我好奇故我在

這是樂團九吋釘Nine Inch Nails，主唱Trent Rezno，在2007年四月發行專輯Year Zero所進行的宣傳，而此專輯的特色就是架構在2022的未來(future-based)概念上。

先從這個 Year Zero campaign的時間表看起：
source:

1. http://psucomm473.blogspot.com/2009/04/year-zero-look-into-not-so-distant.html
2. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/22/year-zero-project-way-cooler-than-lost/
3. http://www.ninwiki.com/Main_Page
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Websites_and_phone_numbers_in_the_Year_Zero_alternate_reality_game
5. http://yearzeroexperience.blogspot.com/

The Year Zero project involved 30 Web sites, strategically placed USB drives, hidden messages and a movement of itself. The following is a timeline of the events that occured (some were left out, as they were not quite as important):
這個Year Zero專案包括了30多個網站，有策略性的置放隨身碟、隱藏的訊息。以下是重要事件的發展時間

第一塊線索

February 12, 2007

Fans deciphered a t-shirt where certain letters were highlighted. These letters spelled out “I am trying to believe” which led to a Web site http://www.iamtryingtobelieve.com/.

樂迷解出巡迴演唱會的T-恤上有些被特別標示出的字母，這些字母可以拼出「I am trying to believe我想要相信」，並引導到網站http://www.iamtryingtobelieve.com/。

Here, we learn about the drug Parepin, which has been added to the water supplies of Orlando as protection against similar acts of bio-terrorism against Los Angeles and Anaheim in 2009. This site speculates whether Parepin is a medium for the government to control the minds of its citizens. When you email the site owner, who has stopped using the drug because of his conspiracy beliefs, you get this email back:

在這個網站，我們得知毒品Parepin被加入Orlando的水供應中，當作是預防手段，預防一些相似於2009在洛杉磯以及安納罕市所發生的生物恐怖事件。這個網站推測毒品Parepin是否是政府控制市民心智的一個媒介？當你寫email給站長，他已經相信這個陰謀論，而停止使用這個毒品。你會收到從一封自動回信email，內容如下，就是基本上站長說反話。

...繼續閱讀

資料來源: Jane McGonigal的pdf簡報 以及她的論文研究 Why I Love Bees : A Case Study in Collective Intelligence Gaming

前言：在2004年塑造Halo 2遊戲中的2552年虛擬未來。
In the summer of 2004, the commercial game design company 42 Entertainment launched I Love Bees, a Web-based interactive fiction that used websites, blogs, emails, jpegs, Mp3 recordings, and other digital artifacts to create an immersive back-story for Microsoft’s sci-fi shooter videogame Halo 2. I was the lead community designer of I Love Bees, and in this role, my primarily responsibility was to oversee the emerging collective intelligence of its players.

在2004年夏天， 42 Entertainment 公司發動一個以網路為主的互動虛擬故事，使用網站、部落格、電郵、jpegs、Mp3錄音檔，和其他的數位物件，來替微軟科幻遊戲Halo 2，創造一個浸入式歷史故事。我是I Love Bees主要的設群設計師，我主要的責任在於監看所有玩家的集體智慧發展。

The distributed fiction of I Love Bees was designed as a kind of investigative playground, in which players could collect, assemble and interpret thousands of different story pieces related to the Halo universe. By reconstructing and making sense of the fragmented fiction, the fans would collaboratively author a narrative bridge between the first Halo videogame and its sequel. As the project’s lead writer Sean Stewart explains: “Instead of telling a story, we would present the evidence of that story, and let the players tell it to themselves.”
I Love Bees 的設計像是一種調查遊戲場，玩家在那兒可以收集、組合，以及詮釋跟Halo世界相關的數千個故事片段。玩家重建零碎的故事片段，以及試著賦予意義，集體當作者敘述出第一個Halo跟第二個Halo續集的故事怎樣連繫。

