Editing Alternate reality game (section)

== Development and history ==
{{main|History of alternate reality games}}

=== Early examples ===
''[[Ong's Hat]] / Incunabula'' was most likely started sometime around 1993, and also included most of the aforementioned design principles. ''Ong's Hat'' also incorporated elements of [[legend tripping]] into its design, as chronicled in a scholarly work titled "Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong's Hat".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chronicle.com/blogs/pageview/the-surprising-online-life-of-legends/29221 |title=The Surprising Online Life of Legends – PageView – Blogs – The Chronicle of Higher Education |website=chronicle.com|date=31 July 2011 }}</ref> Some scholars disagree on the classification of the ''Ong's Hat'' story.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indiana.edu/~jofr/review.php?id=1319 |title=Journal of Folklore Research: JFR Review for Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong's Hat |website=indiana.edu}}</ref>

In 1997, a year prior to the release of [[Douglas Adams]]' computer game ''[[Starship Titanic]]'', [[The Digital Village]] launched a website purporting to be that of an intergalactic travel agency called Starlight Travel, which in the game is the Starship Titanic's parent company. The site combined copious amounts of [[Monty Python]]-esque writing (by [[Michael Bywater]]) with [[Starship Titanic#Alternate reality game|ARG-type interactivity]].

=== ''The Beast'' ===
{{main|The Beast (game)}}
In 2001, in order to market the movie ''[[A.I. Artificial Intelligence]]'' directed by [[Steven Spielberg]] that finished [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s unfinished project to adapt [[Brian Aldiss]]'s short story "[[Supertoys Last All Summer Long]]", and also a planned series of [[Xbox Game Studios|Microsoft computer games]] based on the film, Microsoft's Creative Director [[Jordan Weisman]] and another Microsoft game designer, [[Elan Lee]], conceived of an elaborate murder mystery played out across hundreds of websites, email messages, faxes, fake ads, and voicemail messages. They hired [[Sean Stewart]], an award-winning science fiction/[[fantasy]] author, to write the story and [[Pete Fenlon]], an experienced adventure game "[[worldbuilding|worldbuilder]]", to serve as developer and content lead. The game, dubbed "the Citizen Kane of online entertainment" by [[Yahoo! Internet Life|Internet Life]],<ref name="Dena1">{{cite web |url=http://www.lamp.edu.au/media/pdf/dena_LAMP3.pdf |date=22 May 2006 |access-date=13 February 2007 |title=Designing Cross-Media Entertainment |page=27 |first=Christy |last=Dena |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822111653/http://www.lamp.edu.au/media/pdf/dena_LAMP3.pdf |archive-date=22 August 2006}}</ref> was a runaway success<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Time Best & Worst of 2001 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001509,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930135857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001509,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=24 December 2001 |access-date=13 February 2007}}</ref> that involved over three million active participants<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cross-mediaentertainment.com/index.php/2006/03/04/top-args-with-stats/ |title=Top ARGs, With Stats |access-date=13 February 2007 |first=Christy |last=Dena |date=20 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128120857/http://www.cross-mediaentertainment.com/index.php/2006/03/04/top-args-with-stats/ |archive-date=28 January 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> from all over the world during its run and would become the seminal example of the nascent ARG genre.<ref name="firstmonday">{{cite web |last=Kim |first=Jeffrey |title=Storytelling in new media: The case of Alternate Reality Games, 2001–2009 |url=http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2484@article/2199 |access-date=11 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617032134/http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2484@article/2199 |archive-date=2012-06-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref> An early asset list for the project contained 666 files, prompting the game's puppet-masters to dub it "[[the Beast (game)|the Beast]]", a name which was later adopted by players.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Buzzmakers |url=http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2005-05-18/news/the-buzzmakers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407060201/http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2005-05-18/news/the-buzzmakers/ |archive-date=7 April 2007 |work=East Bay Express |date=18 May 2005 |access-date=13 February 2007}}</ref> A large and extremely active fan community called the Cloudmakers formed to analyze and participate in solving the game,<ref>{{cite news |title=Signs of Intelligent Life: A.I.'s mysterious and masterful promotional campaign |url=http://www.slate.com/id/106028/ |work=Slate |date=15 May 2001 |access-date=13 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070321053932/http://www.slate.com/id/106028/ |archive-date=21 March 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> and the combined intellect, tenacity and engagement of the group soon forced the puppet-masters to create new subplots, devise new puzzles, and alter elements of the design to keep ahead of the player base.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seanstewart.org/interactive/aiintro/ |title=The A.I. Web Game |access-date=13 February 2007 |first=Sean |last=Stewart |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322025024/http://www.seanstewart.org/interactive/aiintro/ |archive-date=22 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Somewhat unusual for a computer-based game, the production drew players from a wide spectrum of age groups and backgrounds.

