Portal 2′s Alternate Reality Marketing

An Alternate Reality Game (ARG) can be an interesting way to market products. As the name implies, an ARG is a game that brings players into a fictional universe through real world media, oftentimes presenting a problem inspired by the product or show as real. For instance, websites for fictional organizations and people may be created to immerse the player in the alternate world and fictional problems encourage participation in the completion of objectives. These games create tight-knit communities dedicated to the collective solving of whatever mystery the ARG presents. Successful ARGs have been run for Artificial Intelligence, the Halo franchise, Heroes, and LOST.
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