What is Unfiction? | ARGs & the History of Online Storytelling

Summary

The video script delves into 'unfixing', a realm of internet-based storytelling that blurs reality with fiction. It traces the evolution of the concept from early alternate reality games like 'The Beast' to the demise of the influential onfiction.com forum. The narrator, Nick Nocturne, discusses the importance of maintaining immersion and the distinction between ARGs and other unfixing experiences, advocating for the revival of 'unfixing' as a term to encompass this diverse field of creative expression.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video discusses 'Unfixing', a form of storytelling that blurs the lines between fiction and reality, often involving audience interaction.
• 🎮 'Unfixing' is contrasted with ARGs (Alternate Reality Games), where the latter involves direct audience participation to influence the narrative.
• 🕵️ The term 'Unfixing' was coined to encompass a broader range of immersive storytelling beyond what could be categorized as ARGs.
• 🌐 The video credits the website 'Unfiction' and its community for being central to the discussion and development of 'Unfixing' and ARGs.
• 🔍 The script differentiates between ARGs and 'Unfixing' experiences, noting that the latter does not necessarily require audience interaction to progress the story.
• 🎬 Examples of 'Unfixing' projects are given, such as 'Wham City Comedy' and 'This House Has People in It', demonstrating how these experiences can be immersive and interactive.
• 👥 The video acknowledges the difficulty in defining and categorizing the diverse range of projects that fall under the 'Unfixing' umbrella.
• 🗓 The history of 'Unfixing' and ARGs is traced back to the late 1990s, with the Blair Witch Project being a significant early example of this storytelling technique.
• 💬 The script emphasizes the importance of maintaining the illusion of reality within 'Unfixing' projects, even when the audience knows it's fictional.
• 🌟 The video pays tribute to the legacy of 'Unfiction' and its role in fostering a community around 'Unfixing' and ARGs, despite the forum's unfortunate closure.
• 🔗 The video concludes by advocating for the use of 'Unfixing' as a catch-all term for immersive, reality-blurring storytelling experiences.

Q & A

What is the term 'unfixing' and how does it relate to storytelling?

Unfixing is a realm of storytelling that defies the conventions of the medium it's working with and stays in character, similar to how a WWE wrestler or a Disney park employee remains in character. It's an immersive experience that blurs the line between truth and fiction, often involving the audience in a way that makes them question the reality of the narrative.

What is the significance of the website 'onfiction.com' in the context of unfixing?

Onfiction.com was a crucial resource and community hub for unfixing, providing information on new games, web series, and cryptic or odd projects. It was created by Sean Stacey and served as a central place for discussion and information sharing about alternate reality games and similar projects.

What was the role of the Cloverfield game in the development of unfixing?

The Cloverfield game in 2007 was a significant event in the field of unfixing as it was one of the most popular alternate reality games ever produced by mainstream media. It ignited the passion for unconventional storytelling methods and contributed to the growth of the unfixing community.

What is the origin of the term 'ARG' and how does it relate to unfixing?

ARG stands for Alternate Reality Game, a term coined around the same time that unfixing was born. It refers to a game that blends fiction with reality, often involving puzzles and interactive elements. The term ARG is often used interchangeably with unfixing, although not all unfixing projects are games.

What is the difference between unfixing and chaotic fiction as defined by Sean Stacey?

Chaotic fiction, as defined by Sean Stacey, is a fictional construct that is unpredictable and not predetermined, produced in tandem between authors and audience. Unfixing, on the other hand, is a broader term that encompasses a variety of storytelling projects that blur the line between fiction and reality, not necessarily confined to the chaotic nature of chaotic fiction.

Why did the unfixing forum go down and what was the aftermath?

The unfixing forum went down following a major storm that caused physical damage to the infrastructure. The forum software was also found to be incompatible with the latest PHP versions. Despite attempts to salvage it, the forum and its archives were lost, leading to a period of reflection and reevaluation within the community about the terminology and definitions used in the field.

What is the significance of the term 'This is not a game' in the context of unfixing?

The phrase 'This is not a game' is a defining mantra of the alternate reality gaming genre, first put forth in the movie AI. It encapsulates the idea that despite the fictional nature of the project, the audience is asked to treat it as if it were real, thus blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

How does the concept of 'kayfabe' relate to unfixing?

