Citizen Skywatch – Out of Game Discussion

[IllusionOfLife]

At this point I'm totally geeking out over Citizen Skywatch and I'm very excited to see where this ARG goes. It's creating that same feeling of excitement and anticipation that There's Something in the Sea created two years ago, and I know there's at least a few others of you feeling the same way.

Since the Citizen Skywatch sub-forum seems to be for strictly "in game" discussion, I thought I'd create a separate thread here for us to discuss the game without having to worry about all that goes along with posting "in game."

[Codex]

They are pretty "in game." I'm fairly excited about that concept myself.

However, I'm very, very upset with life, the universe and everything right now. On Saturday at PAX there's some sort of "real world" ARG event happening at an undisclosed location in Seattle at 6:30 pm. There is also a Ubisoft panel at the same time talking exclusivly about Screed: Revs at the same time... Oh woe is me. I can't choose which to go to

That said, I am very pleased to see something of an ARG from Liz, David, Greg and the team. SitS was the reason I ended up joining the forums in the first place, and I am excited to see where Citizen Skywatch goes from here.

[Reborn in the Ocean]

The Citizen Skywatch does seem very "in-game" and rgpish to a degree which should be fun and yeah I am excited for Skywatch considering that PEU was dropped at least but oh well this should be fun and as with Codex SitS is what brought me to these very fourms.

[Brian Damage]

The name makes me think of something from a jeweler's catalogue.

"The Skywatch, from Citizen! Tailor designed with low-pressure tolerances for pilots, astronauts and people suffering from personal gravity field failure!"

[EDIT]: It's also kinda funny how many people off-site seem to think/want to believe that it's actually an ARG for GTA V or Bioshock Infinite (desperately so, in the case of the GTA-fans). Very few people are guessing "XCOM", which is a little weird considering the styling of the website, the contents and the name. I guess it's not on many folks' minds.

[Aegeri]

Isn't it rather obvious it's for XCOM given it's under the XCOM forum heading?

Either way I'm not terribly interested in it, but at least they are doing something with the ARG instead of quietly pretending it never existed (which is a good thing).

[Reborn in the Ocean]

Well if you don't go to the fourm site here then you wouldn't know unless you were part of Project Enemy Unknow and or Facebook and you found it.

[Brian Damage]

Except it's been on loads of gaming news sites (which were just as mystified as the people posting in their comment sections).

Seriously, the news sites, which have their hands on the right info to figure this out right away, weren't even guessing "XCOM" in some cases, and were only floating it as one possibility amongst several in most others. Some updated, but last I checked there were multiple articles which were still expressing confusion as to the subject of the ARG.

[IllusionOfLife]

However, I'm very, very upset with life, the universe and everything right now. On Saturday at PAX there's some sort of "real world" ARG event happening at an undisclosed location in Seattle at 6:30 pm. There is also a Ubisoft panel at the same time talking exclusivly about Screed: Revs at the same time... Oh woe is me. I can't choose which to go to

Go to the ARG event, all the Assassin's Creed info will be online within a few weeks, you won't be able to experience the ARG event if you skip it.

Also, if there's any swag you should pick up an extra one for your bestest forum buddy

[Codex]

Go to the ARG event, all the Assassin's Creed info will be online within a few weeks, you won't be able to experience the ARG event if you skip it.

Also, if there's any swag you should pick up an extra one for your bestest forum buddy

But Tobuscus is there... Ah well. I shall figure something out.

I somewhat doubt, however, that the relationship between XCOM and CSW will be too long to pop up. They've started mailing out connections to P:EU so... I doubt it shall be too long.

[IllusionOfLife]

You know, Decoy would come in handy in a time like this

[Cpl_Facehugger]

Ah. So it's some kind of ARG thingy? Okay.

Say, is the titan image next to the XCOM board going black and white related to this somehow? It's just weird because I remember it being in color and suddenly it's not.

Edit: Wait. now it's back in color. Damn cache settings.

[japester]

TOn Saturday at PAX there's some sort of "real world" ARG event happening at an undisclosed location in Seattle at 6:30 pm.

First I've heard of this. Where did you find out?

[Codex]

First I've heard of this. Where did you find out?

It's on Liz' blog post from the other day on the 2K Blog.

Edit: This one: http://www.2kgames.com/blog/2k-pax-prime-2011

[japester]

Thanks for that, Codex.

EDIT: Whoops! The blog says the ARG event is Friday, not Saturday. Just a typo on your part since the Tobuscus performance is also on Friday. Thought for a minute there I had good news for ya!

[TheParasite]

Wow I totally didn't see the ARG event thing. Codex you must come with us! Kind of unlucky that the Revelations panel is at the exact time. I really wanted to go to it.

