DOCSLIB.ORG

Vigilante-An Alternate Reality Gaming Experience in the Internet of Things

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Vigilante-An Alternate Reality Gaming Experience in the Internet of Things IJIRST –International Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology| Volume 2 | Issue 12 | May 2016 ISSN (online): 2349-6010 Vigilante-An Alternate Reality Gaming Experience in the Internet of Things Deendayal Choudhary Kaustubh Deshpande UG Student UG Student Department of Computer Engineering Department of Computer Engineering MES College of Engineering-Pune,India. MES College of Engineering-Pune,India. Ganesh Kutty Rechana Nadar UG Student UG Student Department of Computer Engineering Department of Computer Engineering MES College of Engineering-Pune,India. MES College of Engineering-Pune,India. Sumit .A. Hirve Assistant Professor Department of Computer Engineering MES College of Engineering-Pune,India. Abstract The emerging trend of Internet of Things promising a smarter connected environment and smarter solutions has led due to a rapid growth of mobile communication and wireless technology. This on the other hand has taken gaming away from the computer screen and back to the physical real world.Alternate Reality Games can be seen as stories and games that jump out of their cages and into the real world. These games also known as pervasive games can be designed to be played in public places like streets, shopping malls, museums and other interesting ventures. This paper focuses on the various aspects of alternate reality games like using the real world as the game-space, what makes these games compelling and what makes them possible today. The paper also highlights the design of development of our alternate reality game –Vigilante. Keywords: Alternate Reality, ARG, Applications of IoT, IoT Games, Iot Impact, Smart Environment, TINAG _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ I. INTRODUCTION Alternate reality Gaming has been around since 1960’s in many forms. They form a curious phenomenon usually intersecting city culture, mobile technology, network connectivity , alternate reality and multimedia hype. They aim to produce new user experience by utilizing all of the above features. ARGs can range from single player mobile phone games to artistically and politically ambitious mixed reality events that can span for months. They can either use high end technology or none at all.[5] II. BASIC ARG TERMINOLOGIES Game-It is a rule based system with a variable and quantifiable outcome where different outcomes are assigned different values. The player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome. the player feels attached to the outcome and consequence of the activity are optional and negotiable.(Juul,2003) [5] Magic circle-The magic circle of a game is the boundary separating the ordinary from ludic and real from playful(Huizing,1938) [5] There are some key terms related to ARGs that differentiate them from other types of games [8] Puppetmaster- In an ARG the puppetmaster is the master controller of the game experience. Usually, the puppetmaster is also the game designer. As part of the responsibility of managing the game play, the puppetmaster watches how players are engaging and interacting with the storyline and makes adjustments to the story, scoring, or game mechanisms as necessary to keep players focused and addressing the goals of the game. Because ARGs are played with the real world as the game environment, the puppetmaster's role is absolutely critical to keeping the game and players on track. The Curtain-Much like the curtain behind which The Wizard hid in "The Wizard of Oz," the puppetmaster operates behind a theoretical curtain that separates the game management activities from the game play environment. The curtain is the veil that provides the illusion that the game is playing out naturally, and when it is managed well, the curtain masks the existence of the puppetmaster. Trailhead-This is a clue that leads players into the game. For marketing and media brand ARGs, lots of such clues are typically provided to attract as many players as possible. For learning ARGs, the same theory could be applied, especially for event-based ARGs. Rabbit Hole-Another name for trailhead, this term is more commonly used when there is one specific entry point for an ARG. TINAG, or "This Is Not A Game-”TINAG is commonly used to describe the tone of an ARG. The goal in the design is to create an experience in which the players don't necessarily feel like they are playing a game. The actions they take, the decisions they make, and the puzzles they solve shouldn't be extraneous to the storyline. That said, many ARG themes have a more fantastical feel, so the designer's responsibility is to create All rights reserved by www.ijirst.org 140 Vigilante-An Alternate Reality Gaming Experience in the Internet of Things (IJIRST/ Volume 2 / Issue 12/ 024) a game experience that mirrors realistic activities as part of the game play even when the storyline makes it clear that the game is not "real." III. GENRE OF PERVASIVE GAMES A pervasive game is a game that has one or more salient feature that expand the contractual magic circle of play spatially, temporally socially.