Resources
(* - Great Places to Start if You are New to ARGs)
General Resources and Links
Alternate Reality Game Network – news from the world of ARGs (They also present an excellent weekly "netcast" featuring players and puppetmasters.)
ARGology.org, – a (developing) initiative of the International Game Developers Association ARG Special Interest Groups. (See also, ARGS In Education and Training section)
ARG Research listserv – mailing list for scholars and ARG researchers
Cathy's Book: If Found Call (650) 266-8233 - Sean Stewart's "ARG in a book." Comes complete with "Evidence" pouch.
Christy Dena's list of ARG statistics - (number of players per game, etc.)
DeadDrop – a resource for puppetmasters
Despoiler – an ARG wiki
*International Game Developers Special Interest Group on ARGs - whitepaper [PDF] [Wiki]*
Antecedents to ARGs – from the IGDA Whitepaper cited above - a good read for those trying to place ARGs within a literary-historical context.
Unfiction Forums – the largest community of ARG players online
*Unfiction's glossary of ARG terms*
Unfiction's online tools – tools for codebreaking and other ARG puzzles
Suggested Readings for Instructors and Students
Many of these sources are referenced elsewhere in this text; however, I recommend the following specific readings as you begin to consider using ARGs in the classroom:
*Alexander, B. (2006). Web 2.0: A new wave of innovation for teaching and Learning? [Electronic version] EDUCAUSE Review, 41(2). [PDF]*
Frasca, G. (2003). Simulation versus narrative: Introduction to ludology. In M. J .P. Wolf & B. Perron (Eds.), The video game theory reader (pp. 221-35). New York: Routledge.
Gosney, J. W. (2005). Beyond reality: A guide to alternate reality gaming. New York: Course Technology PTR.
*McGonigal, J. (May 2003). "This is not a game": Immersive aesthetics and collective play. Paper presented at the Digital Arts And Culture, Melbourne, Australia. [PDF]*
McGonigal, J. (2007). The puppet master problem: Design for real-world, mission-based gaming. In P. Harrigan & N. Wardrip-Fruin (Eds.), Second person: Role-playing and story in games and playable media (pp. 251-264). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. [PDF]
*McGonigal, J. (2007). Why I Love Bees: A case study in collective intelligence gaming. [Electronic version] In K. Salen (Ed.), Ecologies of play. Forthcoming. [PDF]*
Stacey, S. (10 November 2006). Undefining ARG. Retrieved 21 November 2006, from http://www.unfiction.com/compendium/2006/11/10/undefining-arg/
Stewart, S. (2003). Introduction to the A.I. Web Game. Retrieved January 12, 2008, from http://www.seanstewart.org/beast/intro/
Szulborski, D. (2005). This is not a game: a guide to alternate reality gaming. New York: Lulu.com.
World Without Oil in the Press:
Arendt, S. (2007, May 1). Alternate reality game imagines a World Without Oil [Weblog entry] WIRED Blog Network. Retrieved February 18, 2008, from http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/05/alternate_reali.html
Mary, S. (2007, March 27). World Without Oil: Democratic imagination? [Weblog entry] if:book. Institute for the Future of the Book. Retrieved February 20, 2008, from http://www.futureofthebook.org/blog/archives/2007/03/world_without_oil_the_democrat.html
Olsen, S. (2007, March 28). Provocative politics in virtual games. C|Net News Online. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www.news.com/Provocative-politics-in-virtual-games/2100-1043_3-6171089.html?tag=ne.gall.related
Strickland, E. (2007, April 18). Future games. San Francisco Weekly Online. Retrieved April 20, 2007, from http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-04-18/news/future-games/full
Waite, J. (2007 April 20). Game launch: World Without Oil. ARGNet.com. retrieved February 20, 2008, from http://www.argn.com/archive/000590game_launch_world_without_oil.php
Whalen, Z. (2007, April 16). World Without Oil: An ARG worth its weight in carbon credits. [Weblog entry] Gameology.org. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from http://www.gameology.org/blog/world_without_oil_an_arg_worth_its_weigh