[kenthen]

Hey, marketing. That's swell.

[japester]

Not exactly, kenthen. You're forgetting the "game" part of "Alternate Reality Game".

[IllusionOfLife]

Does anyone have any theories on the resemblance between the Citizen Skywatch logo and the Eye of Providence? I'm sure it can't be just a coincidence.

[Brian Damage]

Not exactly, kenthen. You're forgetting the "game" part of "Alternate Reality Game".

The technical term they use at business school is probably something along the lines of "Demographically-targeted audience-participatory commercial enticement mechanism" . At the end of the day, these things are generally run by the marketing departments (or similar) when they're associated with games or movies - the game part just means they don't have to pay you directly, or rather, you get endorphins instead of money for thinking about the game and, if they're lucky, pulling other folks into the ARG (which is where the whole Viral Marketing thing comes in).

But at least some people are getting some fun out of this whole thing, which is a step up. I have to wonder, though: How many of you are mostly in it for the swag and/or puzzles, may I ask? If it's the swag, would any of you consider yourselves collectors?

[Codex]

Does anyone have any theories on the resemblance between the Citizen Skywatch logo and the Eye of Providence? I'm sure it can't be just a coincidence.

That is an interesting point, and not one that I had thought of yet. We'll have to see what comes of it, but right now it's an interesting thing to keep an eye on.

But at least some people are getting some fun out of this whole thing. I have to wonder, though: How many of you are mostly in it for the swag and/or puzzles, may I ask?

Mm, I'd say that I'm in it for both of those. However, the way the last two ARG's have been run by 2K they relate to the game they represent in some oblique way. In Bioshock 2 it's the Mark Meltzer connection. In Mafia II it's Frankie Potts. The story part of it is always the big draw for me, probably the biggest, but I'm just one person so... I don't know what other people are in it for.

[Theta-Sigma]

2K Supporting RP... What has the world come to!

[IllusionOfLife]

But at least some people are getting some fun out of this whole thing. I have to wonder, though: How many of you are mostly in it for the swag and/or puzzles, may I ask?

Swag is a nice bonus, but for me I just love the whole experience. I think it's really cool being able to interact with a story in this way. The There's Something in the Sea viral campaign for BioShock 2 is what brought me to these forums, and the discussion and friendships I made during that time is what has kept me coming back long after BioShock 2 was released. In that case, yes, the swag and the puzzles were very cool, but uncovering the story of Mark Meltzer, Orrin Lutwidge, and the rest was very compelling. The swag, puzzles, and live events were important parts of the experience, but they were far from the only reasons I participated.

Same goes for the TRON: Legacy viral campaign Flynn Lives. There wasn't as grand of a narrative to that one as there was with SitS, but it was still a fun experience, and participating in it with other members of the online community was, in my opinion, more fun than the actual puzzles themselves.

[Theta-Sigma]

I saw those "letter" things... How'd people get those?

[Codex]

Chatting with people was a big bonus of SitS too. I think all the friends I've made on this forum I made through debating with/berating when they were wrong (Illusion) though SitS discussion. It was just a neat means of making interwebs friends.

I saw those "letter" things... How'd people get those?

By entering your information on www.citizenskywatch.com under recruitment center.

[Theta-Sigma]

Chatting with people was a big bonus of SitS too. I think all the friends I've made on this forum I made through debating with/berating when they were wrong (Illusion) though SitS discussion. It was just a neat means of making interwebs friends.



By entering your information on www.citizenskywatch.com under recruitment center.

I suppose I'm to late...?

[Brian Damage]

Argh, you guys reply fast. Updated my original question . I can definitely get the community aspect - not directly, since I'm a bit of a loner when it comes to audience participation and I tend not to involve myself in either roleplay or unpaid marketing, but a friend of mine is heavily into roleplaying on fan forums, so I get battle reports of a sort.

[Codex]

I suppose I'm to late...?

You never know. You were able to get records from when they first showed up in SitS to the end of the campaign. Nothing is ever definitively done. It only JUST started, so I doubt it.

[IllusionOfLife]

Chatting with people was a big bonus of SitS too. I think all the friends I've made on this forum I made through debating with/berating when they were wrong (Illusion) though SitS discussion. It was just a neat means of making interwebs friends.

Oh how I wish I had not deleted that message from you admitting Decoy Theory was a legitimate solution to Lutwidge's final disappearance.

Argh, you guys reply fast. Updated my original question .

As for the collecting question, that's a yes for me too. There's some stuff from SitS (one item in particular) that I still check eBay for from time to time. I also did a bit of trading in order to get a (mostly) full set for swag from Flynn Lives. So certainly not the only reason for following these ARGs, but definitely a compelling one.