[5] Assassination Games- One of the earliest and successful form of pervasive games. Example-Killer Storyline or narrative of killer-You are an undercover assassin. you’re living your everyday life. Going to work, school, home, performing your day to day tasks, hiding in plain sight. But in secret, you are stalking a target, always keeping a hidden weapon at hand. You build bombs and prepare weapons while trying to scrounge as much information on your target as possible. Taking the perfect shot at him requires you to wait for hours in a stairwell, trying to hide from his cautious gaze .Yet you must look over your shoulder constantly; you are also somebody else’s target. This is how to play killer. Pervasive larps - Role playing games where the player can adopt an alternate identity and engage in intricate gameplay. Treasure Hunts-The most established genre and always a crowd pleaser. Alternate Reality Gaming-They are the current genre in pervasive games. The IOT and connectivity has given a boost to these games.An alternate reality game takes the substance of everyday life and weaves it into narratives that layer additional meaning, depth and interaction upon the real world. ARGs are sometimes called pervasive games or trans-media storytelling. What is consistent among all of these definitions is that a story drives the game play and players are performing activities that mirror their real life.There tends to be confusion in the term ARG—some people use "alternate reality games" and "augmented reality games" interchangeably. For a point of clarification, alternate reality games refer to game play that integrates real life and online game play through a storyline that seeks to engage learners in an experience that seems real; augmented reality games refer to games where there is a technology overlay on reality that contributes to play (think the first down line on televised football games). The really confusing part comes in when augmented reality is used as part of an alternate reality game. To keep them straight, think about the word meanings; alternate reality seeks to create a different reality for game play purposes, whereas augmented reality adds additional information on to real life environments and objects. The Serious ARGs-Other than gaming and entertainment, nowadays ARGs are used for both commercial and social issues. As answer to a much discussed question “If ARGs can spark players to solve very hard fictional problems, could the games be used to solve real-world problems.[15]many examples of successful ARGs to solve real world problems can be cited. "Surviving A World Without Oil". Pitchfork Media. 13 April 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2007.World Without Oil, the first ARG centered on a serious near-future scenario: a global oil shortage. Another ARG, Tomorrow Calling, appears to be a test bed for a future project focused on environmental themes and activism. In order to filter players on the basis of how much they can contribute to such situations most serious ARGs are sponsored by organizations with activist or educational goals 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. 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." In March 2008, McDonald's and the IOC launched 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.Thus it can be clearly seen that ARGs are here to stay and this kind of immersive entertainment will define the culture of the next century surely as movies dominated the last one.[16] IV. VIGILANTE-THEORY AND DESIGN The storyline is implemented using hardware and software components that are connected to each other via the internet. The hardware modules execute and control the physical tasks to be performed by the player whereas the software modules achieve connectivity and drive the story forward based on players actions. All rights reserved by www.ijirst.org 141 Vigilante-An Alternate Reality Gaming Experience in the Internet of Things (IJIRST/ Volume 2 / Issue 12/ 024) Fig.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Immersive Virtual Reality Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology: Meeting the Criteria of the National Academy Of
    Immersive virtual reality methods in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology: Meeting the criteria of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology Panagiotis Kourtesisa,b,c,d* and Sarah E. MacPhersone,f aNational Research Institute of Computer Science and Automation, INRIA, Rennes, France; bUniv Rennes, Rennes, France; cResearch Institute of Computer Science and Random Systems, IRISA, Rennes, France; dFrench National Centre for Scientific Research, CNRS, Rennes, France. eHuman Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; fDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; * Panagiotis Kourtesis, National Research Institute of Computer Science and Automation, INRIA, Rennes, France. Email: [email protected] Abstract Clinical tools involving immersive virtual reality (VR) may bring several advantages to cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. However, there are some technical and methodological pitfalls. The American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) and the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) raised 8 key issues pertaining to Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment Devices. These issues pertain to: (1) the safety and effectivity; (2) the identity of the end-user; (3) the technical hardware and software features; (4) privacy and data security; (5) the psychometric properties; (6) examinee issues; (7) the use of reporting services; and (8) the reliability of the responses and results. The VR Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL) is the first immersive VR neuropsychological battery with enhanced ecological validity for the assessment of everyday cognitive functions by offering a pleasant testing experience without inducing cybersickness. The VR-EAL meets the criteria of the NAN and AACN, addresses the methodological pitfalls, and brings advantages for neuropsychological testing.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating the Advantages of Physical and Digital Elements in Hybrid
