Alternate Reality Games SIG/Academic ARG Researchers

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This section provides information about academics that are researching ARGs. They are listed in surname alphabetical order. Please feel free to alter your entry or even add yourself!

Contents

Bryan Alexander

Bryan Alexander is Director for Research at the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education, working from offices at Middlebury College, where he researches the advanced uses of information technology in liberal education. A PhD graduate of the University of Michigan, he taught English and information technology studies as faculty at Centenary College of Louisiana. His primary research interests concern mobile and wireless computing, digital gaming, and social software.

Other interests include digital writing, copyright and intellectual property, information literacy, project management, information design, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Committed to exploring computer-mediated pedagogy, he continues to research and write on the critical uses of computers and teaching in terms of interdisciplinary liberal arts and the contemporary development of cyberculture.

Website: NITLE Liberal Education Today: http://www.nitle.org/

Website: Smartmobs: http://www.smartmobs.com

Weblog: Infocult: http://infocult.typepad.com

Academic

  • Alexander, B. (2005a) 'Alternate Reality Games (ARG)' presented at New Media Consortium Online Conference on Educational Gaming, Online, 8 Dec.
  • Alexander, B. (2006a) 'A New Approach to Gaming and Education: Alternate Reality Games' presented at ELI Annual Meeting: Advancing Learning: Insights and Innovations, San Diego, CA, 30 Jan. Some detail at available at: http://infocult.typepad.com/presentations/2006/01/test.html
  • Alexander, B. (2006b) 'Alternate Reality Game Practice: Puzzles and Design Workshop' presented at ELI Annual Meeting: Advancing Learning: Insights and Innovations, San Diego, CA, 30 Jan.

Substantial Blog Posts

Luiz Adolfo de Andrade

Luiz Adolfo de Andrade is researcher and game designer working on alternate reality games. Phd Student at Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and Researcher at Cyberculture Center (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil. Master degree in Communication and New Technologies at Fluminense Federal University (2007), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He researches the process of spatialization through alternate reality games. He taught Game Designer at Fluminense Federal University (2006-2007) and Estcio de Sa University (2007) both in Rio de Janeiro.

As a game designer, he was the puppet master of Obsess�o Compulsiva� (Compulsive Obsession, 2007-2008) an Alternate Reality Game related to the movie My name�s not Johnny� (Meu Nome N�o Johnny, Brazil, 2008, "Desenrola" (2009) an ARG related to OI FUTURO Cultural Center and "The Formula of Knowledge"(2009)an ARG related to Jorge Amado University and EngenhoNovo Communication. As a game screenwritter, he produced an adventure/ educational game called "Fran�a Ant�rtica" (2006) for Fluminense Federal University.


Academic

  • Andrade, L.A.; Bruni, P.; Falc�o, T.; Ferreira, E.(in press) Locative Media and Playful Appropriations Or How the Electronic Games Help Redefine the Meaning of Space IN: Firmino, R.J.; Duarte, F.,; Ultramari, C. ICTs for Mobile and Ubiquitous Urban Infrastructures: Surveillance, Locative Media and Global Networks IGI Global in 2010
  • Andrade, L. A. (2008a). Third-person effects e post-mass media functions: The Compulsive Obsession´s issue. II ABCiber: São Paulo: Pontificia Universidade Cat�lica
  • Andrade, L. A.;SÁ, S,p.(2008b). Second Life e Stars Wars Galaxies: encenando o jogo da vida na (ciber)cultura do entretenimento. Trabalho apresentado no GT de Mídia e Entretenimento do XVII Encontro Anual da Compôs. São Paulo: UNIP.
  • Andrade, L. A.(2007a) . Conhecimento e simulação. O que podemos aprender jogando MMORPG. Teias (Rio de Janeiro), v. 8, p. 13.
  • Andrade, L. A.(2007b). A Realidade Alternativa. Comunicação, conhecimento e marketing viral no desafio dos ARGs. Lumina, v. 9, p. 47-61.
  • Andrade, L. A. (2007c). A Galáxia de Lucas. Sociabilidade e narrativa nos jogos eletrônicos. Dissertação de mestrado apresentada ao PPGCOM/UFF. Niterói: Universidade Federal Fluminense.
  • Andrade, L. A. (2007d). O Que Podemos Aprender Jogando MMORPG? In: Revista Teias. Periódico eletrônico do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, ano VIII, número 15-16. Rio de Janeiro: EdUERJ.
  • ANDRADE, Luiz Adolfo de (2006a). O Herói Informacional. Trabalho apresentado no GT05 "Tecnologias e Estéticas da Comunicação" do I CONECO. I Congresso dos Estudantes de Pós-graduação do Rio de Janeiro. UFRJ.

