| Name |
Year |
Developer |
Story summary |
Gameplay summary |
Scale |
Link |
| The Beast |
2001 |
Microsoft |
Murder mystery set in the future featuring human like robots. |
Puzzle solving by online communities. Rewards in the form of new websites and videos. |
Very influential. |
http://www.cloudmakers.org/ |
| I Love Bees |
2004 |
42 Entertainment |
An AI from the Halo 2 universe is stranded in our world and needs help. |
Puzzle solving by online communities. Information released by phone calls to public telephones. Rewards in the form of new websites and videos. |
600,000+ players.[1] |
http://www.ilovebees.com/ |
| Last Call Poker |
2005 |
42 Entertainment |
A cursed gun, passed down through generations, threatens the granddaughter of its last owner. |
Puzzle solving by online communities. Real world missions in cemeteries. Online poker with dead characters. Rewards in the form of new stories and videos. |
Over 500,000 active participants. |
http://www.lastcallpoker.com/ |
| The Lost Ring |
2008 |
AKQA |
6 olympians from another world came to help us save this one. |
Puzzle solving by online communities. Real world missions. A new Olympic sport "The Lost Sport" was introduced. |
3.000.000 players from over 150 countries. |
http://www.thelostring.com/ |
| CommanderVideo |
2008 |
|
Puzzle solving, currently, done by online communities. Email correspondence, Twitter, and various Internet interactions are the areas of play. |
New; Ten recruits are the major players thus far. |
|
http://commandervideo.com/ |
| Year Zero |
2007 |
42 Entertainment |
Set in a dystopian future where the government surveys everyone. |
Players solve puzzles, listen to recordings, and watch movie clips, to gain more info and find sites. |
|
http://www.ninwiki.com/Year_Zero_Research |
| Xi |
2009 |
|
The worlds first console and virtual world-based ARG created by nDreams. It was set in secret areas in the world of PlayStation Home where users helped to find Jess and the meaning of Xi. |
Users solveed puzzles, watched video clips, and did objectives in and out of Home to gain more information to help find Jess and the meaning of Xi. Users searched in Home as well as in the real world depending on the puzzle or objective. |
Over 5 million visits |
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/03/23/xi-has-begun/ |
| Gbanga Famiglia |
2010 |
|
Explore real-world locations to take-over your city and become the Supreme Mafioso. |
Join or start your own Mafia Famiglia and take-over virtual establishments you discover whilst walking around the city. Establishments are linked to real-world establishments, so players must physically move between locations. A successful take-over depends on the Famiglia's power, determined by the number of Famiglia members and the cash total for special items collected. |
Worldwide |
http://gbanga.com |
| Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life |
2010 |
|
Centered around Lewis Hamilton, a secret agent in the game, showcasing a new Reebok technology such as RunTone or ZigTech. |
Players worked together to solve puzzles and complete tests online, on mobiles and in the real world. |
637,000 players from over 154 countries |
http://www.ndreams.co.uk/secretlewis |
| Conspiracy For Good |
2010 |
The Company P |
Tim Kring's narrative focused on charity and against the fictional corporation Blackwell Briggs exploiting Africa |
Players cooperated online, on mobiles and in the real world. Four big events took place in London during summer 2010. |
Gamers on Unfiction, on the game web and in the streets of London during the summer events |
http://www.conspiracyforgood.com |
| Potato Fool's Day |
2011 |
Valve |
GLaDOS of Portal is attempting to reboot herself. By playing a selection of 13 independent games, you can assist her. |
Solving puzzles using clues found in aforementioned games |
Anyone who purchased the Potato Sack on Steam |
http://valvearg.com |
| Veil Nanoscience |
2011 |
Immersive Fiction |
Narrative followed the abduction of character Cory Wester and unraveled the mysterious past of Veil Nanoscience, Inc. that led to his disappearance. |
Used fictional corporate websites, e-mail, blogs, and live events. Players interacted with characters to discover the past of Veil Nanoscience and it's mysterious founder Alec Veil, which in turn led them to discover the location of Cory Wester. |
Readers of Unfiction |
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33246 |