Kayfabe is a term from professional wrestling where performers stay in character and do not break character, even when not performing. In unfixing, the concept of kayfabe is applied to maintain the immersive experience, where creators and participants stay in character to uphold the reality of the story being told.

What is the distinction between an unfixing project and an alternate reality game?

An unfixing project is a broader term for any immersive storytelling experience that blurs reality, while an alternate reality game (ARG) specifically involves game elements such as puzzles or specific actions that the audience must take to influence the story or uncover its elements.

How can one identify whether they have encountered an unfixing project?

An unfixing project can be identified by its insistence on the reality of a fictional scenario, its use of various media to deliver a story, and its immersive nature that often requires the audience to engage with the content beyond just passive consumption.

What is the role of the audience in an unfixing project?

The audience plays a crucial role in unfixing projects, often being asked to engage with the content, solve puzzles, or participate in the narrative in some way. Their actions can sometimes influence the story or uncover hidden elements, contributing to the overall experience.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Unfixing and ARGs

The speaker, Nick Nocturne, introduces the concept of 'unfixing' and positions it within the broader category of Alternate Reality Games (ARGs). He outlines three groups of people who engage with unfixing: those who are aware and participate, those who unknowingly engage with it, and those who are new to the concept. Nick discusses his personal journey from being a fan of ARGs to becoming a creator and host of 'Night Minds,' a YouTube channel dedicated to unfixing and new media art projects. He also touches on the origins of ARGs, mentioning the Cloverfield game and The Blair Witch Project as early examples that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.

05:00

📜 The Evolution and Challenges of Defining ARGs

This paragraph delves into the challenges of defining ARGs and introduces the term 'chaotic fiction' as a proposed genre that encompasses ARGs. The speaker discusses the origins of the term 'ARG' and the evolution of the concept, including the creation of the Unfiction forum, which was a central hub for discussing ARGs and similar projects. The paragraph also addresses the limitations of 'chaotic fiction' as a catch-all term for ARGs, as not all ARGs are chaotic or unpredictable in nature. The speaker highlights the ongoing debate within the community about the most accurate way to define and categorize these immersive storytelling experiences.

10:02

💔 The Demise of Unfiction and the Resurgence of 'Unfixing'

The speaker recounts the unfortunate event that led to the shutdown of the Unfiction forum due to a technical issue and a natural disaster. Despite efforts to salvage the forum, it was eventually lost, along with its extensive archives. This loss sparked a renewed interest in finding a term that could encompass the wide range of immersive storytelling experiences that fall under the ARG umbrella. The speaker argues that 'unfixing' is a fitting term that not only serves as a catch-all but also pays homage to the legacy of Unfiction and the community that supported it.

15:02

🎭 The Nature of Unfixing and Its Distinction from ARGs

Nick Nocturne explains the concept of 'unfixing' as a storytelling realm that defies the conventions of the medium it inhabits, staying in character as consistently as a professional wrestler or a Disney park employee. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining the illusion of reality within these narratives, even when they are clearly fictional. The paragraph distinguishes between ARGs, which require active audience participation to influence the story, and unfixing experiences, which may have game-like elements but do not necessarily require audience interaction to reach a conclusion.

20:04

🔍 Examples and Exploration of Unfixing Projects

The speaker provides examples to illustrate the differences between ARGs and unfixing projects. He discusses 'Wham City Comedy Unedited Footage of a Bear' as an unfixing experience that uses the medium of a YouTube ad to deliver a horror scenario, while 'This House Has People In It' is an ARG that requires观众 participation to uncover the full story. The paragraph also touches on other projects like 'Marble Hornets' and 'Cat Ghosts,' explaining how they fit within the unfixing genre. The speaker encourages viewers to engage with these projects with an understanding of their nature as immersive, interactive experiences.

25:05

🙌 Community and Support for Unfixing

In the final paragraph, Nick Nocturne acknowledges the community's role in supporting and shaping the unfixing genre. He thanks various websites, podcasts, and individuals who have contributed to the field and encourages viewers to subscribe and engage with the content. He also gives a shout-out to his Patreon supporters and provides links to his social media and other platforms where viewers can connect with him and continue exploring the world of unfixing.

