For my thesis project for the Masters of Fine Art in Film and Digital Media, I designed and produced Evelyn Offscreen, an alternate reality game (ARG) that was facilitated by interactive performance. The goal was to create an interactive experience that allowed several players to collaboratively create story across numerous media within the field of alternate reality gaming. The approach used in Evelyn Offscreen was intended to provide a degree of creative freedom to the players that has not been demonstrated in other ARG experiences and to use digital media to capture information about the relative effectiveness of the different techniques that were employed. During the month of October 2009, Evelyn Offscreen invited players to participate in an overarching story as characters. The game existed simultaneously through several media platforms such as Ning, twitter, and blogger as well as scenes located in Central Florida where players could embody their character in a real world setting. The results revealed insights into techniques for massive collaboration of story and player reactions to this hybrid form of alternate reality gaming and interactive performance.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:23:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5832.pdf: 2261692 bytes, checksum: ede99af3ddeae2cf732575bcfea3aea3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-18 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The main goal of this dissertation is to introduce the alternate reality game as a new narrative for multiplatform. By new narratives are understood the forms of storytelling arising from the current development of digital technology; and for multiplatform the variety of means by which the contents of these stories can travel. For this main objective is reached, two main hypotheses are formulated: 1) ARGs are stories for multiple platforms using code-breaking with playful and narrative functions; and 2) they are developed from an intense transtextuality guided by pop mythology that flourished during the twentieth century. Based on this starting point, this thesis will examine two ARGs, Uncertain Zone and Why So Serious?, in a way that it contributes to the hypothesis that Alternate Reality Games are a native narrative form of convergence culture founded on an extensive base of pop culture references. In the chapter dedicated to Uncertain Zone will be listed the various media used during the performance of the ARG, that together with interviews with the developers and testimonials from participants will weave a more descriptive overview of how alternate reality games are composed as multiplatform narratives. In addition, a brief discussion on the playful and narrative functions of the code-breaking in ARGs will be outlined. With Why So Serious? the analysis will focus on the intense transtextuality that alternate reality games establish to what will be called pop mythology in this dissertation and in the relationship between ARGs and market. Incidentally issues related to participatory culture will be raised throughout the text, but without further reflection, since, worth reiterating, the main goal of this thesis is the demonstration of a contemporary narrative form from some elements previously submitted, this form is the alternate reality game. / O principal objetivo da presente dissertação é apresentar o ARG (Alternate Reality Game) como uma nova narrativa para multiplataformas. Por nova narrativa, entendemse as formas de contar histórias decorrentes do desenvolvimento atual da tecnologia digital; e por multiplataforma os variados meios através dos quais os conteúdos dessas histórias podem trafegar. Para que esse objetivo principal seja atingido, duas hipóteses principais serão formuladas: 1) os ARGs são narrativas para múltiplas plataformas que utilizam a quebra de código com função lúdica e narrativa; e 2) são desenvolvidos a partir de uma intensa transtextualidade pautada pela mitologia pop que floresceu durante o século XX. Partindo desse ponto de partida, esta dissertação analisará dois ARGs, Zona Incerta e Why So Serious?, de modo a apresentar as características que corroboram a hipótese de que os Jogos de Realidade Alternada são uma forma narrativa nativa da cultura de convergência fundamentada sobre uma extensa base de referências à cultura pop. No capítulo dedicado ao Zona Incerta serão elencadas as diversas mídias utilizadas durante a realização do ARG, que em conjunto com entrevistas com os realizadores e depoimentos de participantes tecerão um panorama mais descritivo de como os Jogos de Realidade Alternada se compõem enquanto narrativas multiplataformas. Além disso, uma breve discussão sobre o caráter lúdico e narrativo da quebra de código nos ARGs será esboçada. Já com Why So Serious? as análises irão se focar na intensa transtextualidade que os Jogos de Realidade Alternada estabelecem com aquilo que nesta dissertação será chamada de mitologia pop e nas relações que os objetos mantêm com o mercado. Incidentalmente questões relacionadas à cultura participativa serão levantadas por todo o texto, porém sem um maior aprofundamento, uma vez que, vale reiterar, o objetivo principal desta dissertação será a demonstração de uma forma narrativa contemporânea a partir de alguns elementos previamente apresentados, essa forma são os Jogos de Realidade Alternada.

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