As lead community designer for I Love Bees, I had the job of monitoring the interpretive and problem-solving efforts of the player community so that we could adapt the game to their evolving collective profile. Each day, after scouring player forums, blogs and emails, and lurking in their chat rooms, I reported their most interesting new theories and strategies to the other lead designers. In turn, the other designers crafted ongoing game challenges, as well as the climax of the interactive story, in response to the skill sets and the investigative framework the players themselves had developed. Through this real-time, flexible design, we worked to encourage the existing Halo fan base to hone and strengthen their CI powers.
這種類型的遊戲是60%預先規劃好，其他40%是規劃了部分但是開 放，隨著玩家反應即時修正。我身為 I Love Bees社群設計師，我的工作就是監控這些互動以及玩家社群解決問題的努力，所以我們可以隨著集體智慧的演化來修正遊戲。每天，當我偵察完玩家論壇、部落格、跟電郵，或潛伏在聊天室中，我會跟其他主要的領導設計師報告玩家最新、最有趣的理論跟策略。接著，其他設計師會繼續精心修編現在進行的遊戲挑戰，以及互動故事的高潮點，以回應玩家已經發展的技能和調查工作。透過這個及時、彈性的設計，我們鼓勵現有的Halo愛好者來練習和加強他們的情報能力。(萬一玩家太厲害，會設計一些稱之為relay mission)來阻撓集體智慧。)
...繼續閱讀

這是出自2004年她在University of California 的簡報內容
直接下載PDF McGonigal ARG MacArthur Foundation NOV 04.pdf


...繼續閱讀

Jane McGonigal 是一個大美女，可自行google圖片。摘要2007年wired雜誌對她的訪問，特別挑出跟行銷相關的：
(source:http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/magazine/15-06/st_arg2)

Wired: How would you get someone interested in playing? 你怎樣讓人有興趣玩ARG？

McGonigal: A call to action is really important. You want to get people involved in some kind of mission or mystery, or big confounding enigma that makes them feel like they have a purpose in playing. Every good alternate reality game asks a question. In the game Perplex City, the opening question was: Where is the Cube? Find the Cube. For I Love Bees it was: Who hacked the site? For AI it was: Who killed Evan Chan? You need some kind of a central problem that people can rally around.

讓別人採取行動是很重要的。你希望讓人們可以參與某些任務、神秘事件，或一個很大混亂的謎題，讓他們覺得他們在玩中有一個目的。每一個好的另類實境遊戲都問一個好問題。在Perplex City《尋謎之城》遊戲中，開頭的問題是：「方塊在哪裡？找到方塊。」。對於I Love Bees 遊戲，問題是「誰駭客了這個網站？」。對於電影AI，問題是：「誰殺了Evan Chan?」你需要有一個中心問題讓人們可以聚集。

註解《尋謎之城》：2007年二月初，倫敦北部一百英里，一處寒風刺骨的森林裡，巡邏警隊驚訝地發現數10名年輕人在森林中穿梭，拿著鏟子在潮濕的地上到處挖洞。這是一個叫做《尋謎之城》（Perplex City）的線上遊戲，歷經長達15個月的跨國尋寶行動，總共92國、超過5萬名玩家參與。部份玩家組成團隊以擴大自己的闖關資源，每個玩家都必須依照線索指示，最終到達一個埋有「羅塞塔方塊」（Receda Cube）護身符的地方。「羅塞塔方塊」最後被一名獨自闖關、來自倫敦的玩家達利（Andy Darly）挖出，他拿到20萬美元獎金。(資料來源：數位時代)

PS：會另開文討論I Love Bees

 

...繼續閱讀

在wiki有介紹一些跟另類實境遊戲ARG相關的術語

• Puppetmaster - an individual involved in designing and/or running an ARG. Helping or hindering, puppetmasters generally remain behind the curtain while a game is running.
  操偶師: 像李天祿就是布袋戲操偶師，《戲夢人生》的英文就是翻The Puppetmaster。用很簡單的英文解釋就是the real leader that calls all the shots。在這個ARG中，指設計或經營ARG者，通常就是「藏鏡人」，身份神秘，跟隨者可能不認識他。記得有次看一個犯罪美劇，就是要逮捕這個藏鏡人，但是此人網路身份成謎。
• The Curtain - a metaphor for the separation between the puppetmasters and the players.
  看下圖虛線處，可以比較瞭解這個抽象意思。
• Rabbithole/trailhead - Also known as a Trailhead. A Rabbithole marks the first website, contact, or puzzle that starts off the ARG. A deliberate clue which enables a player to discover a way into the game.
  兔洞/線索頭：我想這個兔洞典故應該來自是「愛麗斯夢遊仙境」，含意就是掉入另一個世界。在ARG指一些接觸點透過特意設計的線索，啟動了ARG。
• This Is Not A Game (TINAG) - Setting the ARG form apart from other games is the This Is Not A Game aesthetic, which dictates that the game not behave like a game: phone numbers mentioned in the ARG, for example, should actually work, and the game should not provide an overtly-designated playspace or ruleset to the players.
  跟一般遊戲不一樣的地方是：ARG不是遊戲。這還真是難懂的界定。由於強調真實，所以ARG中給的電話號碼必須是真的。

