Trouvu la ringon perditan

An exciting 360 degree ARG is really taking shape. Designed in part by Jane McGonigal, creater of numerous multi-layered game experiences in the past, this has the makings of a classic.

To get involved follow these easy steps (taken from McGonigals blog, avantgame)

1) First, watch The Lost Ring trailer at http://www.thelostring.com
2) Next, learn the legends of the ancient games, including The Lost Olypmic Sport, by watching the video podcasts at http://www.thelostgames.com/
3) Then, meet the global cast of characters -- they're blogging in eight different languages! -- at http://www.findthelostring.com/
4) Finally, if you're hooked, visit the players' wiki to catch up on the story and puzzles so far -- it's at http://olympics.wikibruce.com/Home

Let me know if you find the lost ring...

ARGs made clear (er)

Many thanks to Kyle Stallone for doing a great service to the ARG community with this site: whatisthisgameabout. It's a site that anyone who's struggled with piecing together a storyline from thousands of forum posts will welcome with open arms, as it provides synopses of current ARGs and ways in for newcomers. Should make games a little more accessible for the confused masses.
Now why didn't I think of that_

Tomorrow Calling goes public

Many thanks to Nicko Demeter for posting this article on ARGN.com. Looks like the launch is now official!

It's Tomorrow Calling. Do You Accept the Charges?
by Nicko Demeter
If a relative from the future asked for your help to protect the Earth, what would you do?

This is the first line of the teaser email leading to a new alternate reality game aimed to bring environmental awareness to the ARG community. The game offers the usual (such as hidden clues on the sites, YouTube videos, and cryptic blogs) while the flavorful text speaks of an uncertain tomorrow, and an Earth that we must protect now for future generations.

While ARGNet could find no indication that there is any overlap in puppetmasters, characters in Tomorrow Calling link to sites from another environmentally sensitive ARG, World Without Oil, and refer to it not as a game, but as a "reality."

The message is sent loud and clear within the text as much as within the actual clues. Do you need to find the next website? Then you must read the blog of a woman that muses about her fears for the earth as we know it. Do you want to know why the evil organization is... evil? Check out a Google Earth file with important dates and sites for the environmental movement.

According to its creators, the game so far has welcomed only a few players, in order to work out the kinks for a larger scale launch. With its beta launch back in May, the sites definitely look professional and the blog posts are well thought out. However, it appears to me to be an immersive, but mostly static narrative without a great deal of direct interaction.

The game has garnered some critical acclaim, as its (apparent) creators Jim Wolff and Andrea Sides have won the Grant Challenge Award at the 5th International Symposium on Digital Earth, held this past June in San Francisco. With its aspirations to educate as well as entertain, we are certainly looking forward to more from Tomorrow Calling in the near future.

Alternate reality gets real

Mark Heggen has just posted a fascinating article on the ´non-casual` uses of ARGs on his blog http://retext.blogspot.com/. Aside from some great interviews and views from big-hitters in ARG and media circles, there´s also a short interview with myself covering some of the ideas posted throughout this blog. Am honoured to be in such illustrious company!

Aside from this, World Without Oil has launched and has already collected a massive amount of input from people´s video, pictures and blogs, not to mention some well conceived missions. It´s a fantastic concept, and is probably the best example currently out there of how ARGs might be used for social purpose. Brilliant design overall - looking fwd to seeing where it all goes.

And as a final piece of good news, the ARG that Andrew Sides and I designed has been selected as a winner for the International Digital Earth Conference (www.ISDE5.org). We´ll be heading out to San Francisco in June to pick up our award. And will be sure to wear a flower in our hair.

GBL completed - More than just fun and games: what I have e-learnt this semester

Well it's been a thoroughly engaging few months for me, covering a whole host of topics and areas, not just related to gaming, but also to internet technologies and functions, online collaboration and to literacy and learning as a whole. I can honestly say that I have had no greater desire to learn about and understand a subject - perhaps because it interests me greatly, perhaps because of the enthusiasm of other members and moderator of the course, or perhaps from the intentional design of the course to encourage these features - but probably a combination of all three. Here I hope to review my original aims for the course, and some persistent themes that have arisen in my weblog - I'll finish briefly with some possible future directions.