Although the Beast ran for only three months, it prompted the formation of a highly organized and intensely engaged community that remained active<ref name="Cloudmakers">{{cite web |url=http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/cloudmakers/ |title=Cloudmakers Yahoo! List |access-date=13 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070119182550/http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/cloudmakers/ |archive-date=19 January 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=dead}}</ref> years after the game concluded. Perhaps more significantly, it inspired a number of its participants to create games adapting and expanding the model, extending it from an anomalous one-time occurrence to a new genre of entertainment and allowing the community to grow even after the Beast itself concluded. Members of the Cloudmakers group went on to form ARGN, the primary news source for the genre, and Unfiction, its central community hub, as well as designing the first successful and widely played indie ARGs, such as LockJaw and Metacortechs, and corporate efforts such as Perplex City.

=== ''Portal'' (video game franchise) ===
On March 1 and March 3 of 2010, [[Portal (video game)|Portal]] was updated to include a promotional ARG for its then-upcoming sequel, [[Portal 2]]. It was created by the ''Portal 2'' development team, and while it was mostly made to discover the next entry in the ''Portal'' franchise, it also included a way to extend the ''Portal'' universe. ''Portal'' was updated at 2:33 PST, with the update's description reading "Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations".<ref>{{cite web |title=News – Portal Update Released |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/3533/ |access-date=2020-07-03 |website=store.steampowered.com |language=en}}</ref> The update also added a single achievement, named "Transmission Received". The update added 26 portable radios placed throughout the game's levels, which played a default song until placed in a specific location in their respective maps. When placed in their location, the radio's lights changed from red to green, and they began to emit a string of [[Morse code]], which revealed hidden images when decoded<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/91LB9ssE__k Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140427040040/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91LB9ssE__k Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Portal Update 3/1/2010 (transmission received) Decoded |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91LB9ssE__k |access-date=2020-07-03 |website=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> with [[Slow-scan television|Robot 36]]. The numbers from the images form the [[Bulletin board system|BBS]] phone number "(425) 822-5251"<ref>{{cite web |title=MD5 reverse for 9459C6CAC8C203B8128B7CC63068D4FD |url=https://md5.gromweb.com/?md5=9459C6CAC8C203B8128B7CC63068D4FD |access-date=2020-07-03 |website=md5.gromweb.com}}</ref> and when you dial into the BBS it will prompt the user asking for a login. Entering the username "backup" and the password "backup" (from the 12th audio file) will show text saying "Aperture Laboratories GLaDOS v3.11", followed by "Copyright (c) 1973–1997 Aperture – All Rights Reserved" then will proceed to show the user [[ASCII art]] images and paragraphs quoting [[Cave Johnson (Portal)|Cave Johnson]]. If the person is idle for 4 minutes, the following text will say "Hey! Please login now. You have one minute left." and if left idle for one more minute the next text will say "Your login time (5 minutes) ran out. Goodbye", disconnecting the user.

''Portal'' was updated again on March 3, 2010, at 2:24 PST with the description "Added valuable asset retrieval",<ref>{{cite web |title=News – Portal Update Released |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/3547/ |access-date=2020-07-03 |website=store.steampowered.com |language=en}}</ref> The game ending was [[retcon]]ned to add the Party Escort bot, who dragged the player back into the enrichment center rather than allowing them to escape,<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/AzlAc2WwEI8 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140713054605/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzlAc2WwEI8 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Thank You for Assuming the Party Escort Submission Position |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzlAc2WwEI8 |access-date=2020-07-03 |website=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> setting up the events of ''Portal 2''.

=== Community and genre growth ===
Influenced heavily by the Beast and enthusiastic about the power of collaboration, several [[Cloudmakers]] came together with the idea that they could create a similar game. The first effort to make an independent Beast-like game, ''Ravenwatchers'', failed,<ref>{{cite news |title=Testing the Waters |url=http://www.unfiction.com/history/testing-the-waters/ |work=Unfiction |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref> but another team soon assembled and met with greater success. With very little experience behind them, the group managed, after nine months of development, to create a viable game that was soon seized upon eagerly by the Cloudmakers group and featured in ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=A Conspiracy of Conspiracy Gamers |url=https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/09/46672 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=19 September 2001 |access-date=19 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205075439/http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/09/46672 |archive-date=December 5, 2008}}</ref>