Keywords

💡Unfixing

Unfixing refers to a form of storytelling that blurs the line between fiction and reality, often involving audience interaction. It is central to the video's theme, illustrating the evolution and nature of this genre. The script mentions 'unfixing' as a term that has been around for a while and is used to describe projects that defy traditional storytelling mediums, requiring the audience to engage and participate in the narrative.

💡Alternate Reality Game (ARG)

An Alternate Reality Game, or ARG, is an interactive networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a story. The video discusses ARGs as a subset of unfixing, where the audience's actions can influence the story's outcome. The script provides examples like 'The Beast' and 'Why So Serious' as popular ARGs that have contributed to the genre's definition and popularity.

💡Chaotic Fiction

Chaotic Fiction, as introduced by Sean Stacey, refers to a fictional construct that is not predetermined but rather emerges through the interaction between the authors and the audience. It is mentioned in the script as an attempt to categorize the genre of unfixing, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of the storytelling process and the collaborative aspect between creators and participants.

💡The Blair Witch Project

The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 film that is highlighted in the script as a pioneering example of unfixing. It was marketed as a true story, using fake newsreels and missing person posters to create a sense of reality, thus blurring the lines between fact and fiction. This approach influenced the development of ARGs and unfixing as a storytelling method.

💡Transmedia

Transmedia storytelling is the technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using various media. The script discusses transmedia in the context of unfixing, where stories are not confined to a single medium but are spread out, requiring the audience to engage with different forms of media to fully understand the narrative.

💡Immersion

Immersion in the context of the video refers to the deep engagement of the audience within the story, making them feel as if they are part of the narrative. Unfixing projects often aim to create an immersive experience, as exemplified by the script's discussion of maintaining 'in-character' roles and the expectation that the audience will interact with the story as if it were real.

💡Cloud Makers

The Cloud Makers were a community formed around the discovery and exploration of the ARG 'The Beast'. The script mentions them as an important part of the history of unfixing, showing how communities can form around these types of projects and contribute to the evolution of the genre.

💡On-Fiction

On-Fiction is a term that emerged as a catch-all for unfixing projects, reflecting the nature of these works to insist on the reality of their fictional content. The script discusses the term as a way to honor the legacy of unfixing and provide a clear, one-word descriptor for the genre that encapsulates the immersive and interactive nature of the storytelling.

💡Nick Nocturne

Nick Nocturne is the creator and host of the YouTube channel 'Night Minds', which is dedicated to unfixing and new media art projects. The script uses Nick Nocturne as a narrative device to guide the audience through the history and concepts of unfixing, providing a personal perspective on the genre.

💡Kayfabe

Kayfabe is a term from professional wrestling, referring to the portrayal of staged events as real. In the script, it is used as a metaphor for the suspension of disbelief required in unfixing, where participants must stay 'in character' and treat the fictional narrative as if it were real to maintain the immersive experience.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of 'unfixing' as a form of storytelling that blurs the lines between fiction and reality.

Three distinct groups of people who engage with 'unfixing': those who know and participate, those unknowingly involved, and those familiar with the term's origin.

Nick Nocturne's introduction as the creator and host of 'Night Minds', a channel dedicated to 'unfixing' and new media art projects.

The origin of 'unfixing' traced back to the Cloverfield game in 2007, igniting a passion for immersive storytelling.

The term 'ARG' (Alternate Reality Game) and its relation to 'unfixing', both emerging from the need to categorize new forms of interactive storytelling.

The influence of the Blair Witch Project in 1999, which utilized the internet to expand the story beyond traditional media, setting a precedent for 'unfixing'.

Steven Spielberg's film 'AI' and its hidden clues, contributing to the early development of ARGs and the concept of 'unfixing'.

The formation of the 'Cloudmakers' community, a pivotal moment in the evolution of ARGs and collaborative storytelling.

The creation of 'Unfiction', a central hub for discussions on ARGs and similar projects, and its role in defining the genre.

Sean Stacey's coining of the term 'ARG' and the subsequent debate on defining the genre within the 'Unfiction' community.

The concept of 'chaotic fiction' as an attempt to categorize the unpredictable nature of ARGs and their collaborative storytelling.

The limitations of 'chaotic fiction' as a term, highlighting the need for a more encompassing term like 'unfixing'.

The unfortunate shutdown of the 'Unfiction' forum and the loss of a central resource for the 'unfixing' community.

The resurgence of 'unfixing' as a term to encompass a broader range of immersive storytelling beyond ARGs.