    EVALUATING THE ADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL ELEMENTS IN HYBRID TABLETOP GAMES MASTER’S THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE HTW BERLIN – UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND COMPUTING Submitted by: Tobias Wehrum ([email protected]) First Supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Busch Second Supervisor: André Selmanagić Date and Place: September 23, 2014, Berlin Acknowledgements With this thesis I will complete my studies of International Media and Computing at the HTW Berlin. For that reason I want to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me during my studies in general and this thesis in particular. Firstly, I would like to thank Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Busch for providing me with the opportunity to write this thesis, for his support and for the freedom I was granted while researching, designing and developing. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the support of André Selmanagić, whose supervision guided me during these months, whose feedback and corrections vastly improved every aspect of this thesis and who was always willing to listen to any issues I encountered. I am very grateful for all the participants of the testing sessions and for everyone who spent their time discussing concepts and ideas for this thesis, especially the Berlin game development community which provided a lot of interesting input and food for thought. Special thanks go to Marina Bahlke who proofread a large part of this thesis. Her feedback lead to the correction of many mistakes and unclear sentences. I am also thankful to Kurt Chapman, who provided some last-minute proofreading and corrections.
    [Show full text]
  • Performance in an Alternate Reality Game
    The Malthusian Paradox: Performance in an Alternate Reality Game ELIZABETH EVANS, MARTIN FLINTHAM, SARAH MARTINDALE University of Nottingham Nottingham NG81BB, UK { elizabeth.evans, martin.flintham, sarah.martindale }@nottingham.ac.uk Tel: +44 115 748 4041 Fax: +44 115 823 2551 URL: www.nottingham.ac.uk Abstract. The Malthusian Paradox is a transmedia alternate reality game (ARG) created by artists Dominic Shaw and Adam Sporne played by 300 participants over three months. We explore the design of the game, which cast players as agents of a radical organisation attempting to uncover the truth behind a kidnapping and a sinister biotech corporation, and highlight how it redefined performative frames by blurring conventional performer and spectator roles in sometimes discomforting ways. Players participated in the game via a broad spectrum of interaction channels, including performative group spectacles and 1-to-1 engagements with game characters in public settings, making use of low- and high-tech physical and online artefacts including bespoke and third party websites. Players and game characters communicated via telephony and social media in both a designed and an ad-hoc manner. We reflect on the production and orchestration of the game, including the dynamic nature of the strong episodic narrative driven by professionally produced short films that attempted to respond to the actions of players; and the difficulty of designing for engagement across hybrid and temporally expansive performance space. We suggest that an ARG whose boundaries
    [Show full text]
  • Delivering Educational Multimedia Contents Through an Augmented Reality Application: a Case Study on Its Impact on Knowledge Acquisition and Retention
    TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – October 2013, volume 12 issue 4 DELIVERING EDUCATIONAL MULTIMEDIA CONTENTS THROUGH AN AUGMENTED REALITY APPLICATION: A CASE STUDY ON ITS IMPACT ON KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION AND RETENTION David Pérez-López, Manuel Contero Instituto de Investigación en Bioingeniería y Tecnología Orientada al Ser Humano (I3BH) Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain [email protected] ABSTRACT This paper presents a study to analyze the use of augmented reality (AR) for delivering multimedia content to support the teaching and learning process of the digestive and circulatory systems at the primary school level, and its impact on knowledge retention. Our AR application combines oral explanations and 3D models and animations of anatomical structures. A validation study was conducted with fourth grade students in order to evaluate the effect of our tool on knowledge retention. In this study, we attempt to verify whether students using the AR application retained more concepts that those learning the topic in a traditional setting. Results show an increased knowledge retention on students using AR multimedia contents as opposed to those following a traditional course, which validates AR technology as a promising tool to improve students’ motivation and interest, and to support the learning and teaching process in educational contexts. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, many educational institutions in developed countries are facing a lack of interest and motivation in students towards traditional academic practices. The growing distance between teaching procedures and the students’ technological way of life contributes to widen the gap. Up to the 19th century, formal education focused almost exclusively on lectures and recitations.