=== Gathering worldwide gamers ===

Because of their similarities, video games and ARGs continued to be associated through many projects, In 2009, [[Funcom]], a game development studio from [[Oslo]], Norway, hid a gate on its corporate website, which led to an ARG which would be part of the pre-launch campaign for ''[[The Secret World]]'', a game released in 2013. The gate was discovered only in 2013, therefore requiring the puppet-master to adapt the scenario to its actual setting.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ford |first=Suzie |title=The Secret World News – 30,000 Players Unraveling the End of Days in ARG |date=18 December 2012 |url=http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/loadNews/26343/30000-Players-Unraveling-the-End-of-Days-in-ARG |publisher=MMORPG.com |access-date=9 April 2014}}</ref>

Funcom has done a total of 16 ARGs that tie in with ''The Secret World'', with the first one starting in May 2007. The ARGs focussed on several different storylines, such as: The Expedition of Roald Amundsen, The Sanctuary of Secrets and the Secret War.

The company behind Funcom's last 2 ARGs, Human Equation, a Montreal-based entertainment studio who also created an independent ARG called ''Qadhos'', has even further purchased the rights to a special class of characters, The Black Watchmen, to create their own independent ARG. A spin-off of Human Equation, [[Alice & Smith]], released the game in June 2015. 

In 2015, [[Sealtoast|Michael Wisner]] created the YouTube web series ''Soursalt'', which was an account with 600 subscribers that no one had any recollection of seemingly interacting with. This ARG focused on portraying the mythos surrounding the This Man, from the [[This Man|since cancelled promotional campaign]]. Notably, he had also created the YouTube [[Found footage (film technique)|found footage]] adjacent series HooH, which is a series revolving around an organization dedicated to containing paranormal entities, befitting to the style of the [[SCP Foundation]], albeit in a filmic format instead. 

=== Massive-scale commercial games and mainstream attention ===
After the success of the first major entries in the nascent ARG genre, a number of large corporations looked to ARGs to both promote their products, and to enhance their companies' images by demonstrating their interest in innovative and fan-friendly marketing methods. To create buzz for the launch of the Xbox game ''Halo 2'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Ilovebees.com Link to Halo 2 Release Confirmed |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000050ilovebeescom_link_to_halo_2_release_confirmed.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=23 July 2004 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202074841/http://www.argn.com/archive/000050ilovebeescom_link_to_halo_2_release_confirmed.php |archive-date=2 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> Microsoft hired the team that had created the Beast, now operating independently as [[42 Entertainment]]. The result, ''[[I Love Bees]]'', departed radically from the website-hunting and puzzle-solving that had been the focus of the Beast. ''I Love Bees'' wove together an interactive narrative set in 2004, and a ''War of the Worlds''-style radio drama set in the future, the latter of which was broken into 30–60-second segments and broadcast over ringing payphones worldwide.<ref name="ILB">{{cite web |url=http://www.42entertainment.com/bees.html |access-date=19 February 2007 |title=42 Entertainment: I Love Bees |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217110759/http://42entertainment.com/bees.html |archive-date=17 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The game pushed players outdoors to answer phones, create and submit content, and recruit others, and received as much or a more mainstream notice than its predecessor, finding its way onto television during a presidential debate,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=I Love Bees Game A Surprise Hit |url=http://archive.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2004/10/65365?currentPage=all |magazine=Wired |date=18 October 2004 |access-date=19 February 2007 |first=Daniel |last=Terdiman}}</ref> and becoming one of ''The New York Times''{{'}} catchphrases of 2004.<ref>{{cite news |title=2004: In a Word; The Year of (Your Catchphrase Here) |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9805E7DC1E30F935A15751C1A9629C8B63 |work=The New York Times |date=26 December 2004 |access-date=19 February 2007 |first=Charles |last=Mcgrath}}</ref>