The importance of maintaining the immersive experience in 'unfixing' projects by staying in character and not breaking the fourth wall.

Examples of 'unfixing' projects, such as 'Wham City Comedy' and 'This House Has People In It', demonstrating the variety of formats within the genre.

The distinction between ARGs and other 'unfixing' experiences, emphasizing the need for audience participation in ARGs.

The call to action for the 'unfixing' community to embrace the term and establish a unified understanding of the genre.

Transcripts

there are exactly three groups of people

who will watch this video those who know

about in fiction and have followed or

engaged in it themselves without knowing

it classified as unfixing those who have

never heard of the term and haven't seen

anything that falls under the umbrella

of unfixing and those who have been

around long enough to know where the

name comes from and what fits under the

umbrella but no matter where you stand

all three groups will benefit from a

journey on this path unfixing has been

here for a while and it's time to open

the door more than a crack because the

room behind it has grown bigger and more

recognized for over a decade I'm Nick

Nocturne creator and host of night Minds

a YouTube channel that's been dedicated

to the realm of unfixing and new media

art projects since July 19 2015 years

before then I was a fan and participant

in the field introduced early major on

fiction event known as the Cloverfield

game in 2007 this unconventional method

of storytelling has ignited my passion

and filled my obsession for over a

decade and out of its study in

broadcasting I went from being just a

fan to gaining a career in service to it

but what precisely is unfixing you all

know what fiction is but what would

unfixing be a synonym for nonfiction the

truth now but the cardinal rule of on

fiction is pretending the fictional is

true you might recognize a lot of what's

considered unfixing by a much more

popular label Arg

this stands for alternate reality game a

term coined around the same time that

unfixing was born the Cloverfield game

my introduction point to the field was

one of the most popular alternate

reality games ever produced by

mainstream media and it was quickly

joined in the following year by why so

serious an Arg for the Dark Knight

everything you know about alternate

round a game stems back to efforts by

mainstream companies extending a

storyline for a movie actually and that

idea first came from an independent

effort that had everybody fooled the

Blair Witch Project in 1999 the

promotional team for the film shows the

path walked by the movie itself sell the

idea as

or as you can that this actually

happened punch a hole between realities

blurring the line between truth and

fiction and give viewers a way to access

in alternate world The Blair Witch

Project was marketed as genuine

found-footage with a website mocked up

with false police reports fake newsreels

and information requests on the missing

characters missing person posters were

made and circulated in a fake

documentary special was created for the

sci-fi channel discussing the monster

legend investigated by the missing

characters and their disappearance

the effort was a massive success making

Blair Witch Project the tenth

highest-grossing film in the United

States in 1999 making back over 4,000

times its budget not only was it shown

you could make an excellent film for a

shockingly small amount of money

his storyteller could use the Internet

and even other media outlets to expand a

story well beyond the boundaries of the

movie theater and create extremely

exciting buzz no surprise then that

Hollywood took notice and their effort

to experiment with this new idea of

storytelling hammered in the nail that

Blair Witch made in 2001 Steven

Spielberg presented his new film AI

artificial intelligence which had a

surprise for anyone who looked closely

at its trailer any vets poster it

credited for miss Jeanine salla for her

role in the film sentient machines

therapists there was also a coded

telephone number which when called

presented instructions leading to an

email discussing Evan Chan a murder

victim whose violent ends involve

Jeanine in the first few weeks only

about 100 people discovered the secret

but their number quickly grew when they

came together online and formed a

community which they called the cloud

makers this whole event spawned quite a

title for the Arg then ended up making

the artforms initial phase stick the

Beast for a time they even called the

act of making an alternate reality game

bee sting because this entire form of

storytelling was so new there just

wasn't a term for it yet following the

success of the Beast EA game is trying

to get in on the field with a

subscription-based title majestic and

ABC came up with an online companion to

their Syfy show alias meanwhile the

clown makers assembled to create their

own game code

lockjaw and it was during this process

that the term we've come to know today

was born as well as all of the problems

with the term which would then lead to

one of the most important websites in

the whole field on fiction infection com

arrived in 2002 and brought with it a

forum the unform a place that discuss

alternate reality games and anything

like them it was created by Sean stacy

who went by the username space base a

blog written on November 10 2006

recounts the origins of the term arg and

Sean's thoughts about it a few years ago

in the midst of my first draft of a

trail for lockjaw

an early alternate reality game I came

up with that very term yes I am that

