Designing an ARG
A collaborative gameplay experience
problem solving through an ARG
In my MA major project I explored how learning and collaboration could be achieved via gameplay, and designed an ARG concept which aimed at creating an immersive and fun game experience that would motivate players to collectively solve puzzles.
Major Project, 2017
Research, Experience Design, Critical Design, Behavioural Design, Game Development, Playtesting
motivation
It is believed that games have the ability to build social relationships and often times people play games with people they know and the game is then turned into a social experience. Many gamers do not play games just for their own entertainment, but they play because of other gamers and the thrill that lies in being a part of a community.
research
There are many types of games out there which can vary in form and purpose. During my initial research, I had to go back to the basics and understand the impact of games in general. I came across many types of games and did a case study of 3 ARG’s to better discuss the relevance and impact of ARG’s.
design concept
In ARG’s, storytelling plays a major role. So the first thing to build was the narrative and the story. Thereafter the process of designing and building puzzles began.
playtesting
I conducted 2 playtests to test if the game was too hard or too easy, how players would interact with each other to reach the end goal, and to measure the overall experience that the players had during the playtesting.
what problems did I find?
Creating hard fun can have the ability to make the players feel capable of meeting a difficult challenge as hard fun can transcribe into more motivation, interest and positive engagement in stressful situations. However, while some puzzles were almost too easy to solve, others were in contrast too difficult to solve
is there a future for ARGs?
The aims of this project were to design a fun and immersive ARG experience that could motivate players to collaborate and perform collective problem-solving.
This research study focused on exploring how ARGs can be used to create a sense of collective problem-solving and create immersion through a shared game experience. Creating simple but interactive puzzles and attaching it to a narrative, allowed for the players to immerse themselves in the story which showed in the way they interacted with the puzzles. The players brainstormed, imagined, collaborated and discussed how to solve puzzles.
conclusion
There are many benefits to playing an ARG.
Firstly, they can blur the lines between reality and fiction hence make a game seem more real. Secondly, they can immersive people into an activity which can make them feel more engaged, challenged, motivated, inspired, influenced. Thirdly, collective learning can be achieved via a communities of practice, as the players share a common goal (which is to finish the game), thus they learn how to do it better as they interact more and more with each other.
For further development, the overall concept of hard fun used in the game would need to be modified to create a game that is challenging but still enjoyable. Moreover, a moderation of the level of mental skills challenges would also have to be iterated. For instance by replacing riddles with crosswords or incorporating more story evidence to the puzzles to help connect the different hints and make the puzzles more immersive and engaging to interact with.
reflection / thoughts
With this project, I wanted to investigate the opportunities of alternate reality games as both a new form of immersive entertainment but also that engaging in such games is great for learning as they allow participants to practice skills such as creative and critical thinking, collaboration, teamwork, and problem-solving. Furthermore, I also found because ARGs is a ‘mixed reality’ platform, the social impact of ARGs can be profound. Just take a look at for instance the Pokémon Go craze. ARGs could have the possibility to be used as a tool that can direct itself towards making a real change in the world.