As such, ''[[I Love Bees]]'' captivated enough fans to garner significant press attention, and partly because of this publicity, ''Halo 2'' "sold $125 million in copies the first day of release."<ref>{{cite web |work=42 Entertainment |title=I Love Bees |url=http://www.42entertainment.com/bees.html |access-date=13 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217110759/http://42entertainment.com/bees.html |archive-date=17 February 2007}}</ref>  A slew of imitators<ref>{{cite news |title=Metroid Prime ARGishness |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000172metroid_prime_argishness.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=20 October 2004 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202062914/http://www.argn.com/archive/000172metroid_prime_argishness.php |archive-date=2 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=I Love Bees Two |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000389i_love_bees_two.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=7 March 2006 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202061353/http://www.argn.com/archive/000389i_love_bees_two.php |archive-date=2 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> fan tributes<ref>{{cite news |title=Ilovebees-Inspired Artwork to Raise Money for Charity |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000185ilovebeesinspired_artwork_to_raise_money_for_charity.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=9 December 2004 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202075408/http://www.argn.com/archive/000185ilovebeesinspired_artwork_to_raise_money_for_charity.php |archive-date=2 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> and parodies<ref name="Ilovebeer">{{cite web |url=http://www.ilovebeer.org/ |year=2004 |access-date=19 February 2007 |title=I Love Beer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222181022/http://ilovebeer.org/ |archive-date=22 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Welovebeef">{{cite web |url=http://www.welovebeef.co.uk/ |year=2007 |access-date=19 February 2007 |title=We Love Beef |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070226145826/http://www.welovebeef.co.uk/ |archive-date=26 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> followed. In 2005, a pair of articles profiling 42 Entertainment appeared in ''[[Game Developer (magazine)|Game Developer]]'' magazine and the [[East Bay Express]], both of which tied into an ARG<ref>{{cite news |title=Where's Handy? |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000265wheres_handy.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=18 May 2005 |access-date=22 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608001426/http://www.argn.com/archive/000265wheres_handy.php |archive-date=8 June 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> created by the journalist and his editors.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Buzzmakers |url=http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2005-05-18/news/the-buzzmakers/ |work=The East Bay Express |date=18 May 2005 |access-date=22 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407060201/http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2005-05-18/news/the-buzzmakers/ |archive-date=7 April 2007}}</ref>

The following spring, Audi launched ''[[The Art of the Heist]]'', developed by Audi ad agency McKinney+Silver, Haxan Films (creators of ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]''), to promote its new A3.

Roughly a year after ''I Love Bees'', 42 Entertainment produced ''Last Call Poker,'' a promotion for Activision's video game ''Gun''. Designed to help modern audiences connect with the Western genre, ''Last Call Poker'' centered on a working poker site, held games of "Tombstone Hold 'Em" in cemeteries around the United States—as well as in at least one digital venue, ''[[World of Warcraft]]''{{'}}s own virtual reality cemetery<ref>{{cite news |title=Last Call Poker PM Chat Transcript |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000347last_call_poker_pm_chat_transcript.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=30 November 2005 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202072728/http://www.argn.com/archive/000347last_call_poker_pm_chat_transcript.php |archive-date=2 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> – and sent players to their own local cemeteries to clean up neglected grave sites and perform other tasks.<ref>{{cite news |title='Last Call Poker' celebrates cemeteries |url=http://news.cnet.com/Last-Call-Poker-celebrates-cemeteries/2100-1043_3-5963346.html?tag=nefd.top |work=CNet |date=20 November 2005 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref>

At the end of 2005, the International Game Developers Association ARG Special Interest Group was formed "to bring together those already designing, building, and running ARGs, in order to share knowledge, experience, and ideas for the future." More recently, an ARG was created by [[THQ]] for the game ''[[Frontlines: Fuel of War]]'' around peak oil theories where the world is in a crisis over diminishing oil resources.

In 2008, the [[American Art Museum]] hosted an alternate reality game, called ''Ghosts of a Chance'', which was created by City Mystery.<ref name="Luce Center">{{cite web |last=Baptiste |first=Laura |title=Luce Foundation Center for American Art Fact Sheet |url=http://www.americanart.si.edu/pr/facts/luce_fact_sheet.pdf |publisher=SI |access-date=29 March 2013 |date=April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130422162954/http://americanart.si.edu/pr/facts/luce_fact_sheet.pdf |archive-date=2013-04-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The game allowed patrons "a new way of engaging with the collection" in the Luce Foundation Center.<ref name="Luce Center" /> The game ran for six weeks and attracted more than 6,000 participants.<ref name="Luce Center" />

=== Rise of the self-supporting ARG ===
The first major attempt (other than EA's failed ''[[Majestic (video game)|Majestic]]'') to create a self-supporting ARG was ''[[Perplex City]]'', which launched in 2005 after a year's worth of teasers. The ARG offered a $200,000 prize to the first player to locate the buried Receda Cube and was funded by the sale of puzzle cards. The first season of the game ended in January 2007, when Andy Darley found the Receda Cube at Wakerly Great Wood in Northamptonshire, UK. Mind Candy, the production company, has also produced a board game related to the ARG and plans to continue it with a second season beginning 1 March 2007. This model was delayed till 1 June, and has again, been delayed to an unspecified date. Mind Candy's acceptance of corporate sponsorship and venture capital suggests that the puzzle cards alone are not enough to fully fund the ARG at this time.