    [Show full text]
  • Laval Virtual's Missions Are to Gather, Inspire and Valorize Involved in This Study
    The VR/AR special edition #4 health Clinical VR Medicine Well Being #EDITORIAL How VR is changing the way women breast cancer is diagnosed, treated and managed LAURENT CHRÉTIEN DIRECTOR / LAVAL VIRTUAL ancer cells live in complex communities. They will then take all the information they Just like houses in a city, each cell in a collect about the cells in a tumour and use it tumour is different from its neighbour, to construct a 3D version that can be studied Cand relies on infrastructure to support using virtual reality. its existence. And we know that there are different neighbourhoods, some worse than Using virtual reality will allow scientists others. Where we have roads, tumours contain to immerse themselves in a tumour, blood vessels that deliver nutrients, and act meaning they can study patterns and other as highways for different cell types to move characteristics within it, in entirely new around. And when a tumour spreads, the can- ways that aren’t possible in 2D. It will also cer cells themselves use these blood ‘roads’ to allow multiple doctors and scientists to look migrate. at a tumour at the same time, meaning people at opposite ends of a country, and with different areas of expertise, can What the healthcare experts need is a Google Earth-like view work together to help diagnose and treat patients better. And of a tumour. If they could make a 3D map, they would find with the Covid19 crisis, the use of virtual reality to cooperate new targets for treatment and, eventually, could use this view remotely is even more obvious! to track what’s going on in real time, such as in response to treatment.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Augmented Reality and Alternate Reality Games in the Context of Universal Design for Learning
    education sciences Article “Helping Nemo!”—Using Augmented Reality and Alternate Reality Games in the Context of Universal Design for Learning Nayia Stylianidou 1,*, Angelos Sofianidis 2,*, Elpiniki Manoli 3 and Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris 1 1 Department of Education Sciences, European University Cyprus, 2404 Nicosia, Cyprus; [email protected] 2 Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece 3 Cyprus Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth, 1434 Nicosia, Cyprus; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (N.S.); asofi[email protected] (A.S.) Received: 29 February 2020; Accepted: 30 March 2020; Published: 2 April 2020 Abstract: This article reports on the main experiences gained from a teaching intervention which utilised the alternate reality game ‘Helping Nemo’ in an augmented reality environment for formative assessment. The purpose of the study was to explore the ways in which the affordances arising from the combination of alternate reality games and augmented reality, situated in the context of Universal Design for Learning, might facilitate students’ learning amongst the aspects of engagement, participation, and response to students’ variability. The study took place in a public primary school located in a rural area of Cyprus. A second-grade class consisting of 24 students aged 7–8 years old was selected to comprise the sample. A qualitative research approach was adopted. The data collection methods included classroom observations and focus groups with the students. Findings gained from the teaching intervention suggest that the creation of a multimodal environment that draws on the principles of Universal Design for Learning and combines the affordances of alternate reality games and augmented reality for formative assessment contributes towards higher levels of engagement and participation in learning of all students, including bilingual students, students with learning disabilities, and students who are currently disengaged.
    [Show full text]
  • Speculative Game Design for Nuclear Disarmament
    3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT: SPECULATIVE GAME DESIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT by Nathalie Claire Down Bachelor of Arts, University of Victoria, May 2012 A Major Research Paper Presented to Ryerson University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Digital Media In the program of Digital Media Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2016 © Nathalie Claire Down, 2016 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this MRP. This is a true copy of the MRP, including any required final revisions. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this MRP to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this MRP by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my MRP may be made electronically available to the public. Nathalie Claire Down ii ABSTRACT 3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT: SPECULATIVE GAME DESIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT Master of Digital Media, 2016 Nathalie Claire Down Digital Media, Ryerson University This paper proposes a digital game concept designed to increase the millennial generation’s level of engagement with the campaign for nuclear disarmament. It discusses four key research findings that support the need for the development of this game, and provides helpful information to enable better understanding of the relatively specialized inspiring concepts. The paper argues that activist campaigns should design nuanced communication plans that consider the complexities of the issue and leverage the digital media tools whose affordances best match the goals of the campaign.
