Alternate reality story telling

Abstract

Telling stories is traditionally achieved by writing the story and having it printed on a book. In today's world, however, one can take advantage of current technology. The aim of this dissertation is to create an interactive story that spans to the real world in the form of an Alternate Reality Game. The level of interaction in traditional books is minimal, with the exceptions being popup books and books which contain some form of compartments containing items related to the story. In this dissertation, a framework for transforming a traditional book into an Alternate Reality Game is developed and applied to a particular book as a proof of concept. The book is made more interactive mainly by moving away from the traditional comfort of reading a book anywhere. Rather, the story is set at a particular real-world location, and players must be present at the location to be able to start reading. Furthermore, a mixture of virtual characters, mini-games and objectives extends the experience, making it much more than just a book or game. As soon as a player enters the game, it shows a map and a simple interface which aids the player in determining what the next step is. Objectives include meeting characters in game while walking in real-life locations, or reaching objectives in one of the mini games. Players can also communicate with the characters by speaking to a chat bot and accessing social media. There is also the possibility of unlocking further stories which are not unlockable by meeting characters. The system was praised for its ability to create an interactive experience, bridging the gap between reading and game playing and for deviating from the standard genres of games. The majority of those who tried the ARG claim they prefer it over traditional books or games.