In June 2006, Catching the Wish launched from an in-game website about comic books based on its predecessor, 2003's ''Chasing the Wish''. 42 Entertainment released ''[[Cathy's book|Cathy's Book]]'', by [[Sean Stewart]] and [[Jordan Weisman]], in October 2006, shifting the central medium of this ARG from the internet to the printed page. The young-adult novel contains an "evidence packet" and expands its universe through websites and working phone numbers, but is also a stand-alone novel that essentially functions as an individually playable ARG. Neither the cost of creating the book nor sales figures are available (although it made both American<ref>{{cite news |title=Bestseller List |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/books/bestseller/1112bestchildren.html?ex=1172120400&en=be7b8042fc5994ad&ei=5070 |work=The New York Times |date=12 November 2006 |access-date=20 February 2007}}</ref> and British bestseller lists) to determine whether the project was successfully self-funded.

=== Serious ARG ===
In a 2007 article, columnist Chris Dahlen (of Pitchfork Media) voiced a much-discussed ARG concept: if ARGs can spark players to solve very hard fictional problems, could the games be used to solve real-world problems?<ref>{{cite news |title=Surviving A World Without Oil |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/get-that-out-of-your-mouth/6586-get-that-out-of-your-mouth-34/ |work=Pitchfork Media |date=13 April 2007 |access-date=7 September 2007}}</ref> Dahlen was writing about ''[[World Without Oil]]'', the first ARG centered on a serious near-future scenario: a global oil shortage.<ref>{{cite news |title=Slick Way To Address Oil Thirst |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/businessheadlines/ci_5783396?nclick_check=1 |work=[[San Jose Mercury News]] |date=30 April 2007 |access-date=7 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604073252/http://www.mercurynews.com/businessheadlines/ci_5783396?nclick_check=1 |archive-date=June 4, 2011<!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2008 The [[British Red Cross]] created a serious ARG called Traces of Hope to promote their campaign about civilians caught up in conflict.<ref>{{cite news |title=Internet game for victims of war |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7638581.stm |work=BBC News |date=29 September 2008 |access-date=1 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001075523/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7638581.stm |archive-date=1 October 2008 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[USC School of Cinematic Arts]] has run a semester-long ARG called [[Reality Ends Here]] for incoming freshmen since 2011. The game involves players collaborating and competing to produce media artifacts. In 2012, Reality Ends Here won the Impact Award at [[IndieCade]], presented to games which "have social message, shift the cultural perception of games as a medium, represent a new play paradigm, expand the audience, or influence culture."<ref>{{cite web |title=IndieCade 2012 Award Winners |url=http://www.indiecade.com/2013/2012_awardwinners/ |date=October 2012 |access-date=10 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231221000/http://www.indiecade.com/2013/2012_awardwinners/ |archive-date=2012-12-31 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Plan of Gauss was a game developed as a didactic strategy to enhance the learning and understanding of mathematics in university students. In this game, the players had to help characters (students) to find a missing friend.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=López-Mera |first1=Diego Darío |last2=Archila-Gutiérrez |first2=Ana Catalina |last3=Hernández-Montoya |first3=Bryan Camilo |last4=Suárez-Chávez |first4=Sandra Esther |last5=Pérez-Rojas |first5=Eider Hernán |date=2021-09-03 |title=Modelo para la creación del juego de realidad alternativa "El Plan de Gauss": matemáticas, relatos y juegos en instituciones de educación superior |url=https://www.tecnologia-ciencia-educacion.com/index.php/TCE/article/view/529 |journal=Revista Tecnología, Ciencia y Educación |language=es |pages=133–154 |doi=10.51302/tce.2021.529 |s2cid=239651622 |issn=2444-2887|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== New developments ===
In February 2007, Microsoft published the game ''Vanishing Point'' to promote the launch of [[Windows Vista]]. The game was designed by 42 Entertainment and, due in part to many large-scale real-world events, such as a lavish show at the [[Bellagio (hotel and casino)#Fountains|Bellagio Fountain]] in Las Vegas as well as a prizes of a trip into space<ref>{{cite news |title=Beam me up, Bill: Network technician wins Vista 'rocketplane' ride |url=http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9011149&intsrc=hm_list |work=Computer News |date=12 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref> and having a winner's name engraved on all AMD Athlon 64 FX chips for a certain period of time,<ref>{{cite news |title=First the Wait for Microsoft Vista; Now the Marketing Barrage |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F1EF83F5B0C738FDDA80894DF404482&oref=login |work=The New York Times |date=30 January 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007 |first=Steve |last=Lohr}}</ref> received large media attention.<ref>{{cite news |title=Playing Now: A game that wants you |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16680141.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216162329/http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16680141.htm |archive-date=16 February 2007 |work=Mercury News |date=12 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref>