Sites & Blogs


Christy Dena

Christy Dena is a cross-media entertainment researcher, consultant and creator. She is researching cross-media entertainment for a PhD at the School of Letters, Art and Media, University of Sydney. She is a consultant to film, TV and new media practitioners in Australia and overseas and has mentored at Australia’s cross-media lab: Australian Film, Television and Radio Schools’ Laboratory of Advanced Media Production (AFTRS’ LAMP). She currently creates what she terms miniARGs for entertainment industry training, research and her own cross-media stories. She has given numerous presentations on ARGs to industry and academia and also is a lecturer and tutor of new media arts theory to tertiary students and a new media arts reviewer. Dena is a public speaker on cross-media design who has delivered presentations to organisations such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Australian Council for the Arts. She is on the Board of one of Australia’s key new media arts organisations dLux Media Arts and is a member of the IGDA ARG SIG.

Main Website: http://www.cross-mediaentertainment.com

Academic

  • Dena, C. (2004a) 'Towards a Poetics of Multi-channel storytelling' presented at Critical Animals, This Is Not Art Festival, Newcastle, 1 Oct.
  • Dena, C. (2005a) ‘Elements of “Interactive Drama”: Behind the Virtual Curtain of Jupiter Green” published in Performance Paradigm 1(1).
  • Dena, C. (2005b) 'Texts, Worlds, Realms and Channels: Towards a Taxonomy of Polymorphic Works' presented at SCAtharsis Monthly Seminar Series, University of Melbourne, 17 Aug.
  • Dena, C. (2006a) ‘Clustering Conscious: Towards Polymorphism’ presented at SEAFAM Research Day, University of Sydney, 16 June.
  • Dena, C. (2006b) ‘How the Internet is Holding Together the Conjured Universes’ presented at Internet Research 7.0: Internet Convergences, Association of Internet Researchers, Brisbane, Queensland, 27-30 Sept, 2006.

Industry Reports

  • Dena, C. (2004b) 'Current State of Cross Media Storytelling: Preliminary observations for future design' presented by proxy (Monique de Haas) at 'Crossmedia communication in the dynamic knowledge society networking session’ at the European Information Society Technologies (IST) Event 2004: Participate in your future, The Netherlands, 15 Nov.

Substantial Blog posts


Henry Jenkins

Henry Jenkins is Co-Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program and the DeFlorz Professor of Humanities, MIT. He is the principle investigator for the MIT-Microsoft Games-to-Teach project, co-faculty investigator of the Convergence Culture Consortium (C3) and one of the founders and directors of The Education Arcade. At C3, Jenkins is investigating transmedia entertainment, participatory culture and experiential marketing. He has published monthly columns at the Technology Review Online and Computer Games magazine, and at the Media Center’s ‘We Imagine’ section of Morph. He is the author of numerous books, chapters and articles, including Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture and From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games. Jenkins has two books forthcoming: Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide and Fans, Bloggers and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture.

University Website: http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/

Personal Blog: http://www.henryjenkins.org/

Convergence Culture Consortium (C3): http://www.convergenceculture.net/


Steven E. Jones

Steven E. Jones is Professor of English at Loyola University Chicago. He is author of a number of articles and books on romantic-period literature and culture, including Shelley’s Satire (Northern Illinois UP, 1994), Satire and Romanticism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2000), and (as editor), The Satiric Eye: Forms of Satire in the Romantic Period (Palgrave Macmillan 2003). His most recent book is Against Technology: from the Luddites to Neo-Luddism (Routledge, 2006), and he is currently working on a new book on Video Games and Textual Studies.

University Blog: http://www.rc.umd.edu/sjones/blog/

  • Jones, S. E. (2005) ‘This Medium will Metastasize: Videogames and Textual Studies’ presented at MLA, Washington, DC, 29 Dec.
  • Book in progress: Textual Studies and Video Games.


Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonigal is a pervasive game designer with 42 Entertainment and a games researcher at UC Berkeley. As a designer, she specializes in real-world, multiplayer games for public spaces and serious places, including cemeteries, downtown urban centers, city and national parks, airports and public transportation systems. Most recently, she produced Hex168 (2005), which asked Xbox gamers to game their own everyday, real-world environments. Previously, she was a lead designer for 42 Entertainment's I Love Bees (2004), which received the Innovation Awards from the International Game Developers Association, the games Webby Award from the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and recognition from the New York Times' 2004 Year in Review as one of the most significant cultural phenomena of the year. She is also well-known for her design work on flash mobs (2003), urban superhero games like the Go Game (2001 - present), and alternate reality games like Last Call Poker (2005).