particular idiot for the lack of any

better way to quickly convey a feeling

for what might be involved in the

information that followed catalogued on

that page in excruciating detail that

same impetus to try to categorize a

nascent John raw to distill a definition

into a more memorable soundbite drove me

to create the unfix incite mainly

because I realized that I could not

define the genre so easily as I might

have wished this site became my circuit

definition instead of repeatedly

explaining at length what these things

were the idea went I could just point

people to the site instead as has been

readily apparent to those active in the

arg community however there has never

been any collectively agreeable concrete

description of alternate reality games

in the blog Sean goes on to talk about

his observations concerning alternate

reality games attempting to figure out

what qualities of a project actually

define it as an Arg

and what elements people go wild over

how do you even define these things and

why are they so obsessive a lot of

thinking went into Sean's discussion

leading to a need for alternate reality

games to be placed in a greater context

what he came up with was chaotic fiction

i defined chaotic fiction as a fictional

construct that begins with a set of

rules uses those rules to run its

scenario through an organic computer

comprised of audience and author and

ends with a fitted body of work that was

not predetermined this is to say that

though the authors those who set the

rules and started the production of the

fiction in motion may have been able to

predict with some measure certainty what

they might end up with upon completion

of the product since they did not have

complete control during production of

every

element of creation they could not say

with absolute certainty beforehand

exactly what would be created by the

process why chaotic fiction

well the chaotic part describes the fact

that the final product is not

predetermined but rather unpredictable

in the fiction part is because what is

being created is not real

it's imagined chaotic fiction is

produced in tandem between the authors

or performers and the audience or

players and requires input from both

sides it begins with a set of ideas and

ends wherever the performance or play

may take it

the authors may set it in motion but

they must work together with their

audience to see its conclusion for the

first time themselves by its nature it

is improvisational in its production now

that's all well and good but one of our

groups watching this video right now

which might include you will recognize

the problem here there are a lot of

cases of chaotic fiction that are easily

classified as alternate reality games

and right next to those examples are

alternate reality games that are not

chaotic fiction because they've always

had an author intended ending then of

course we've had projects come up for

about a decade now that don't even

classify as games but have been called a

orgies and lumped in because no other

name has worked chaotic fiction doesn't

work for them either because they're not

chaotic they break rules but to say it's

chaotic or for the purpose of a chaotic

fiction ending isn't quite correct in

this blog entry which last three pages

Sean ultimately presents the chaotic

fictional argument as one that in many

cases could work but doesn't fully stand

up as a whole umbrella and if he could

have seen into the future when he wrote

the blog he would have had a lot to

consider especially when seeing how much

a linear non audience influenced

material ended up being thrown into the

arg pox which leads us to the problem

that developed in the wake of Sean's

chaotic fiction presentation it was a

nice idea but it just didn't cover

everything in a simple way that could be

understood in a single utterance and

over the years members of the Arg scene

began witnessing projects that kept

breaking conceptions the name game

bounce back and forth time and time

again

Arg or chaotic fiction transmedia or

multimedia how about cross media does

cross meet a storytelling work what do

you guys think about cross media what do

we call projects that got meta and began

acknowledging their fictional or

immersive state

this debate would pick up every now and

then and ultimately never resolve with

everyone just falling back on the

catch-all of Arg even for projects that

warrant games as a field crew an

occasional debates came and went one

thing stayed the same viewers players

and participants would find a home and

central hub in the unform attached on

fiction comm this was the best possible

resource if you want to know about a new

game webseries and anything cryptic

creepy or odd before Wikia before reddit

unfixing was the answer and it would

still be an incredible resource in hub

of information and community today if it

hadn't been for misfortunes about three

years ago details are fuzzy on the event

especially because the master post

explaining what happened was on the

forum but the unfixing forum went down

following a major storm that dropped a

tree on the home of either Sean Stacey

or one of the webmasters this matches

information from the short lived on

fiction Twitter account which posted the

following on July 26 2017 bad news the

former's front end web surfer went down

over the weekend it will need to be

replaced in data transfer to fix forums

worse news it looks like the forum

software which is pretty agent by web

standards is not compatible with latest

PHP versions this presents a dilemma

should we trying to start over with

newer different forum software or is it

