Deus Ex Machinatio

Another Step Toward Global Domination

I've got a guest post on the blog over at Luxurious Animals. If you've been reading me for long, very little of it will be new to you, but I'm proud of the piece because it contains the most succinct description of what the heck an ARG is that I've ever come up with. 

Check it out and let me know what you think. I'm sure there must be at least one or two of you out there who don't quite agree with me. 

Booked Solid -- How About You?

Thanks, everybody, it looks like I'm booked through about the end of the year. I'm still getting inquiries, though, so if you're an ARG writer or designer -- particularly in New York -- and you're looking for projects, go ahead and leave me a comment. I'd be happy to pass along names. 

For that matter, if you're an ARG freelancer, be you a designer, programmer, artist, or video producer, drop me a line to get added onto the list over at ARGology. I'm traveling for the next few days so I can't promise I'll hop on it with record speed, but I'll definitely get to it!

Fill Up My Dance Card

I'm just about recovered from Routes, and it looks like my pernicious hardware issues are finally sorted out. That means I'm ready to get back to work making exciting stuff. I've got dozens of projects in various stages of planning (of course), but have a decided preference for stuff that's likely to be income-bearing, so I bring it to you, my faithful readers: Are you making anything I could help with? Do you know anybody who is?

My next big commitment is very tentatively scheduled to begin in late June or early July, so I've got several weeks mostly free on my dance card (in a pinch, it's likely I could push that commitment back a bit, too). If you're running an interactive online experience and you need game/interaction design or writing, I'm definitely your girl. But times and money being what they are, I'm open to all kinds of projects. Website copy? Certainly! Catalog copy? Sure! Technical documentation? Absolutely! Reasonable rates, quality guaranteed!

Go ahead and browse my LinkedIn profile, resume and writing credits. If you've got something you'd like to run by me, feel free to drop me email, or you can ping me on AIM (Andrh1a) or Skype (Andrhia). If not, well, thanks for looking, and please do pass on my availability to anyone who might need my services.

Hear My Voice!

Looks like I'm going to be a guest on the ARG Netcast tonight! I'll likely talk a bit about Routes, so if you're interested -- or if you're insanely curious as to what my voice sounds like -- tune in tonight at 9:30pm Eastern time. (That's 6:30pm Pacific.) 

There's a chatroom during the netcast for questions and general kibbitzing during the live session; but if you can't make it tonight, the inestimable Jonathan Waite will have the recording up in a few days. Hope to see you there!

After These Important Messages—

If you've been expecting email from me for the past several weeks, I'm sorry I've neglected you. Routes ate me whole during the run, and I'm only slowly coming back to life now that it's all wrapping up. Right now I'm suffering through the inevitable post-project stress illness with all of its phlegmy charms. That'll probably take me the rest of the week. 

From next week, though, if you've been waiting on email from me, then email me; if you've been wanting to meet me for lunch or coffee, let's set that up soon; and if you're angry that my irregular posting has grown only less irregular over time, I'm very sorry and I'll try to do better going forward.

Stay tuned, and in the coming days (or possibly weeks) I will bring you:

• Some ruminations on why ARGs are inconvenient to play, and how to design around that 
• Exploration of the expectation of privacy vs. the expectation of anonymity 
• Some closing thoughts on Routes 
• A video explaining just how you pronounce "Deus Ex Machinatio," anyway 

Meanwhile, I was a bad, bad girl toward the end of Routes, and so overwhelmed with the process of making stuff that I failed to point you toward it so you could enjoy it. And that means i never showed you Ginger Dawn, the most incredibly wrong but oh-so-hilarious minigame of the project. I don't want to spoil the killer intro, but go have a play, you'll love it!

Routes: DNA Heroes

The Routes Week 5 Challenge is up: DNA Heroes. I'm fantastic at DDR but miserable at DNA Heroes, how do you stack up?

While you're there, be sure to register to win tickets to a comedy gig starring the divine Canadian funny girl Katherine Ryan. If you're already registered on the site, sign in and go to your profile to tick the box that says you're interested in going. It's sure to be a good time!

And speaking of Routes, our man on the scene Fluffy has been keeping us updated on what's been happening with Rachel in her search to find out what happened to her uncle. Take a look at the latest, why dontcha:

Routes: The Plot Thickens

Have you seen the Week 3 game up at RoutesGame.com? It's called ExperiMental, and it's a social media/photohunt challenge. You try to capture a photo of the most awesomest science experiment at home and upload it, and then go through and vote on the ones other players have uploaded that you like the best.

But that's not all that's going on over there. (and if you're a curtain purist, so to speak, you may want to avert your eyes right about... now.)

My heavens, it looks like there's some sort of cross-media interactive experiential cool thing going on! Not that I'd know anything about... OK, OK, who am I kidding?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is where I walk the talk. There's a game going on! Don't worry, I'm not going to start spouting off about design goals and overarching priorities at this point. But I DO think the time is right to say "Hey, looky here, I has a game, and if you generally like my work, this is what you need to look at." You see? It didn't hurt a bit.

So right, if you want to go digging up treasure, you need a map. Allow me. Right now, courtesy of Fluffy Bickles, we have a video summary of Week 1:

Annnnd hot off the presses, Week 2:

It's a great point to jump in, and we'd love to have you. If you're interested in playing along, there are of course a few more links you might like to see. I'd love to hear what you think, but I'm afraid I'm not going to enter into much of a dialog about Routes until the show is over, so to speak, so I apologize in advance if I'm uncharactersitically silent.

Have fun!

Ah-CHOO!

The next game at Routes is up: Sneeze!

I can't claim much of any credit for this one, so it's not bragging to say it's a fun little chain-reaction game covered with a gooey layer of snot. I've made it all the way to level 10, but not yet cleared it, how about you?

Introducing Routes

For the last several months, I've been working with Oil Productions on a project for Channel 4 education in conjunction with the Wellcome Trust. That project is Routes, and I'm thrilled to tell you that we've officially launched!

   

Routes is a very ambitious project, incorporating elements like casual gaming, television, competition for prizes... and more. (See my Breeder up there? Oh, the pride!) I'll naturally have a lot more to say about Routes when the run is over; it wouldn't do to play out my hand now, would it? 

Meanwhile, sign up, explore, invite your friends. It's going to be a great ride. Promise!

Link Me, Link You -- Link Us Together

Say, you there! The attractive one with the keyboard -- yes, you! Do you like ARGs, gaming, or digital culture? Do you like to talk about them and write about them? I just bet you do, a clever sort like you. I can tell by the bright gleam of intellect in your eyes. Have I got a deal for you, and only you!

Over the next few weeks I'd like to dust off my links list to include a more complete set of friends, colleagues, and other sites that I should be linking to because... well... I just should. But I need your help! If you'd like me to add you to my links list, or if you know somebody who should be on the list, go on and leave me a comment. My only requirement is that the site be at least somewhat topical, and isn't part of an ongoing game.

And if in return you are moved to link to me in return? There's no requirement; I'm not a tit-for-tat kind of linker. But hey, if you'd like to bump up my meager Technorati score, I certainly won't complain!