In terms of original aims for the course, I was particularly interested in how computer games might be used alongside f2f group teaching/training. I had initial reservations about people, especially children, spending so much time physically isolated from others in front of a screen, and wanted to find ways to incorporate digital technologies and f2f group activities. I was thoroughly pleased to be introduced then, to the concept of ARGs, which integrated online collaboration and often group activities too. Games like The Go Game, Augmented Reality Games, 'Big Games' and even the concept of Smart Mobs all combine technology features with personal collaboration and learning. The step that ARGs take, from full fantasy, to semi-real, semi-fantasy (or 'real-play' as opposed to 'role-play' in McGonigal's words) is for me a significant motivation for exploring this field further, and the scope it has for engaging learners in collaborative ways.

This is not to say that I haven't also learned to appreciate the value of single-player, screen-based games. Through a focussed enquiry into the game *Civilisation IV*, and the writings of Squire and Gee in particular, I have come to realise the significant potential that video games, especially simulation games, have for providing learners with a fully immersive environment in which to learn about subjects. In such games players are free to make choices, make mistakes, and act as if they really *are* the game's protagonist character, encouraging meaningful, embodied action of direct relevance to the player. This is in my view an enormous step forward from a simple text-based pedagogy. The thoughts and experiences of Sasha Barab and David Shaffer were also very helpful in coming to appreciate just how valuable learning in an immersive game environment might be, as they both express eloquently how a game with well-designed learning intentions might not just teach a player facts about a subject, but require the player to be a *practitioner* of that subject.[This NML webcast was fascinating in this respect]

In terms of continuing themes, one that has consistently arisen, both in this course and the previous (IDEL), is the Digital Native vs Digital Immigrants debate. Through this study of games I have come to realise that this gulf is perhaps even wider than I had first appreciated, and this point is relentlessly drilled home by Gee's analysis of where schools are failing engage learners in the way that good video games do (see previous post). However, as I argued previously, I believe that using games and digital simulations may be one way of diminishing this divide. Utilising the inherent appeal of good, well-designed games will inspire students to learn using technology they are accustomed to, while also introducing older generation teachers to digital age teaching technology.

Another theme that has persisted throughout this course is what constitutes a *good* game. From readings by traditional play theorists to modern-day digital game designers, it is clear that the features that make a game enjoyable and fun to play have not suddenly changed in the digital age. Elements of fantasy and challenge, while not always necessary, seem to be in most cases a common factor for the game's appeal. Likewise, ensuring that the challenge is not too easy, nor too hard, seems to be an enduring problem for game designers, very much like it is for teachers who are planning their lessons.

As a meta-reflection on the game-centred design of this particular course, it has been fascinating for me to actually experience the potential for GBL, by carrying out game-like tasks, using Second Life, Google Earth and WebQuests. It was interesting to experience directly the motivational draw that such tasks inspired in me, and most of the time I forgot that they were actually *learning* tasks. The subsequent discussions that ensued from these tasks where on balance highly entertaining, and rather than distracting from the intended learning, actually encouraged (for me anyway) further subject enquiry. As a teaching model this is potentially extremely powerful.

I'd like to reflect finally on the game design task, in which Andrew Sides and I created the ARG *Tomorrow Calling* (which should be ready for 'launching' soon). It was and still is (as I had feared it might) a challenging and painfully creative, yet hugely rewarding experience. Here's a list of things I have learned in the process: importance of narrative structure and character development; website development, design and uploading; code encryption and challenge design; audio recording and cross-media integration; the value of subject-related forums (affinity groups); features of a good/bad ARG (I hope); and effective and not-so-effective ways to produce work and communicate with a co-worker online. Such an outcome of having a game designed and produced by the end of the course (almost), was not something I had originally expected.

In terms of future directions, I am now hugely inspired to further my research and application of GBL and, as I mentioned above, I'm particularly drawn to the potential of ARGs and Cross-Media initiatives for learning and teaching (Project NML for example, includes some innovative projects). I get the impression (though this is likely to be biased of course) that the field of GBL is likely to grow over the next few years, and for me this is one of the more exciting and potentially important directions that the wider field of e-learning is heading.