time to retire the forums altogether

obviously they did not want to retire

the forums but the situation was tough

members of the community attempted to

come together to solve the problems but

it seemed none of them knew how to

salvage the old forum and bring it up to

date as a result the unfixing forum and

all its years of archived information on

projects in the field went down there is

no current knowledge on whether it can

somehow be salvaged and all attempts to

access the unformed fail the internet

wayback machine only has so many pages

saved since the fall of on fiction the

viral power of new projects has grown

and the rate at which projects appear

has only increased with pronto

conversations and considerations once

more about the term Arg and if it even

really applies to the majority of what's

been showing lately the irony of it all

and the years spent on the on fiction

forums reigniting the debate is that the

answer was there the whole time

Shawn circuit catch-all term

name of the site itself was actually all

they ever need it what's even funnier is

that when you look at the prefix for the

word in conjunction with fiction the

adoption of the term as an umbrella name

is actually supported by the history of

alternate reality games dating back to

the days of the cloud makers and their

lockjaw experiment given to them by the

very thing that started it all the beast

on fiction we know that fiction is

storytelling it's not real its fake it's

make-believe fiction is playing pretend

the prefix on literally means not

combine the two and you get not fiction

one of the absolute core elements of

this whole scene be it a webseries

fictional Twitter account or full-on Arg

is the element of insisting in the

reality of what is clearly not real the

fiction is always trying to put on the

air of being not fiction the unfix

insight itself has a glossary for terms

that date back to the days of the beast

and one of them is ti na G this is not a

game here's the full definition a

defining mantra of the alternate reality

gaming genre first put forth embedded in

trailers for the movie AI which spawned

the original Arg the Beast the Blair

Witch Project sold itself entirely on

making people believe it was not a movie

it was not a legend it really happened

AI artificial intelligence told players

very certainly indirectly in one of its

own trailers this is not a game and

every major successful effort afterward

from Cloverfield to even modern projects

like dad insists that no matter how

fictional it is this is not a game

chaotic fiction may only work as a label

some of the time but far more often the

idea of on fiction this immersion bent

character playing not fiction

storytelling is present in nearly every

project that has ever come to be part of

this field whether or not an audience

member can interact with it or simply

here to watch and puzzle things out on

their own while playing make-believe

unfixing as a true umbrella term works

in more ways than that however when you

think of the nature of Internet

storytelling projects and media that

breaks its traditional boundaries to be

more immersive you can come up with a

ton of adjectives that follow the

pattern of the

Abell unconventional uncanny unannounced

unconventional fiction fits uncanny

fiction fits and unannounced fiction

absolutely fits because one of the

cardinal rules of these projects is that

you never say you're just playing

make-believe underdog and underground

also fed seeing how the majority of what

appears now is made independently by

creators at home with no company

supporting them unfixing is also

unexpected and quite often unpredictable

finally the recognition of unfixing as a

catch-all term does something deeply

important it recognizes the work done by

Sean Stacey the whole website team a ton

fiction and every member of the unformed

it pays tribute to one of the most

important impactful and successful

community humps and champions of this

entire field honoring years of service

and those who served it used it loved it

and supported it we wouldn't be where we

are now without on fiction and even if

the unform czar lost keeping the term

alive means some part of that era will

always live on Arg

weird art webseries chaotic fiction all

those labels can work just fine and they

help out immensely with sorting and

categorizing projects helping creators

and participants alike but when we just

say unfixing we not only catch it all we

remember the origins of this field and

make sure a whole period of creativity

community and support for this effort

and storytelling is never truly lost it

rolls off the tongue

it sounds cool it serves everybody and

it keeps the memory alive

this isn't not a game this is on fiction

ok cool that was all very sentimental

and historical but what is on fiction in

actual terms well that's pretty easy

unfixing is a realm of storytelling

mostly based on the internet which

defies conventions of the medium or

website it's working with and stays in

character as much as a WWE wrestler

these wrestlers run by the rules of

kayfabe you are this character you act

as this character on camera and in

person and you do not break character in

a space where you are recognizable as

that character it's the same rule for

Disney park employees in costume and at

Universe

stadiums as long as you're in the zone

of the role or wearing the costume you

don't break character the reality of the

story

follows you around that's the air of an

Arg immersive horror webseries

storytelling Twitter account and unfit

ssin in general remember this is not a

game even though it totally is take it