[[File:AIR kit.jpg|thumb|A physical prop from ''Year Zero'']]
A few days later, another ARG by 42 Entertainment was released, for the release of the [[Nine Inch Nails]] album ''[[Year Zero (album)|Year Zero]]''. In that ARG, fans discovered leaked songs on [[thumb drive]]s in washrooms at concerts,<ref>{{cite news |title=Nine Inch Nails Sparks Web Marketing Conspiracy |url=http://www.adotas.com/2007/02/nine-inch-nails-sparks-web-marketing-conspiracy/ |work=Adotas |date=16 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218073800/http://www.adotas.com/2007/02/nine-inch-nails-sparks-web-marketing-conspiracy/ |archive-date=18 February 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as clues to [[Year Zero (game)|websites]] that describe a dystopian future occurring in 2022.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/L8eg655cZOs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130722211145/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8eg655cZOs Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=art is resistance graffiti on the news |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8eg655cZOs |access-date=11 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[Perplex City]] concluded its first season by awarding a $200,000 prize to a player who found the game's missing cube.<ref>{{cite news |title=£100,000 prize for digital hunter |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6344375.stm?ls |work=BBC News |date=8 February 2007 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref> They planned to continue the ARG into a second "season" under the name [[Perplex City Stories]] without a large grand prize, but it was ultimately cancelled.<ref name="PXC2 prize">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930121824/http://appliedirc.com/logs/pxo-chat/20Feb2007/1100/ Post-Game PM Chat Logs] Accessed 21 February 2007.</ref>

In May 2007, 42 Entertainment launched ''[[The Dark Knight#Marketing|Why So Serious]]'', an ARG to promote the feature film ''[[The Dark Knight]]''. It played out over 15 months, concluding in July 2008. Millions of players in 177 countries participated both online and taking part in live events, and it reached hundreds of millions through Internet buzz and exposure.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS212237+28-Jul-2008+PRN20080728 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407071739/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS212237+28-Jul-2008+PRN20080728 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-04-07 |title=Reuters |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>  Notably, ''Why So Serious'' prompted a great deal of collaborative organizing and action; players went to the streets campaigning for Harvey Dent and gathered in New York City as a part of gameplay.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/1pd74It-yVo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20111124003532/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pd74It-yVo Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Why So Serious? – An Overview of 42 Entertainment's Viral Campaign |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pd74It-yVo |access-date=11 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In March 2008, McDonald's and the IOC launched ''[[The Lost Ring|Find The Lost Ring]]'', a global ARG promoting the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing, China. The game was run simultaneously in six languages with new story lines developing in each, encouraging players to communicate with residents of other countries to facilitate sharing of clues and details of the game as a whole. American track and field athlete [[Edwin Moses]] acted as a celebrity Game Master, and McDonald's Corporation promised to donate US$100,000 to [[Ronald McDonald House Charities]] China on behalf of the players.

On 1 March 2010, ''[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]'' released an update via ''[[Steam (service)|Steam]]'' to their game ''[[Portal (video game)|Portal]]'', adding a nondescript new achievement and some .wav files hidden within the game GCFs. The .wav files actually contained [[morse code]] and [[Slow-scan television|SSTV]] encoded images, some including certain numbers and letters. When pieced together in the correct order, these numbers and letters formed a 32-bit [[MD5]] hash of a [[Bulletin board system|BBS]] phone number. When traced, it was found to originate from [[Kirkland, Washington]], where Valve was based before moving to [[Bellevue, Washington]] in 2003. Accessing the number as a bulletin board system yielded large [[ASCII art]] images, all leading towards the announcement of the game's sequel, ''[[Portal 2]]''.<ref name="potato sack" /> Later, prior to release of ''Portal 2'' in 2011, a much more expansive ARG called the ''[[Potato Sack]]'' was run, arranged by a number of independent developers working with Valve, to simulate the re-booting of [[GLaDOS]]. The ARG resulted in the game being released several hours earlier than scheduled, among other details.<ref name="potato sack">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-portal-two-arg-the-whole-story |title=The POrTAl TwO ARG: The Whole Story |first=Rob |last=Jagnow |date=2011-05-06 |access-date=2011-05-06 |publisher=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref>

