Okay peeps, brace yourselves. This is gonna be a pretty heavy edition of Tech Talks.
Ever heard of a monster movie called Cloverfield? The 2008 JJ Abrams film told from a behind-the-camera perspective of one of the characters? Other than its infamous ‘Blair Witch’ style, it had arguably the most impressive and successful marketing strategy ever. It was an ARG: Alternate Reality Game. No, not augmented or virtual reality – no headsets required here. ARGs are basically a collection of fictional websites, media, locations and more that usually involve solving a mystery or discovering secrets.
Personally, ARGs are my favourite type of game. And that’s quite a bold statement from a hardcore gamer like me (I don’t say ‘hardcore’ lightly). If you’re a gamer too then there’s a fair chance you enjoy the escapism of engaging in an alternate reality – but sometimes it’s nice to apply that alternate reality to… well, reality. And that’s where ARGs come in. Back to Cloverfield.
Cloverfield teased audience members with a very minimal movie trailer, revealing nothing except the numbers 1-18-08 – the movie’s release date. The keen and curious discovered a secret website that disclosed even more clues, including fictional frozen drink Slusho, and deep sea drilling company Tagruato. These fake brands also had their own websites, which went into detail about their products, companies, staff, news and even adverts could be found on YouTube. It’s very easy to forget that all this was fictional.
As you can imagine, those who had delved into this web of mystery were now fully tangled up and desperate for more answers. Fictional characters could be explored online, such as Jamie and Teddy who had their own password-protected website (the password is ‘jllovesth’ by the way) revealing video clues as to what happened to them, and MySpace profiles (remember MySpace?) were also discovered for the main protagonists. All this information – and no one even knew the name of the film yet. You could virtually guarantee that every single one of these ‘players’ were going to see the movie. So that’s marketing done right.
A lot goes into creating an ARG. They have many layers and multiple platforms – from pre-recorded phone lines to online chat bots; every corner of cyberspace has to be covered for it to work. And they have more uses than just viral marketing. If I said the word ‘recruitment’, you’d probably think I’ve completely lost it. But it’s been done: the UK government’s top security organisation, GCHQ, hired in 2011 via their online test: www.canyoucrackit.co.uk. This unusual recruitment process tested individuals’ intelligence to find the most talented code breakers in the country – whether they had a degree or not.
Next, let me share with you an internet phenomenon known as Cicada 3301. I’m calling it a phenomenon because, while it seemed to suggest that it was recruiting people, many ‘participants’ believed there was more to it than that. Some thought it could all just be one big ARG that was a little bit too realistic.
Cicada 3301 was a series of puzzles based on data security, cryptography and steganography. And they were hard. So hard that just a small handful of people in the world have allegedly completed them all – although it’s certainly possible that actually more have and we just don’t know who they are.
Clues to these puzzles – and ARG puzzles in general – didn’t just live online. You’d also have to call phone numbers to pick up pre-recorded messages, listen carefully to certain music tracks, decipher images, follow physical signs in certain countries and cities, and, in Cicada 3301’s case, read unpublished cryptic books that were written in runes. Yeah, really. Some mental stuff there, right?
All gamers love a good Easter Egg. For those of you that aren’t aware, Easter Eggs in gaming, films, and other media, are secret items, clips, messages, or references that don’t usually bear relevance to the main plot or objective, but often add to or acknowledge something else. For example, one of the earliest known Easter Egg in a video game was hidden in Adventure for the Atari 2600, where the creator, Warren Robinett, hid his own name in text across the screen.
And some people say that’s exactly what ARGs are – elaborate Easter Eggs. Cloverfield continued its online mystery long after the movie came out – and actually started up all over again with new clues as the second and third films of the franchise came out.
ARGs can also work within video games themselves – and Easter Egg veterans, Rockstar, have proved that with the intricate details hidden within Grand Theft Auto V. Digging into the game will uncover secret full-length TV programmes that you can actually watch; ‘real’ websites uncovering additional challenges; and even a slightly larger mystery involving the speculative inclusion of a hidden jetpack somewhere in the game – that still hasn’t been debunked.
Regardless of their purpose – whether for marketing, recruitment, or just for fun – alternate reality gaming is undoubtedly a fascinating and bewildering world; and if you want to explore it then be prepared to discover an entirely new level of procrastination. In fact, I’ve put together a bunch of websites to get you started on your alternate reality quests. But I’m warning you now – allow plenty of time to get lost:
- BBC Radio 1’s review of Jamie Kane’s new album – a fictional pop star who was found dead, leaving players to uncover the mystery. This ARG is now closed, but definitely worth exploring.
- A fictional news broadcast reporting the sudden destruction of a Tagruato oil rig. This is part of the Cloverfield ARG and reveals more clues behind the monster’s origin.
- The Slusho Truck’s Twitter page from the Cloverfield ARG.
- An article from The Telegraph exploring Cicada 3301 and its puzzles, what it means, and who’s behind it.
- The official website for GTA V from Rockstar. You’ll be able to tell their tongue-in-cheek humour, but also understand the effort they’ve put in to create a believable alternate reality.
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