Alternate realities and the like

Alternate realities and the like

Alternate reality games (ARG) operate in a visual reality, and play on the user investing their time into playing what they think is a game, but is really a viral advertising format for any one product.
ARG's are are commercial, yet they function through not revealing their commercial nature. They are addictive to users as they are a puzzle they we need to follow in order to complete the game. ARG is a buzzword that is incorrectly applied - synonymous with social networking and viral marketing. It's most basic form is a website: not overt link to product that it is advertising

While ARG is commerical, it is only commerical through telling a story (in some cases). Augmented Reality game - can function without a specific web-presence

Some great examples of ARGs games are in the links below

http://toucharcade.com/category/games/augmented-reality/

http://www.gamezebo.com/augmented-reality-games