This article was co-authored by How.com.vn staff writer, Eric McClure. Eric McClure is an editing fellow at How.com.vn where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins, and The Rusty Nail. His digital chapbook, The Internet, was also published in TL;DR Magazine. He was the winner of the Paul Carroll award for outstanding achievement in creative writing in 2014, and he was a featured reader at the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series in 2015. Eric holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an MEd in secondary education from DePaul University.
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What if you could create a game that stepped outside of the bounds of a board game, TV, or video game? What kind of story would you tell if your game’s players were playing in real-time, in the real world? ARGs are a fascinating and unique genre of gaming and storytelling that are on the cutting edge of avant-garde media. There’s a lot to demystify, but that’s why we’re here! Read on and we’ll show you how to craft an ARG from scratch.
Things You Should Know
- Build your game from the top down by focusing on the plot and pacing first, and the minor details at the end.
- Use whatever medium you enjoy to build your ARG. There are no rules, so you can write, film, record, or create whatever you’d like.
- You can have as much story and narrative as you’d like. Some ARGs, like geocaching or Pokémon Go have no plot at all!
- ARGs are often very light on the “game” component. So long as your players are intrigued, you’re doing your job as the writer.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
- If you want some inspiration, famous ARGs to draw inspiration from include Oxenfree, The White Door, Magiczny Świat Ani, Sombra, and Hello Neighbor.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1975&context=iatul
- ↑ https://www.theringer.com/2016/8/25/16038806/video-game-length-playtimes-f7b8e38f949f
- ↑ https://talkingobjects.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/book-2-robert-pratten.pdf
- ↑ https://talkingobjects.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/book-2-robert-pratten.pdf
- ↑ https://talkingobjects.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/book-2-robert-pratten.pdf
- ↑ https://talkingobjects.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/book-2-robert-pratten.pdf
- ↑ https://talkingobjects.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/book-2-robert-pratten.pdf
- ↑ https://www.fredericseraphine.com/index.php/2016/09/02/ludonarrative-dissonance-is-storytelling-about-reaching-harmony/
- ↑ https://ludogogy.co.uk/article/designing-win-states-in-games-to-keep-players-playing/
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