Also launched in March 2010, an ARG produced by David Varela at [[nDreams]] featured the 2008 Formula 1 World Champion [[Lewis Hamilton]]; entitled ''Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life'', the game ran throughout the 2010 Formula 1 season, in nine languages, with live events in a dozen cities around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/01/a-close-look-at-f1-racer-lewis-hamiltons-secret-life/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412050512/http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/01/a-close-look-at-f1-racer-lewis-hamiltons-secret-life/|title=F1 Racer Plays International Art Thief in ARG|archive-date=12 April 2013}}</ref>

In July 2013, Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development and The Walt Disney Studios launched [[The Optimist (alternate reality game)|The Optimist]],  built around "a story of Walt Disney, the Imagineers, and other visionary thinkers and their potential involvement in a secret project that sought to build a better future."  The game culminated at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., August 9–11, 2013. Players participated over a six-week period, using social media, mobile devices, and apps, while visiting locations from the story in and around Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/explore-walt-disneys-vision-of-tomorrow-join-the-optimist/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710195724/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/explore-walt-disneys-vision-of-tomorrow-join-the-optimist/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2013 |title=Explore Walt Disney's Vision of Tomorrow: Join 'The Optimist' |work=Disney Parks Blog |date=July 8, 2013 |access-date=August 16, 2016 |author=Glover, Erin}}</ref>

An ARG accompanying the Kickstarter campaign for ''[[Frog Fractions 2]]'' began in March 2014 and completed in 2016. ''Frog Fractions 2'' will be the sequel to Twinbeard Studio's much acclaimed ''[[Frog Fractions]]'', although the ARG itself is often referred to as ''Frog Fractions 1.5'' in reference to an in-ARG puzzle solution. The ARG took about two years to solve, involving clues buried in 23 independent games and real-life locations, allowing the game, secretly already uploaded under the guise of a different game, to become unlocked in December 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/the-sigil-eye-conspiracy-is-indie-games-widest-spanni-1785342978 |title=The "Eye Sigil" Conspiracy Is Indie Games' Most Arcane Mystery |first=Cecilia |last=D'Anastasio |date=August 26, 2016 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |work=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/the-two-year-mystery-is-over-this-is-frog-fractions-2-1790505179 |title=The Two-Year Mystery Is Over: This Is Frog Fractions 2 |first=Cecilia |last=D'Anastasio |date=December 26, 2016 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |work=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref>

On the release of the expansion ''Afterbirth'' for ''[[The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth]]'' in October 2015, players discover clues hinting towards an ARG related to the game, based on the community's previous attempts to hack the game to discover any secret characters. The ARG included location information near Santa Cruz, California, where the game's developer [[Edmund McMillen]] lived. The ARG was successfully completed in November 2015, with the community working together and enabling a new character and additional content to be unlocked for the game.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/an-insane-arg-is-happening-in-the-binding-of-isaac-community-right-now/ |title=An insane ARG is happening in the Binding of Isaac community right now |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |date=November 13, 2015 |access-date=November 13, 2015 |first=Tom |last=Marks}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/11/16/the-binding-of-isaac-arg/ |title=Burials And Bubblewrap: The Binding Of Isaac ARG |first=Adam |last=Smith |date=November 16, 2015 |access-date=November 16, 2015 |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]}}</ref>

''[[Inscryption]]'', a video game by Daniel Mullins based on a [[metafiction]] narrative, including a post-game ARG that involved real-world clues and references to Mullins' past games in conjunction with in-game materials, leading to additional narrative and endings for the game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/22785437/inscryption-arg-explainer-mystery-lore-gamefuna-scrybes-narrative |title=Inscryption fans solved the game's wildest puzzles, but it's just as brilliant without them |first=Cass |last=Marshall |date=November 18, 2021 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref>

In December 2020, a long-unsolved puzzle from [[Perplex City]], ''Billion to One'', was solved. The puzzle focused on exploring the concept of [[Six degrees of separation]] by presenting a man's photograph and his first name, "Satoshi", asking players to locate him. In 2020, Tom-Lucas Säger used image recognition software and located Satoshi, reporting it to [[Laura E. Hall]], who ran the website tracking information about the hunt.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/perplex-city-satoshi |title=A mystery cube, a secret identity, and a puzzle solved after 15 years |magazine=Wired UK}}</ref>