Her research focuses on systems and interfaces for massively collaborative play, both in game environments and in everyday life. She consults frequently for technology companies like Intel, Microsoft and Nokia, and for organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute for the Future. When not puppet mastering games, she teaches game design (San Francisco Art Institute) and contemporary games culture (UC Berkeley), with an emphasis on how these two fields intersect with public policy, social networks and live performance.

Website: http://www.avantgame.com/

Blog: http://avantgame.blogspot.com/

Chapters & Journal Articles

  • McGonigal, J. (2003a) This Is Not a Game': Immersive Aesthetics and Collective Play' presented at MelbourneDAC: the 5th International Digital Arts and Culture Conference, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia, May 19 -23, published at School of Applied Communication, RMIT [Online] Available at: http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/McGonigal.pdf . PowerPoint available at: www.avantgame.com.
  • McGonigal, J. (2003b) 'A Real Little Game: The Performance of Belief in Pervasive Play' presented at Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) "Level Up" Conference, November, published at www.avantgame.com.
  • McGonigal, J. (2005a) 'Supergaming! Ubiquitous Play and Performance for Massively Scaled Community', W.B. Worthen (ed.) Modern Drama: Special Issue on Technology, 48(3): 471-491. Also published at www.avantgame.com.
  • McGonigal, J. (2006a) ‘The Puppet Master Problem: Design for Real-World, Mission-Based Gaming’ in Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin (Eds) Second Person: Role-Playing and Story in Games and Playable Media, MIT Press. Also published at www.avantgame.com.

Presentations

  • McGonigal, J. (2004a) ‘Alternate Reality Gaming: 'Life Imitates ARG”’ presented for the MacArthur Foundation Board of Directors, Nov. PowerPoint from available at www.avantgame.com
  • McGonigal, J. (2004b) 'The Runaway Game: Spectacle and Performance in Public Play' presented at StoryEngines Conference, Stanford University, February, published at www.avantgame.com
  • McGonigal, J. (2005b) ‘Experimental Gameplay: I Love Bees’ presented at Game Developers Conference, March. PowerPoint available at www.avantgame.com
  • McGonigal, J. (2005c) 'I Love Bees: A Buzz Story' presented at Word of Mouth Marketing panel at AD:TECH, San Francisco, 25-27 April. Powerpoint available at www.avantgame.com
  • McGonigal, J. (2005d) 'Alternate Reality Learning' presented at Creative Design panel at the E3 Education Arcade, Los Angeles, 15-17 May, published at www.avantgame.com
  • McGonigal, J. (2005e) ‘Puppetmasters and Performance’ presented at HUMlab, May, Umea, Sweden. PowerPoint from available at www.avantgame.com
  • McGonigal, J. (2005f) ‘Down the rabbit hole’ presented at 050505: Center for New Media Groundbreaking, May. PowerPoint from available at www.avantgame.com
  • McGonigal, J. (2005g) ‘Alternate Reality Gaming: Experimental Social Structures for MMOs’ presented at Austin Game Conference, Oct. PowerPoint from available at www.avantgame.com

Blog post


Jason Mittell

Jason Mittell is Assistant Professor of American Studies and Film & Media Culture at Middlebury College, Vermont. His book, Genre and Television: From Cop Shows to Cartoons in American Culture (Routledge, 2004) offers a new approach to exploring television genres as cultural categories, as exemplified by a number of historical case studies. He has published essays in Cinema Journal, The Velvet Light Trap, Television and New Media, Film History, Journal of Popular Film and Television, and a number of anthologies. He is currently writing a textbook on television and American culture, and a book on narrative complexity in contemporary American television.

Website: http://seguecommunity.middlebury.edu/sites/jmittell


Ann Morrison

Ann Morrison lectures in studio process, interactive environments and visualisation within the Information Environments Program, School of ITEE, at the University of Queensland. Morrison is an installation and new media artist with a 17 year exhibition history and 9 years multimedia industry experience. Morrison is currently writing, working with locative experience projects and constructing a context containment interactive environment.

Personal Webpage: http://anmore.com.au

University Webpage: http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~morrison/

  • Turner, J. and A. Morrison (2005) 'Suit Keen Renovator: Alternate Reality Design' presented at The Second Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment Sydney, Nov, published in Y. Pisan (Ed.) Australasian conference on Interactive Entertainment, University of Technology, Sydney, 209-213.
  • Ann Morrison’s forthcoming thesis.


