Academic ARG Coverage

This is not an exhaustive list, and we welcome all to add any documentary, book, article, academic paper, or other academic resource regarding Unfiction.

= Documentaries = Note: Qualifications for a documentary, used for this list, are that they are a fully edited, commentated account of an ARG/Unfiction project - preferably including interviews with those behind the project.

The Institute (2013)
A feature length documentary exploring the Jejune Institute ARG in San Francisco.

Oxenfree Documentary (2016)
A short documentary chronicling the events of the Oxenfree Alternate Reality Game.

Cicada 3301: An Internet Mystery (2018)
A short documentary by YouTube creator 'LEMMINO' about the puzzle ARG 'Cicada 3301' and the events surrounding it.

The Rise and Fall of Fantastic Daily (2020)
A short documentary/interview by Inside A Mind with Fantastic Daily, discussing how he [FD] got into the YouTube space and how it all collapsed rather quickly.

Making an ARG: Walker Creek (2021)
A feature length documentary by Alex Hera chronicling the creation of the ARG "Walker Creek", from pre-production to the final moment of the project.

Finding Satoshi (2022)
A feature length documentary by NHK Tokyo telling the story of a worldwide hunt to find a mysterious Japanese man named Satoshi, which started as a puzzle in the ARG, Perplex City. Narrated by Willem Defoe.

= Creator "Behind the Scenes" Videos =

How (and why) I made Daisy Brown
A video by Jules Dapper on her unfiction project, Daisy Brown.

hiimmarymary - Official Post-Series Q&A
A Q&A with "k", the creator of "hiimmarymary".

askEMH [EverymanHYBRID Playlist ]
A playlist of the "askEMH" series, in which the three people responsible for the EverymanHYBRID series, answer questions.

Portal 2 and Team Fortress 2 Alternate Reality Games Q&A (Steam Dev Days 2014)
A talk by Valve Software developers on the highly successful Portal 2 and Team Fortress 2 ARG's run by the company.

Jane McGonigal on alternate-reality gaming
A talk by Jane McGonigal on Alternate Reality Games in 2014. While it is an outdated view of ARG's and the future of the genre, it is an interesting outlook on its uses in the past, and its future potential.

Editor's note: tbh, I don't really like this one but it's sorta interesting to see the old, academic outlook on ARG's before that view got super outdated. Delete if you want, but it might be worth keeping.

The Walker Creek ARG Q&A
A Q&A with "Walker Creek" creator, Alex Hera.

Is Unfiction Fake? | Diminish: A Lament, An Example
A discussion video by SeiriaSong about the nature of unfiction and his own experience with the genre via his project, Diminish.

TheSunVanished Q&A
A Q&A about the highly popular ARG, The Sun Vanished, with creator Aidan Elliot.

Interviewing hiimmarymary
In this video, Aidan Elliot (creator of 'The Sun Vanished') interviews "k", the creator of hiimmarymary.

i am sophie - it all ends here
This is a Q&A with full cast/crew from after the completion of the ARG 'iamsophie'.

Mandela Catalogue Creator Answers Your Questions!!
Q&A with Mandela Catalogue creator, Alex Kister.

The Ghost That Spooked a Nation
A TED talk about the 1992 film, Ghostwatch, which isn't directly unfiction, but was one of the first immersive fiction films, and one that gained widespread attention, acting as a precursor to the unfiction genre and inspiring many future creators.

Alternate Reality Games and Perplex City Season 2
"Alternate Reality Games not only exist on the web - they call you up, invade your TV show and fly helicopters outside of your house. This talk will provide a quick introduction in ARGs, and focus on how we're using lessons learned from Perplex City Season 1 to make Season 2 a much more fun, more accessible and more immersive experience."

Hiding In My Home Interview
Interview with the creator of Hiding In My Home, hosted by GPRReeds.

Phobos Interview
Interview with the creator of the analog horror series, Phobos, hosted by GPRReeds.

Nathan Barnatt Interview
Interview with the creator of 'Dad', hosted by GPR Reeds.

= Books =

= Mainstream Journalism =

=== This Halloween's Scariest Horror Movie Is a YouTube Series By a Wisconsin 18 Year-Old [Mandela Catalogue ] === GQ Magazine interviews Alex Kister about the Mandela Catalogue. Published Oct. 29, 2021.

Sci-Fi Fans Are Called Into an Alternate Reality [I Love Bees ]
The New York Times on the 'Halo 2' tie-in ARG, "I Love Bees". Published Nov. 4, 2004.

An Online Game So Mysterious Its Famous Sponsor Is Hidden [The Lost Ring ]
The New York Times on an ARG sponsored by McDonalds called 'The Lost Ring'. Published Apr. 1, 2008.

GAME THEORY; It's Just a Fantasy, but Real Life Is Always in Play
The New York Times on the general early history of ARG's, including The Beast and others. Published Mar. 6, 2003.

=== Cicada 3301: I tried the hardest puzzle on the internet and failed spectacularly === The Guardian on the mysterious, puzzle-based ARG, Cicada 3301. Published Jan. 10, 2014

Alt-Minds and the promise of 'transmedia'
The Guardian on the trans-media storytelling project/ARG, Alt-Minds, which uses webisodes and an app to tell its story. Published Aug. 10, 2012

Superstructuring the future through games
The Guardian on ARG's, Jane McGonigal, and the 'World without Oil' ARG. Published Apr. 23, 2009.

Tech Weekly: Young Bond online and Vista's security analyzed [Interview with Adrian Hon - Podcast ]
A podcast by The Guardian in which Adrian Hon [founder of the 'Six to Start' company, designer on Perplex City] talks about his work on an ARG for the 'Young Bond' series. Published Sept. 8, 2008.

Game Pitch: The Sky Remains
The Guardian interviewing Hazel Grian on 'The Sky Remains' ARG. Published Jun. 6, 2008.

Alternate Reality Games: Interview with Adam Martin
The Guardian: Adam Martin, the editor of the International Game Developers Association's 'Alternate Reality Gaming' White Paper published late in 2006, speaks about the appeal of ARGs to the general public, and to Microsoft's marketing team. Published Feb. 1, 2007.

YouTube and ARGs
The Guardian's brief discussion of LonelyGirl15 and the Lost ARG. Published Sept. 22, 2006.

VistARG
The Guardian on Microsoft's early ARG's for Windows Vista. Published Jan. 18, 2007.

Find Satoshi!
The Guardian on the 'Find Satoshi' mystery originated in the Perplex City ARG, in which players were tasked with finding a mysterious man named Satoshi. Published Jan. 23, 2007.

= Academic Papers =

= Other =