Bonus level - Welcome to Digitalia

I have had an idea brewing over the past month or so, which I had intended to submit as my game design assignment - but with the Digital Earth competition taking this over, have just decided to note down the bones of it here.

*Welcome to Digitalia*

The main aim of this website-based game is to teach teachers about digital functions that young people use all the time, giving them direct practice and ideas for educational use.

Digitalia is a fictitious country in which children are the main inhabitants (or 'natives'). The home page contains links to information about some of the customs (social networking, blogging, Web 2.0 functions, games, etc), artefacts (internet, iPod, computer, etc) and some of the learning preferences (teamwork, parallel processing, hypertext thinking, etc) of the Digitalia Natives (DNs).
It also has a Visa application process for Digitalia Immigrants (DIs) who want to access the country. As part of the application process, teachers (or whoever) mustcomplete a series of tasks/games/challenges, each relating to technology and Web 2.0 functions such as blogging, making podcasts, using Del.icio.us, Wikis, and Google Earth, etc., which relate to how they might be integrated into teaching practice.

The game is also designed to encourage some of the skills needed to flourish in the information age, such as:

Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving

Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery

Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes

Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content

Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details

Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities

Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal

Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources

Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities

Networking — the ability to search for,synthesize,and disseminate information

Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities,discerning and respecting multiple perspectives and grasping and following alternative norms.

(taken from NML white paper - see below)

There is also scope for automated character interaction via email, video, audio, etc. However, unlike most popular ARGs which unfold in real-time (Perplex City for example), this is designed for individual players to go through at their own pace (like BBC's Jamie Kane), though some team-working with other applicants will be required.

Once the visa application process is complete, the older generation can become Digitalia Natives themselves!

[This game links in with some of the work carried out by the New Media Literacies project, which seeks to identify and inform teachers about the various skills required for the information age, as well as helping 'children to learn what they need to know to become fuller participants in the new media landscape. NML combines an interesting group of researchers and educators, including Henry Jenkins (Convergence Culture, 2006) and Ravi Purushotma, who have done much research into the educational potential of digital games, and ARGs especially.

They have recently produced the NML White Paper (2007), which goes into great detail about children's media use and the related skills they are developing in using internet-linked technologies - skills that are well-suited to a forthcoming knowledge economy, but which currently schools are failing to address. The paper coins the phrase *Participatory Culture* to describe the younger generation's practice of creating and sharing media content. The paper explains that 'a participatory culture is a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices. A participatory culture is also one in which members believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social connection with one another'. The point about informal mentorship is particularly interesting from an educational perspective, as this describes a peer-to-peer learning process that many teachers (the good ones at least) would love to see from their students. Other potential benefits of a participatory culture include 'the diversification of cultural expression, the development of skills valued in the modern workplace [see Gee, Hull and Lankshear 1996, 'The New Work Order'], and a more empowered conception of citizenship'. These are all benefits that teachers really ought to be capitalising on, and a game like Welcome to Digitalia might be a useful tool for helping them do this.]

LEVEL 8 - ARGs: Using alternate realities teach about *real* realities

In terms of cognitive challenge, a well-designed ARG can be extremely demanding, so much so that players must rely on a 'collective community' to solve problems. ARGs will often require players to become adept at deciphering hidden codes, and this is sure to develop highly analytical thinking, yet also often needs creative 'out-of-the-box' ideas. It also indirectly teaches web 2.0 savvy, as much of ARG content is distributed through multimedia, forums, blogs, interactive websites and the internet - a player cannot help but become accustomed with these functions.

Not only does an ARG develop intricate research skills and attention to detail, but also require players to synthesize often huge amounts of data (see Perplex City) to figure out complex plot lines and problems. In the ARG white paper (2006), Martin and Chatfield sum this up well: 'ARGs teach us to heighten our ability to winnow patterns out of the otherwise seemingly random and meaningless data in the wider world'. Gee (2003) recognises this 'pattern thinking' as being very powerful. Not only does it allow us to 'think and reason by using the experiences we have had in life', but it also 'allows us to make guesses (predictions) about the world that go beyond our actual experiences'. Thus the practice of forming complex connections playing an ARG enables us to form similarly complex connections in our everyday lives.