==== Television tie-ins and "extended experiences" ====
In 2006, the TV tie-in ARG began to come into its own when there was a surge of ARGs that extended the worlds of related television shows onto the Internet and into the real world. As with ''[[Push, Nevada]]'', ABC led the way, launching three TV tie-in ARGs in 2006: ''[[Kyle XY]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Kyle XY: Why, why, why? |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000437kyle_xy_why_why_why.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=30 July 2006 |access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304094250/http://www.argn.com/archive/000437kyle_xy_why_why_why.php |archive-date=4 March 2007 <!--None--> |url-status=live}}</ref> Ocular Effect (for the show ''Fallen'')<ref>{{cite news |title=It's Staring at Me, Mommy! Make the Oculus Stop! |url=http://www.argn.com/archive/000442its_staring_at_me_mommy_make_the_oculus_stop.php |work=Alternate Reality Gaming Network |date=3 August 2006 |access-date=19 February 2007}}</ref> and The Lost Experience (for the show ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'').<ref>{{cite news |title=Running the Really Big Show: 'Lost' Inc |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/arts/television/01manl.html?ex=1317355200&en=9a89c6ab5bf568c9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |work=The New York Times |date=1 October 2006 |access-date=19 February 2007 |first=Lorne |last=Manly}}</ref> [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] joined with [[Channel 4]] in the UK and Australia's [[Seven Network|Channel 7]] in promoting a revamped website for [[Hanso Foundation|The Hanso Foundation]]. The site was focused on a fictitious company prevalent in the storyline of the TV series, and the game was promoted through television advertisements run during ''Lost'' episodes. The Fallen Alternate Reality Game was launched in tandem with the ''Fallen'' TV movie for ABC Family and was originally conceived by [[Matt Wolf (video game designer)|Matt Wolf]] and created by Matt Wolf (Double Twenty Productions) in association with Xenophile Media. Wolf accepted the Emmy for The Fallen Alternate Reality Game at the 59th Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 8, 2007.

In January 2008, BBC launched "Whack the Mole"<ref>{{cite web |title=M.I. High |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/mihigh |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005032630/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/mihigh/ |archive-date=2011-10-05 |access-date=2014-02-02}}</ref> for the CBBC show ''[[M.I. High]]'', in which viewers are asked to become M.I. High field agents and complete tasks to capture a mole that has infiltrated the organization.

On 16 March 2011, [[BitTorrent (company)|BitTorrent]] promoted an open licensed version of the feature film ''[[Zenith (film)|Zenith]]'' in the United States. Users who downloaded the BitTorrent client software were also encouraged to download and share Part One of three parts of the film. On 4 May 2011, Part Two of the film was made available on [[VODO]]. The episodic release of the film, supplemented by an ARG transmedia marketing campaign, created a viral effect and over a million users downloaded the movie.<ref>{{cite news |title=ZENITH: crowdfunded, BitTorrent science fiction thriller |url=https://boingboing.net/2011/03/22/zenith-crowdfunded-b.html |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=Boing Boing |date=22 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Daily Dose Pick: Zenith |url=https://www.flavorwire.com/136776/daily-dose-pick-zenith?all=1 |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=Flavorwire |date=18 December 2010 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Macaulay |first1=Scott |title=Zenith Creator Vladan Nikolic |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/23657-zenith-creator-vladan-nikolic/#.XdNXHS2B1QJ |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=Filmmaker Magazine |date=4 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kohn |first1=Eric |title=Toolkit Case Study: The Transmedia Conspiracy of Vladan Nikolic's "Zenith" |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2011/01/toolkit-case-study-the-transmedia-conspiracy-of-vladan-nikolics-zenith-243837/ |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=IndieWire |date=18 January 2011 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2016, ''[[Gravity Falls]]'' creator [[Alex Hirsch]] conducted an ARG called ''[[Cipher Hunt]]''. Hirsch started the game with the posting of an initial clue on his Twitter account, followed by the rules.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/755870882027802624 |title=Let the games begin #FLSKHUKXQWpic.twitter.com/shSu5PCDSR |last=Hirsch |first=Alex |date=2016-07-20 |website=@_AlexHirsch |language=en |access-date=2018-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/755948098036260864 |title=~YE RULES~pic.twitter.com/fqxwehXZNu |last=Hirsch |first=Alex |date=2016-07-20 |website=@_AlexHirsch |language=en |access-date=2018-12-20}}</ref> It lasted from July to August 2016, and its goal was to find the clues hidden in various places around the world leading to the location of a statue of  [[List of Gravity Falls characters|Bill Cipher]]. Said statue could be seen briefly after the ending credits of the [[Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls|series finale]].