Comments on Lostpedia Blog: What do Lost fans actually want in an ARG?

I liked Find815 very much. It had the look and fee...

2008-09-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

I liked Find815 very much. It had the look and feel and -- more importantly -- the intrigue of actual LOST episodes. It got you emotionally involved with Sam and his desperate quest to find Sonya. The mysterious clues in Sam's emails and photos made the game even more of a grabber. Each puzzle was an absorbing challenge, but [usually] not too hard for me to work. I also loved it that the Season 4 LOST premiere episode then showed us what Sam found in the Sunda Trench, although he did not become an actual character in the show. I wish they'd come up with a similarly structured, character-driven game for every season hiatus!

I didn't participate in TLE (I didn't even know it...

2008-08-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't participate in TLE (I didn't even know it was going on, I didn't even know there was a bustling fan community online.)
I was very involved in Find 815, did every puzzle, didn't look for cheats unless I was stumped...I really enjoyed it. I especially loved finding the hidden clues and regular clues and then having them pop up all over the place on the real show through the first episodes. Simple things like passwords gave us character names, place names, and even things like Penny's phone number popped up. Not to mention the guy who played Sam Thomas was really good.

I would have liked to have participated in TLE if only because looking back on whats been posted on LP, it seemed much more open, much more fluid, much more like...what are they going to do next? Find 815 got repetitive.

This newest ARG....they just better be prepping something that will blow us all away, or we won't forget this agonizing wait. Fortunately, 8/15 is coming up, and I feel like that MUST be a day when something has to happen.

I haven't played any of the previous ARG's for so ...

2008-08-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't played any of the previous ARG's for so much as a second; I waited until they were over, went to Lostpedia and read the summaries, because the only thing I care about is that they answer questions that might be too detailed or considered minor for the TV show.

A perfect example is the Sri Lanka video which explained what the Numbers were about and gave info about the beginning of the DHARMA Initiative and that was just in the first half.

If I find out that something in an ARG is "not canon", I don't even bother to read the Lostpedia entry.

Great post. About Dan Bronson, I think I get the ...

2008-08-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Great post. About Dan Bronson, I think I get the idea of the "ultimate LOST fan thing." Rachel Blake and Sam Thomas were attractive and compelling. Now, I won't go on record as saying Dan Bronson is unattractive, but I think the idea behind him is that he is to be someone we can identify with. He's like us: a LOST fan.

I agree with all of these "wants," but I have a couple more:

An ARG should make the participants feel involved. In TLE, I recall they tried hard to incorporate a sense that we were really being asked to help Rachel Blake, while in Find815, we were more on the outside, looking in through Sam's eyes. The current ARG has potential, since the protagonist is out there, perhaps ready to make his presence known to us and ask for our help.

And another thing I liked about TLE was that it really inspired -- and required -- a sense of community among fans. There was something for everyone. Some were good at anagrams and puzzles, some at the tech stuff, etc., and it took cooperation between fans to get through it. Find815 had more individual activities. It appears to me, so far, that with assessments and a leader board, the current ARG might be more of an individual activity.

Oh, and it would be nice if it had a catchy title. What is this game called, anyway?

Excellent post, even if I do differ in what I want...

2008-08-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Excellent post, even if I do differ in what I want from an ARG.

I thought Flight 815 was a lot of fun and the production quality was amazing. I really appreciated that it was filmed in the "LOST" TV style and that the games were (for the most part) on the same page.

You didn't have the problem of not being techy enough to figure something out (which TLE really suffered from at times) or knowing where to go-Internet hunts are fun but there is a fine line between knowing where you going and ending up somewhere completely crazy or a dead end on the net.

Sure you can just wait for someone to reiterate the clues for you-but that isn't that fun to have to rely on some one who has is just a better hacker than you. Especially when you aren't organized into teams to participate in the event. To me there is a difference between being capable of figuring something out and just sort of having the background to do something. I prefer the former because I think it gives everyone a chance to participate fully.

That said I did love when the game went offline. I think the SDCC thing looked great (even though I couldn't go) and I LOVED when I got to go and get my Apollo Candy Bar! The Dark Knight ARG was good with doing this too.

And of course I always appreciate the Lostpedia community for the great work they do in keeping this all together! Thanks gang!

Peko wants more Rachel Blake.

2008-08-08T02:22:00.000-07:00

Peko wants more Rachel Blake.

actually I would prefer a Hurley over a Jack, I do...

2008-08-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

actually I would prefer a Hurley over a Jack, I don't know why

The biggest problem I have with the way ARGs work ...

2008-08-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

The biggest problem I have with the way ARGs work is knowing WHEN to look for a clue. Clues that are hard to solve or even red herrings are fine, it gives people something to do, and you have a mission. It's when there is nothing to do - that's when there is a problem. It makes people wonder... am I missing something?

For example take this latest ARG - Are there clues/websites/etc out there that are we supposed to be looking for? Hidden emails? Or are we just waiting? How are we supposed to know?

I can understand if the game hasn't started yet due to technical difficulties, but otherwise... what's the hold up? A least give us some indication of whats going on. Right now we are just waiting... until Friday, when supposedly we'll be told to wait some more?

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LostARGs.com

I believe interactivity beyond websites is where T...

2008-08-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

I believe interactivity beyond websites is where TLE soared and Find 815 failed. It's easy to follow along on a website and get the right answers from friends. It's more fun to meet your fellow 'losties' in the real world and hunt for clues on buses and billboards!
Also what is currently failing on the ARGs is the lag time between clues. Waiting over a week for a new clue or activity is not only boring, it leads to apathy and attrition of ARG players!

Yes, but I think that something is missing. I just...

2008-08-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, but I think that something is missing. I just dont get what IT is. It would be great if Dharma had more than DharmaWantsYou and Global Octagon Recruiting. And RuckusGuy. Why doesnt he have a web site, is there a link with Hanso or Widmore or even Paik(Sun did take control of the company for some reason)? I cant wait to see whats next, and how all this is going to end.

Totally agree with all the points above. One of t...

2008-08-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Totally agree with all the points above. One of the things i'd like to see make a come-back from TLE is the idea of some kind of real world prize for taking part...anyone who closely followed the exploits of Rachel Blake and her glyphs will remember the sheer embarassment mixed with joy of going to your comic book shop, whispering a conspiratorial password and walking out with your very own Apollo Bar! Loose tie in or not it always feels good to physically get something back when you've devoted so much of your life to a game/show.