THE immERsion that args can crEate IS ALSO a POTENTIALly powerful and valuable asset. As Martin and Chatfield (2006) write, 'args take the substance of everyday life and weave it inTO narratives that LAYER additional MEANING, depth and interaction upon the real world'. An interesting example of this (White Paper, 2006) comes from participants of the game *Last Call Poker*, who were 'encouraged throughout the game to visit local cemeteries and complete simple open-ended missions such as cleaning up gravesites, leaving flowers, and writing letters to people who had passed away. These events became deeply meaningful to players who participated. Additionally, this generated much conversations about the historic use of cemeteries as parks, the state of older cemeteries, and how to best remember and honor life'.

So instead of players viewing a screen and projecting their identity elsewhere as in other digital learning games, ARGs actually require the player to play themselves, embodying themselves fully in the fantasy scenario, providing fully-situated meaning. If it can be argued (Gee, 2003) that experience of projective identities contributes to deep learning, in that gaming requires players to 'see themselves in terms of a new identity..., the kind of person who can learn, use and value the new semiotic domain', then experiencing a new domain *as yourself* is likely to increase this contribution. From Turner and Morrison's experience (Turner and Morrison, 2005) of creating an ARG as a pedagogic tool for undergraduate students, it seems that this increased immersion is potentially compelling. They write that an ARG 'targets and implements a way to engage students with theoretical concepts by giving the a practice-based and relevant pathway with which to engage'. They also found that students developed self-directed learning processes, which standard school practices often struggle to instill.

Another strong feature of ARGs is the communities and forums that form to share clues and theories, enabling players to pool their expertise for a common cause. This is a strong expression of what Henry Jenkins of MIT calls the *conversion culture* (about which he's written a book of the same name), which reflects three core ideas: convergence, participatory culture and collective intelligence - where convergence is the 'flow of content across multiple media platforms', participatory culture is the inverse of 'older notions of passive media spectatorship' and collective intelligence is the ethic heralded by Pierre Levy 'based on sharing rather than hoarding knowledge'. Schools and education institutes should be aware of this cultural phenomenon, as children immersed in this culture are likely to find the passive absorption of knowledge uninspiring (which schools *are* trying to change). [Nor will students be engaged by the individual acquisition and retention of knowledge outside of integrated networks, which Gee (2003) recognises in school systems, but criticizes as being poor preparation for a knowledge economy]. This having to resort to teamwork encourages significant networking skills, and as Christy Dena (ARG white paper, 2006) writes, can enlighten producers of media, and teachers too, in 'how to design for participation, provide insight into tools for empowerment... and also illuminate the nature of communication and networks in general'.

In terms of what makes a good ARG, it seems that direct character interaction offers massive appeal. This is a concept that no media or literature format has really exploited (you cannot email characters in films) - and I feel marks a significant leap forward for the entertainment industry. Even receiving an email that you know is automated, like from a character in the BBC's Jamie Kane, gives you a feeling of being part of the story. This feature, where you know that its just a game, but are never quite sure, tends to foster an enticing sense of curiosity (for me anyway) - and it's reported that good ARGs never give the game away (tho some, like Perplex City, make no attempts to hide the fact that they are a game). When you combine these elements with complex problems, a compelling story and a bit of old-fashioned mystery, you have a format for a very appealing game.

Which are all principles I am trying to weave into the design of an ARG to submit for a Digital Earth competition (and course assignment), which intends to promote and involve players with DE software, while encouraging reflection and action on climate change issues. I am finding the process both extremely challenging yet rewarding - and at this stage with 3 weeks to go till the deadline have a slightly overwhelming sense that this is likely to occupy much of my waking life over the coming weeks. But if ARGs can hold great learning potential for their players, who knows what they can do for their designers! ;-)