Internet Horror- Alternate Reality Games

Last time, I talked about the Creepypasta genre and how the perception of it has changed over the years. However, Creepypasta is far from the only horror genre that can thrive on the internet. Alternate Reality Games are another easy source of online horror content, and that's what I'll be talking about today.

So, what exactly is an Alternate Reality Game? Wikipedia defines it as "an interactive networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a story that may be altered by players' ideas or actions." In English, this basically means it's a storytelling style that requires player interactivity and real-world clue-finding. These clues can range from finding cryptic hints in the middle of YouTube videos, to receiving emails from a game account, to even finding information hidden on the source code of a website. Anything is fair game, and players are rewarded with more clues and a promise of discovering the answer. 

Of course, there's no ARG without a good hook. Every game needs a reason to exist. Every player needs a reason to care about clue-finding, and those who aren't involved in the game itself need an interesting story to watch unfold. These games have plots, ranging from Slender Man-related drama to uncovering the truth about an odd blog. The stories can be dark and complicated, and usually are, as players need to be rewarded for their involvement and collaboration. Deeply woven stories and intricate lore can keep people curious, and can provide plenty of context for the game's existence. It makes no sense to be searching for random frames in a normal Vlog, but if those frames are added by the video's editor seeking help, it's suddenly a lot more interesting.

A clip from Totheark, a Marble Hornets channel and a good representation of what one of these clues can look like.

As a result, this genre easily lends itself to horror. Since horror tends to work best when people are invested and can believe that what they're seeing is real, the ARG style is a good way to have that realistic feeling. The players know it's fake, but the interactivity makes it real. Suddenly, they aren't just spectators, they're involved in the story, and thus responsible for what happens going forward. Perhaps they can even begin to believe that they're also in danger, or that if they can't get all the clues in time, something horrible will happen. Of course, nothing truly bad will happen- not to any real person, anyway.  But it's that psychological impact, that willing suspension of disbelief, and that personal involvement, that can make these games so scary when they're done well.

It doesn't always work out, though. Sometimes the overwhelming lore can get in the way. This is what happened to The Wyoming Incident. What started as some spooky videos based on the Max Headroom incident and some creepy forum posts alluding to a gathering for serial killers turned into a massive forum roleplay drenched in lore, confusing plot twists, and no real rewards for finding the other videos other than... well, more videos to find. Because the videos were all pretty much identical, players quickly lost interest unless they were involved in the forum side of things. Eventually the game was given a metafiction twist to become about the original creator of the game being a deranged, obsessive psychopath... But for some, it's too little too late, and the lack of progression really killed the otherwise interesting game in its tracks.

But, let's be real- who wouldn't want to search for more of these creepy faces?

On the other hand, some games make the mistake of including puzzles just to include them. People will get their hopes up for something cool at the end of the road, just to be "rewarded" with an advertisement or a random video or sometimes even nothing at all. Being invested in a story like this can lead to crushing disappointment if it turns out you've wasted your time, energy and interest over what was really just an elaborate marketing ploy, or a bored content creator's game. Not every ARG needs deep lore and rewards to keep players interested, but the creator needs to care about the audience they're cultivating. Some people will exploit interest just to rack up views and discussion, without actually having any plans or point for it all.

Luckily, when done well, these games can be fascinating, scary, and fun for everyone involved... until it becomes a bit too real. Some games involve geocaching, which is a fancy term for "leaving an item out at a specific coordinate and letting gameplayers travel to find the item". Geocaching can be a fun way to let people take part and have a unique experience, but at times it can be dangerous. Not every outdoors adventure is safe, after all, as proven with the dozens of problems that occurred from reckless Pokemon Go players wandering into areas they shouldn't. One YouTube channel, Jack Torrance, drummed up intrigue after openly challenging creator Nick Nocturne to go and find clues left in part of rural Texas, where several of the channel's creepy videos were shot. Nick and his friends went on the adventure, but even he, a proud horror buff whose channel highlights the scary side of the internet, found it a bit too unsettling and dangerous for comfort. He and his friends left in a hurry, and viewers were concerned that the adventure had been ill-advised, even if nothing outright bad happened.

There is another side of the coin, though. Not all of these games are poorly written or outright dangerous. Some of them aren't even all that scary. In fact, there's a few ARG channels aimed at kids. These vloggers, chased by an entity known as the Game Master, are constantly running around playing weird games and looking for clues. Because the Game Master is in so many channels, it's become an interconnected web of a plot similar to the Slender Man Mythos. Of course, because these channels are for children, the horror is downplayed and the Game Master is really just a snack-loving goof of ambiguous age and appearance, however the aspect isn't downplayed entirely, and viewers are asked to help solve riddles and help them defeat the Game Master. Not everyone's cup of tea, but also not bad for baby's first Alternate Reality Game.

"Confronting the Game Master to Learn his Secret Truth!", by the Game Master Network.

Personally, I think these games can be pretty fun, if done well. I've always been fascinated by complicated lore and puzzle solving, and while I'm not particularly good at solving these puzzles, I do think the stories are interesting, and I have a ton of respect for creators who manage to pull off a good game. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll make my own... 

And maybe this blog will be the starting point.