打破傳統廣告訊息定義，通常我們在跨媒體尋求一個一致性的訊息傳播，而且這個訊息必須簡單明白，而且媒體最好位置或版位愈有impact愈好。現在有些公司採用以 ARGs(alternate reality games，另類實境遊戲)為特色的行銷手法，通通打破上述限制。這種另類實境遊戲跟我們一般印象中的電玩也不同

我一開始認為這屬於很特殊的、很小眾(推估是電玩愛好者)的行銷方式，但是其實不然。因為ARGs的重點在於塑造"real"真實感覺，所以會從現實環境中給目標受眾線索，用「洩密」的方式透露網址，而且這種電玩概念不講競爭，而是講求集體智慧(collective intelligence)，可能是某君意外發現線索，抱著姑且一試心情登入網址，然後發現是真的，故興奮分享給其朋友，大家被勾引好奇心開始注意。這種campaign通常重點不在參與的人數有多少，而是在於creat buzz引起很多人注意跟討論。

• ARGs are sometimes called a narrative art form because their storytelling relies on two basic components: audience search for information and sharing their experiences.
  另類實境遊戲有時稱為敘述式的藝術形式，因為說故事有兩個基本元素：受眾找尋資料，並且分享他們的經驗。
  (延生閱讀: ARGs white paper)

回到觀眾上，根據互動深度的不同，可以區分三種：(source)

• Casual participants: Representing the broadest audience, they have a modest level of interaction which is focused primarily online; they seek a guide to help engage in the experience
  一般參與者，也就是一般大眾，大部分是有限度參與網路活動，他們需要別人的指導來參與。
• Active participants: Representing the core “middle” audience, they have a significant level of interaction both on-and off-line; they engage in the experience at their own level and pace.
  活躍參與者：代表主要「中間」階層的受眾，他們有一定程度的參與線上、線下的互動。他們依照自己的程度以及步伐速度參與這個經驗。
• Enthusiastic participants: Representing the “tip of the wedge” audience, they have a very high level of interaction both on- and off-line; they become deeply engaged in the experience by providing “content” of their own to the community.
  熱情參與者：代表金字塔頂端的受眾，他們有很高程度的線上線下參與互動。他們是很深度參與此經驗，並且給予他們自己版本的故事內容給予社群。

到底「說不完的故事」怎樣執行？只給一個故事起頭、給予受眾故事的證據、讓受眾自己說故事。也就是故事是開放的、結局受眾決定。

• CEO Susan: "The never ending online to me it means that the web has given us great opportunities to tell stories in different ways and to really have spilled off into lives of people. And create communities that discuss, and discover it and figure it out in different ways and really give the audience the chance to participate in the story. So I think the never ending online story is just starting to be written. And people are thinking about storytelling from the web in a different way." ~聽寫~
  (source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV5Ocbj0CfI)
• Writer Sean Stewart: “Instead of telling a story, we would present the evidence of that story, and let the players tell it to themselves.”

還有什麼特殊處？

• 通常著眼全球市場，因為人們也渴求跟更大的community連結。我想英語是很重要一環，說英語的國家很多，所以可以在各地放小火。
• 通常預算龐大，約美金1~3 millions。

打算針對42 Entertainment 作一個仔細的研究，因為它改變好多我對行銷的認知，陸續更新於此頁，有鑑於長度，可能屆時只會寫中文。

brand storytellers

• NYTimes 對這種新型態公司的介紹 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/business/media/17adcol.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=42%20Entertainment&st=cse

42 Entertainment 官網之"How we see things?" http://www.42entertainment.com/see.html

2006 "Year Zero" campaign

• 完整case study: http://psucomm473.blogspot.com/2009/04/year-zero-look-into-not-so-distant.html
• Year Zero 的廣告主，就是樂手Trent Reznor，wired雜誌對他有長達十頁的訪談，呼，此君可以自己一直講下去。http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_arg_reznor
• CEO Susan Bonds and CCO Alex Lieu對此案的訪談 http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2008/06/19/on-cannes-a-new-kind-of-storytelling-in-ads

2007 "The Dark Knight" campaign

• CEO Susan Bonds and CCO Alex Lieu explain對此案的深度訪談。http://creativity-online.com/?action=news:article&newsId=130602§ionName=behind_the_work