Eva Nieuwdorp

Eva Nieuwdorp is a PhD candidate in New Media and Digital Culture in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, where she participates in a research project called ‘Playful Identities: From Narrative to Ludic Self-Construction’. This project looks at identity construction in relation to an increasingly technologically mediated society and the possibilities this yields for personal and cultural expression and self-reflection. At the moment Nieuwdorp focuses her research on the construction of personal and cultural identity in and through games, and especially pervasive games, looking at concepts such as embodiment, convergence and performance, as well as investigating new terminological approaches to ‘pervasive games’. She has spent a period as a guest researcher in January-May 2005 with the Trans-Reality Gaming Laboratory at Gotland University (HGO) in Sweden, as part of the European Integrated Project on Pervasive Gaming (IperG), where she has done research on defining pervasive gaming. She is active in assisting the teaching staff in developing syllabuses and curricula for several courses on digital games, as well as regularly performing junior teaching duties in seminars.


Henrik Ornebring

Henrik Örnebring has a PhD in Journalism and Mass Communication from Göteborg University, Sweden, and is currently Senior Lecturer in Television Studies at Roehampton University, London, UK. His research interests include media history, particularly the history of television and the history of journalism (both areas on which he has published previous work). He is also interested in using historical perspectives and historical studies to analyse and understand contemporary developments in media; such as processes of increasing media convergence, the ongoing fragmentation of media audiences, and the ways in which new digital media and digital technologies affect ‘traditional’ media.

  • Örnebring, H. (2006) ‘Extending the Narrative of Alias: the emerging cultural economy of Alternate Reality Gaming’ presented at the TV Fiction Exchange Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, Crewe, UK, Sep 5-8.


Ravi Purushotma

Ravi Purushotma is a Masters candidate in the MIT Comparative Media Studies program, where he works as a researcher on their New Media Literacies and Education Arcade projects. Formerly a student in the UCLA Teaching English as a Second Language program and English teacher in southern China, his interests are in how foreign language learning will need to be re conceptualized to take advantage of the instantaneous access to foreign culture and media available with today's technologies.

Webpage: http://www.langwidge.com/

  • Jenkins, H., R. Purushotma, et al. (forthcoming) ‘Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century’, Project New Media Literacies. See their website: http://www.projectnml.org.
  • Forthcoming Masters thesis, Comparative Media Studies program, MIT. See his website: http://www.lingualgamers.com/thesis.


Jeremy Reynolds

Jeremy Reynolds is a recent M.A. recipient from Purdue University’s Professional Communication program. He now works as an Art Director and Writer for Floyd and Partners, a full-service advertising agency in Fort Wayne, IN. Reynolds first discovered ARGs through a post about I Love Bees at Penny Arcade. He subsequently played ILB and was surprised by how well the community worked together and the depth of resources the players developed on short notice. Although the player base was large, diverse, grassroots and almost entirely computer-mediated, Reynolds explains, the community was polite, self-correcting, focused and incredibly efficient. ARGs, he observes, contain examples and illustrate concepts of community and culture building, computer-mediated communication, conflict, persuasion, avant-garde media, semiotics, and cultural studies.

  • Reynolds, J. (2006) Formation of Shared Group Consciousness through Play: Alternate Reality Games, Masters Synthesis Paper, May, Department of Communication, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne.


Marc Ruppel

Marc Ruppel is a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland College Park. He has presented papers on several subjects from Native American literature and science to new media and narrative theory, with a particular focus on stories told across media. Marc has also taught courses focusing on topics ranging from new media literacies to film, and his dissertation, tentatively titled “Triggers and Traces: Convergence, Divergence and the Cross-Sited Narrative”, is currently in progress.

Website: http://www.things.wordherders.net

  • Ruppel, M. (2004) ‘Hybrid Channels, Hybrid Stories, Hybrid Minds: Reconstituting Narrative Networks’ English seminar paper presented at University of Maryland College Park, 10 Dec.
  • Ruppel, M. (2005a) ‘Triggers and Traces: Cross-Sited Narratives and Medial Materialities’ presented at the Society Literature and Science Conference, 10-13 Nov.
  • Ruppel, M. (2005b) ‘Learning to Speak Braille: Convergence, Divergence and Cross-Sited Narratives’ PhD Qualifying Exam presentation, 22 Nov.
  • Ruppel, M. (2006a) ‘Many Houses, Many Leaves: Cross-Sited Media Productions and the Problems of Convergent Narrative Networks’ presented at the Digital Humanities 2006 Conference, 4-9 July, Paris-Sorbonne.
  • Ruppel, M. (2006b) ‘Not as LOST as One Might Think....’, blog post at Things as They Are?, 4 May [Online] Available at: http://things.wordherders.net/archives/005843.html
  • Forthcoming PhD thesis.
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