alternate reality game
Cross-platform mystery experience
An alternate reality game is an interactive narrative that unfolds across multiple platforms—websites, phone calls, emails, real-world locations—blurring the line between fiction and reality.
Players collaborate to solve puzzles and uncover story elements, often without explicit acknowledgment that it's a game.
The genre emerged from viral marketing campaigns and has spawned independent artistic works.
Often abbreviated ARG.
- cluesHints toward answers
- gamemasterRoleplaying session director
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- immersiveFully engaging the senses
hidden messages · interactive fiction · puzzle-solving · scavenger hunt · world-building · rabbit hole · deep dive · puppetmaster · transmedia · trailhead · multimedia · online · viral marketing · immersive experience · live event · narrative · fictional universe · collaboration
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