    [Show full text]
  • Live-Action Virtual Reality Games Luis Valente1, Esteban Clua1, Alexandre Ribeiro Silva2, Bruno Feijó3
    Live-action Virtual Reality Games Luis Valente1, Esteban Clua1, Alexandre Ribeiro Silva2, Bruno Feijó3 1MediaLab, Institute of 2Instituto Federal do Triângulo 3VisionLab, Department of Computing, Mineiro, Brazil Informatics, UFF, Brazil PUC-Rio, Brazil {lvalente,esteban}@ic.uff.br, [email protected], [email protected] Abstract. This paper proposes the concept of “live- high cost, the inconvenience of using this hardware action virtual reality games” as a new genre of digi- (e.g., heavy helmets, lots of cables required, limited tal games based on an innovative combination of mobility), and application specificity (e.g., high end live-action, mixed-reality, context-awareness, and VR systems, military applications). One of the main interaction paradigms that comprise tangible ob- goals in virtual reality applications is to immerse jects, context-aware input devices, and the user’s senses in an artificial virtual environment embedded/embodied interactions. Live-action vir- (VE) through an interactive experience. A key fac- tual reality games are “live-action games” because tor regarding how this interactive immersive experi- a player physically acts out (using his/her real body ence is successful refers to the sense of presence and senses) his/her “avatar” (his/her virtual repre- [1]. Recently, there is a growing trend in the indus- sentation) in the game stage – the mixed-reality en- try to bring these kinds of devices to the mass mar- vironment where the game happens. The game ket (e.g., Oculus Rift, Samsung VR, HTC Vive), stage is a kind of “augmented virtuality” – a mixed- with affordable prices and small form factors, reality where the virtual world is augmented with which opens up possibilities for using these devices real-world information.
    [Show full text]
  • Designing Alternate Reality Games for Teenagers in Learning Contexts
    Full Papers IDC 2013, New York, NY, USA Playing for Real: Designing Alternate Reality Games for Teenagers in Learning Contexts Elizabeth Bonsignore2, Derek Hansen1, Kari Kraus2,3, Amanda Visconti3, June Ahn2, and Allison Druin2 1School of Technology 2Human-Computer Interaction Lab 3Dept of English Brigham Young University University of Maryland University of Maryland Provo, UT, USA College Park, MD, USA College Park, MD, USA [email protected] {ebonsign, kkraus, juneahn}@umd.edu, [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT using are filled with cryptic messages and hints that history is not An Alternate Reality Game (ARG) is a form of transmedia as black-and-white as textbooks imply, since it depends on the storytelling that engages players in scavenger hunt-like missions perspectives of the people who record it. Your help is needed to to collectively uncover, interpret, and reassemble the fragments of inspect a set of historical artifacts that were allegedly discovered a story that is distributed across multiple media, platforms, and by staff members from the Smithsonian Museum. You also learn locations. ARGs are participatory experiences, because players about an actual, but secret philanthropic society established by have a central role in reconstructing the storyline. Furthermore, one of America’s founding fathers (Benjamin Franklin), called the players interact with the game as themselves, not via avatars. Junto. You and your classmates accept the researchers’ invitation Although transmedia formats like ARGs have garnered increasing to be part of a modern version of the Junto, called JENIUS (Junto attention in entertainment and education, most have been targeted of Enlightened Naturalists and Inventors for a United Society).