[Brian Damage]

eBay, eh? Hmm... someone I know sells collectables on eBay for a living. I might drop a tip to them to keep an eye out for ARG-related items in general... is there much buying and selling going on?

[Theta-Sigma]

I won a swag on 2K Facebook... I got all the posters autographed, a splicer mask, and a Something in the Sea booklet worth anything...?

[Codex]

Yes, but it's not really accepted posting ebay links or looking for trades here. It's considered as spam.

[Brian Damage]

Was that to me or Theta-Sigma? Because the person I know does everything on eBay and doesn't even read forums, generally.

[Codex]

Everyone talking about ebay Lets wander back to the topic of the ARG now.

[japester]

Yes, this an official reminder to keep all the buying, selling, "is it valuable?", etc talk off the forums. We're here to enjoy and talk about the games, not turn this into a marketplace.

As for splitting hairs re: the naming of this exercise, calling it "marketing" is an enormous disservice. Yes, that's an aspect of it--nobody is denying that--but it's so much more. A press release is marketing. Handing out t-shirts at a convention is marketing. A 2K Games ARG involves months of puzzles, professional actors, supplementary storylines, actors VISITING YOUR HOME, swag scattered across the globe in creative ways (like burying bottles in the sand), and a host of other activities. I can't deny I enjoyed the swag from Somethinginthesea, but that's not why I played. I wanted to see how Mark Meltzer's story progressed. Checking for updates was a real thrill. It essentially extended the game of BioShock 2 out for many months prior to launch. Designing and running an ARG of this type requires a lot of manpower, money, and creativity.

[Brian Damage]

As for splitting hairs re: the naming of this exercise, calling it "marketing" is an enormous disservice. Yes, that's an aspect of it--nobody is denying that--but it's so much more. A press release is marketing. Handing out t-shirts at a convention is marketing. A 2K Games ARG involves months of puzzles, professional actors, supplementary storylines, actors VISITING YOUR HOME, swag scattered across the globe in creative ways (like burying bottles in the sand), and a host of other activities. I can't deny I enjoyed the swag from Somethinginthesea, but that's not why I played. I wanted to see how Mark Meltzer's story progressed. Checking for updates was a real thrill. It essentially extended the game of BioShock 2 out for many months prior to launch. Designing and running an ARG of this type requires a lot of manpower, money, and creativity.

Quite. And you can bet that they wouldn't sink that much into it in terms of resources if there wasn't a commercial payoff for them at the end of it. Which is fair enough, but I just think folks would do best to remember that, when games publishing companies do this in conjunction with releases, it obviously always eventually comes down to selling the game, no matter what individual participants' motivations may be.

[japester]

Thank you for that helpful message, Brian. LOL. Perhaps we should put up a sticky: "WARNING: Any enjoyment, prizes, or camaraderie you may derive as a result of this entirely FREE alternate reality game should be tempered by the knowledge that this effort is designed to ultimately make you interested in buying a retail game. The purchase of which will be used to PROFIT (gasp!) a video game company."

Whew! That would have sailed right by me. I'll do my best to get the word out.

[Brian Damage]

No need to go that far. Just so long as we're all clear that it is, indeed, basically a form of marketing .

[ShanDaMan]

Same goes for the TRON: Legacy viral campaign Flynn Lives. There wasn't as grand of a narrative to that one as there was with SitS, but it was still a fun experience, and participating in it with other members of the online community was, in my opinion, more fun than the actual puzzles themselves.

Flynn Lives was my first ARG, and I really enjoyed the puzzles. Showing off my Encom badge to envious friend was pretty cool.

It will be interesting to see how this game progresses. Will they have anything as cool as the "Classic Video Games Poster"?

[Theta-Sigma]

I always seem to miss fun ARGs... Are there ways to find them?

[Brian Damage]

I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of ARG news site. And if there isn't then, considering the amount of ARG enthusiasts there seem to be, there probably should be.

[EDIT]: Well, whaddaya know. Seems kind of old, though. Maybe there's an updated one somewhere? An ARG wiki, even?

[EDIT2]: This might be better.

Flynn Lives was my first ARG, and I really enjoyed the puzzles. Showing off my Encom badge to envious friend was pretty cool.

It will be interesting to see how this game progresses. Will they have anything as cool as the "Classic Video Games Poster"?

Your post, specifically the badge thing, made me wonder... could decoder rings and codes in TV/radio breakfast cereal ads/saturday morning cartoons/whatever be considered the ancestors of the modern ARG? Albeit more commercially direct - I hear the "secret messages" were generally along the lines of "Kids, don't forget to eat your/watch [insert brand/show here]".