Austin Auclair@mjandersen THIS YOU?
| ARGNet | https://www.argn.com |
| Medium | https://mjandersen.medium.com/ |
| https://twitter.com/mjandersen |
Michael Andersen
@mjandersen
- 78 Followers
- 55 Following
- 46 Posts
Writes about alternate reality games (ARGs), and probably a little too obsessed with cheesy reality television, escape rooms, and puzzle hunts. Works in book publishing.
Puzzlely pirate shirts paired with sea shanties, scifi bomber jackets with detachable puzzle patches, and CSI ARG shirts? OH MY!
I took a look at some of the standout examples of wearable puzzle games on the market, and it's a super cool space. Join me in mixing fashion with entertainment. https://www.argn.com/2023/04/excuse_me_theres_a_puzzle_on_your_jacket_the_wearable_arg_experience/
Excuse Me, There’s A Puzzle on Your Jacket: The Wearable ARG Experience | ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network
During its third season, CSI: NY aired the episode Hung Out to Dry, revolving around a series of grisly murders. Each victim was found wearing a mythologically inspired t-shirt, with the logo Kodecon emblazoned on the collar. Solving the puzzles embedded in the shirt's design would reveal information about the motive for murder, both through
Yet Water Was 
The difference between horror and magical realism:
Interested in alternate reality games but don't know where to go to learn more?
I wrote up an article profiling some of the main resources dedicated to the space. If you don't recognize all of the logos in this picture, it's probably worth checking out. Even if you do, you might learn a few things about what they're up to you didn't expect! https://www.argn.com/2023/03/arg_coverage_and_where_to_find_it/
ARG Coverage and Where to Find It | ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network
ARGNet has been publishing news about alternate reality games and the extended immersive space for over twenty years now. But at no point in that history was it the only outlet reporting on the space: websites dedicated to the space like MovieViral, Web Series Today, 4DFiction, Despoiler.org, WonderWeasels, and Unfiction.com's own blog were complemented by
It's amazing how superpowered smartphone cameras have gotten.
I bought a DSLR way back in the day, but still primarily rely on the phone because it does such a good job of compensating for my lack of skill.
I wrote an article about the MIT Mystery Hunt and its penchant for designing puzzles that are designed to work better when large groups of players attempt to solve them - and how that's similar with designing for alternate reality games.
What makes Quantum Wordle a fundamentally different experience than Semantle Crosswords? And why is there a video game that requires 3,024 people to beat it? I answer some of those questions in the article below. https://www.argn.com/2023/02/puzzles_designed_for_a_crowd_at_the_mit_mystery_hunt/
Puzzles Designed for a Crowd at the MIT Mystery Hunt | ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network
Recently, an alternate reality game called I'm looking for 3024 people released. And while 3024's core narrative and puzzle experiences are contained within a Steam game and the website FranksComputer.online, the puzzle that players are currently struggling through is one that plays out on the game's Discord server: in order to hack into a remote
After 11 years of trying*, I finally have a shiny coin!
*Personal efforts matter significantly less than other factors, here
Every December, Boston is home to a Larp/puzzle hunt called Club Drosselmeyer that transplants the story of The Nutcracker into a World War 2 era nightclub.
This article breaks down the live experience so you can start planning your period fashion for December 2023. You don't have to wait a year if the show intrigues you, as Club Drosselmeyer made an at-home radio play experience that captures the essence of the spectacle. https://www.argn.com/2023/01/immersive_nutcracker_show_club_drosselmeyer_gives_ww2_puzzling_a_swing_dance/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_content=club-drosselmeyer-but-shared-on-mastodon
Immersive Nutcracker Show “Club Drosselmeyer” Gives WW2 Puzzling a Swing Dance | ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network
Club Drosselmeyer is a Boston-area immersive show: equal parts puzzle hunt and Larp, players navigate a World War 2 era nightclub to help tell the classic holiday tale of The Nutcracker
LOCKJAW ARCHIVAL UPDATE - due to additional issues with the website that forced me to revert to a prior build of ARGNet, I managed to recover the file.
It extracts to an EXE file that I am not brave enough to run after all the rigamarole, but I do have it archived now.