    [Show full text]
  • Solving Real World Problems with Alternate Reality Gaming: Student Experiences in the Global Village Playground Capstone Course Design
    Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning Volume 9 Issue 2 Article 3 Published online: 1-9-2015 Solving Real World Problems With Alternate Reality Gaming: Student Experiences in the Global Village Playground Capstone Course Design Mary J. Dondlinger Texas A&M University Commerce, [email protected] Julie K. McLeod Good Shepherd Episcopal Schools, [email protected] IJPBL is Published in Open Access Format through the Generous Support of the Teaching Academy at Purdue University, the School of Education at Indiana University, and the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma. Recommended Citation Dondlinger, M. J. , & McLeod, J. K. (2015). Solving Real World Problems With Alternate Reality Gaming: Student Experiences in the Global Village Playground Capstone Course Design. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 9(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1488 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. This is an Open Access journal. This means that it uses a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access. Readers may freely read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles. This journal is covered under the CC BY-NC-ND license. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning ARTICLE Solving Real World Problems With Alternate Reality Gaming: Student Experiences in the Global Village Playground Capstone Course Design Mary Jo Dondlinger (Texas A&M University-Commerce) and Julie K. McLeod (Good Shepherd Episcopal School) The Global Village Playground (GVP) was a capstone learning experience designed to address institutional assessment needs while providing an integrated and authentic learning experience for students aimed at fostering complex problem solving, as well as critical and creative thinking.
    [Show full text]
  • F001b23a38ae17cf54e23ccc4ff4
    I Alternate Reality Games For Behavioral and Social Science Research Copyright © by Ruthanna Gordon, Ph.D. and ETC Press 2015 ISBN (Print): 978-1-312-78105-4 ISSN (Online): 978-1-312-91112-3 TEXT: The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NonDerivative 2.5 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/) IMAGES: All images appearing in this work are property of the respective copyright owners, and are not released into the Creative Commons. The respective owners reserve all rights. II Alternate Reality Games For Behavioral and Social Science Research Ruthanna Gordon, Ph.D. Production of this book was funded by the IARPA Office of Smart Collection TRUST Program, but it is not officially endorsed by ODNI, IARPA, or U.S. Government. All opinions and discussions in this review are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the ODNI, IARPA, or U.S. Government. III IV Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 1 Introduction 3 2 Current Practices and Limitations 7 3 Alternate Reality Games 15 4 What Can We Learn From Related Activities? 23 5 What Can We Learn From Analogous Activities? 31 6 How are ARGs Used in Research? 35 7 What Can We Learn From Other Applications of ARGs? 43 8 What Do Research ARGs Need For Success? 51 9 Making a Difference: How ARG-Based Methodologies Can Improve BSSR Research 87 10 Conclusions 97 Bibliography 99 Appendix 1: Games Discussed 110 Appendix 2: Recommended Readings 114 Appendix 3: What a Research ARG Might Look Like 116 Acknowledgements 119 About the Author 121 V VI Executive Summary Researchers in the behavioral, social, and neurophysiological sciences have recently begun to explore the limitations of many traditional lab and field-based studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Players and Puppetmasters Producer/Consumer Relationships in Hollywood’S Promotional Alternate Reality Games
    Royal Holloway, University of London PhD Media Arts Players and Puppetmasters Producer/Consumer Relationships in Hollywood’s Promotional Alternate Reality Games Stephanie Janes 1 Declaration of Authorship I, Stephanie Janes hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ______________________ Date: ________________________ 2 Acknowledgements Firstly, this thesis would not have been possible without generous scholarships provided by Department of Media Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London for which I am extremely grateful. I would also like to express my thanks to my supervisor Professor Barry Langford for his support, guidance and advice over the past four years on anything from conference papers to article drafts and teaching advice as well as advice on the thesis. The support I received from the Department as a whole was invaluable and greatly appreciated. The project could not have been completed without the assistance of interviewees and survey respondents who took the time to talk to me about their experiences of ARGs. I would therefore like to express my immense gratitude to Adrian Hon, John Christiano and especially Sean Stewart, who took a genuine interest in the project and provided me with supportive and informative feedback throughout. I am also grateful to all members of the ARG communities on Unfiction forums, Cloudmakers Yahoo! Group and Superherohype. They have all been extremely generous with their time and provided fascinating responses to survey questions and forum discussions. The Unfiction community in particular was very open to participating in my research, for which I am very thankful.
    [Show full text]