information is placed over our own - I’m talking about alternate reality games.This form of storytelling is rapidly rising in popularity thanks to the interest and involvement it can create in large groups of people, spreading from hardcore fans to new users.

An alternate reality game (ARG) is a part-story, part-scavenger hunt that plays out over many different mediums. Usually the clues are hidden so that only those who are “in the know” about a certain fandom can recognize them and follow the trail. Because of how these clues can be spread out across webpages, newspaper ads, or even hidden in real-life areas, they require a dedicated fan-base that can organize and communicate effectively to further the hunt and excitement.

ARG History

One of the first examples of an ARG was “Ong’s Hat.” Beginning as an urban legend about a New Jersey Ghost town of the same name, the story detailed Princeton university experiments with quantum physics and traveling to alternate dimensions. This ARG began with 4 individuals who posted different pieces of the story in message boards, zines, even random mailing lists. It was intended as a piece of collaborative fiction, spanning multiple mediums.

A slightly different example from the same era is “Dreadnot” [sic], which ran in 1996 and was published through their website SFGate. It began with a “choose your own adventure” style webpage that led the reader through a short story. Soon, readers discovered that there were clues in real life involving: working voicemail numbers for characters, clues in the source code of the website, character email addresses, off-site websites, real locations in San Francisco, and even real people, all relating in some way to the fictional mystery.

From their early conception, these “games” tended to be more about telling stories and involving a community rather than marketing. This changed when Steven Spielberg began planning the marketing for his 2001 movie “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.” A team at Microsoft was hired to produce “The Beast.” This ARG lasted twelve weeks, and began with a fictional name in the credits on its posters and trailers for the film. The puzzles involved everything from the WW2 Enigma Machine to translating several languages, and 30 different websites created specifically for the game - a game which, at several points explicitly tells the players that it was not a game at all, but was real.

Today, there is a multitude of alternate reality games. In 2012, a short-lived cartoon titled “Gravity Falls” was released. The followed a young pair of twins who discover a mysterious journal in the strange titular town. The show developed a massive cult following thanks the codes and clues hidden within the show. The show ended in 2016, but its creator soon Alex Hirsch tweeted a photo which teased that a statue shown in the final episode could be found in real life. Since the start of the ARG, clues have been found in places ranging from St. Petersburg to Japan; and several different states in America.

One of the most recent ARGs to develop a following (and frustrate the followers) is that of Sombra. Over the summer, the creators of Diablo and the World of Warcraft series’ released an entirely new IP: Overwatch. The game is a class-based first person shooter set in the future 60 years from now. The game boasts a sizable list of characters that players can pick, and the producers promise more. In game, there are several references to a not-yet seen character named “Sombra.” There was little information to go off of, until a video was released showcasing the first added character Ana. A few frames of the video revealed a code which deciphered into a spanish phrase. Further codes have been found spread throughout Blizzard’s own website, inside the data for images, and in other websites made just for the ARG.

Niantic, the producers of Pokemon Go, were first known for their game "Ingress." This game works very similarly to the latest craze, but rather than discovering pokemon and pokestops, players found "portals" in real world locations. By linking these portals in different ways, players can affect the story that is communicated through live events and the internet. Though it draws heavily from the ideas of geocaching, this game has rapidly become the one of the most popular and steady of ARGs.

The future of ARG’s

Though these games can incite a powerful interest in those familiar with them, they are not without concerns.

One criticism is that a poorly executed game ARG may hinder the excitement they intend to build. The “Sombra” ARG I mentioned before has developed a large number of those who are tired of a slow trickle of information. Most of the codes in the ARG have translated into vague quotes or messages relayed in spanish. The frustration is leading many to be apathetic towards the upcoming release.

In 2008, Oakland based artist Jeff Hull developed an alternate reality game that enrolled more than 10,000 individuals in a vaguely defined “Jejune Institute.” Members were sent about San Francisco (which seems to be a center for these games) to do random tasks. Filled with New-Agey lingo, the general public developed a fear of it being a cult of some sort. Though in the end it was harmless, the scope of the game was massive: radio stations set on repeat, advertisements all across the city, and several meetings a week for those most dedicated to it. The outward appearance of a new religious movement can have the very real side effect of producing fear and confusion.

Hull himself has denounced alternate reality games, stating that they are “mere marketing tools” that don’t challenge the participants in ways they should.

Perhaps these games really are just marketing tools, intended to manipulate an audience into paying more attention to an upcoming movie, reinvigorate a dying brand, or sell more copies of a new videogame. One could say that games, movies, and even certain books are detrimental to the consumer in one way or another. Or perhaps the concept of an ARG is innovative: a story being told across media platforms; building worlds within our own; involving the reader, viewer, or listener in ways never before attempted. Or they could be games that just make the player say “arg.”