I was just wondering if anyone's into the new type of Alternate Reality
games, or ARGs. The idea of web based interactive adventure games has
been around for a while -- anyone who's ever heard of the Web tie-in for
A.I. called "The Beast" knows what I'm talking about. Lately there has
been quite a boom in the number and quality of these games, the latest
big one being a Halo 2 promotion "I Love Bees"

But there's also a dedicated community for independent games as well. I
just finished my role as a PuppetMaster for a small grassroots project
called "StrangeDreams." As a nod to our beloved game, I included "Der
Rathskeller's" as a location in the game, as well as making the lyrics
for "The Devourer" one of the puzzles.

I know it really has nothing to do with the games that we remember from
our youth. Yet, there's an element of role playing that is ultimately
very similar. Players can choose whatever paths they want to take to
interact with the game world. They can choose to be good or evil. They
can directly influence events in this artifical universe. In a way, it
takes that immersive feeling that really fascinated many of us the first
time we stood at the entrance to the City or the Dungeon, does away with
the artifical numbers and lets us choose our own destiny.

If anyone's interested this new breed of AR Gaming, feel free to visit
some of these sites (I'm not directly affiliated with any of them, FYI)

Unfiction - http://www.unfiction.com
ImmersionUnlimited - http://www.immersionunlimited.com
DeadDrop - http://www.deaddrop.us
RealWorldGaming - http://www.realworldgaming.com