from me

I for instance am Nick Nocturne a

shape-shifting demon taking the form of

a four-eyed black cat monster which is

what my audience informed me they'd

enjoy most as my form when I began doing

YouTube a job I pursued as a way to

interact with society enjoy my earth

site freedom make a living and still

feed off human emotions in adoration

without getting into the kind of trouble

that would send me back to hell as a

demon I've had way too much experience

shape-shifting into forms that required

me to stay in character and create

unique experiences that were as real as

possible without letting a summoner or

victim know I wasn't actually the form I

was taking if you break character

you kill the vibe and it just gets the

whole experience closer to every other

thing in the medium you chose to tell

the story you can't just admit that

you're playing pretend or being a

character and have been doing that since

the very beginning even if some people

don't get it and are misunderstanding it

or mischaracterizing it you would wreck

everything for the people who do get it

and are enjoying it so anytime you

encounter someone or something out in

the wild that seems too fake or like

they're playing a character take notice

because you might have stumbled on to

some on fiction that doesn't just go for

online that goes for celebrities too

Elvira Lady Gaga Eminem Marilyn Manson

you'd be surprised how many celebrities

are truly just characters that they're

playing now when you notice some

unfortunate action it can take you

several ways maybe it's a web series

that styles itself as a vlog from a real

person who begins experiencing the

paranormal and they're just as baffled

and scared as you are your role in this

is to enjoy it in the mindset of its

reality even though it's fake it's a

game to you but for the characters this

is not a game so even if your position

is on the outside looking in or as

someone who can only interact on social

media that's where you stand your kid on

the playground being accepted into a

make-believe situation so go play

sometimes you'll have full-blown

alternate reality games which are

stories that have genuine game elements

usually in the form of puzzle solving or

taking us

cific action some of these are linear

and want you to be involved for the

sheer enjoyment of it others have story

segments that are influenced by viewers

actions and feedback and some of them

are chaotic fiction with stories that

are effectively ran by the audience's

input the best distinction you can make

is this if they are factors that clearly

require or allow direct audience

involvement or action either to

influence the direction of the story or

gather pieces of it hidden behind a game

mechanism like solving a code to get a

youtube link or traveling to a set of

coordinates to dig up an old backpack

full of documents which complete

understanding of the story

it is absolutely an alternate reality

game you have to play not just watch if

the experience will go on with or

without your involvement and have an

ending predetermined by the author and

you didn't need a load of external

documents videos or mini games to

understand the story it is not an

alternate reality game

it's an unfitting experience and that

stands true whether it all happened on

YouTube as a webseries with information

includes you can read into or a series

of info dumps using text pictures video

and audio across several websites a game

needs a player an experienced never will

that's the key here need plenty of

experiences can into have alternate

reality game touches and elements but if

they were not needed for a viewer to

reach the end and the player or viewer

interaction did not affect the outcome

or story direction it's not an alternate

reality game what it is is interactive

it is unfixing a game needs a player to

reach its conclusion or bring that

conclusion to the public a story will be

told whether or not someone is there

interacting and there will be no

interaction gateways preventing the info

from reaching the public let's take a

look at some examples to get our

bearings using a crowd favorite and a

leader in the field Wham city comedy

unedited footage of a bear it's an

unfitting experience and there are two

qualities that render it on fiction

first the short film plays with the

medium itself to break its boundaries in

more ways than one presenting an

unskipable YouTube ad even though the

short film first aired on TV and then

breaking the boundaries of the ad set up

to launch into a horror scenario with a

message all

while playing it straight seconds the

experience carries over online to an

interactive forum using a webpage based

on clear drill to deliver a player into

the reality of the character from the

short film so if there's a playable

element why is this not an alternate

reality game there's a whole game play

half isn't there it's because you would

never actually need the game play half

in order to understand the story the

story has been told and its message and

impact delivered whether or not you ever

go to the clerical site we have a none

fiction project here and it can be

called an experience because it's not

just an art project it's not just a

short film it is something that in full

can be labeled an experience now let's

look at what came after this house has

people in it this time we absolutely do

have an alternate reality game which

falls under the umbrella of unfixing by

being an Arg in this house is people in

it we have a short film presented much

in the way we were showing the claridryl

commercial with a sequence of events we

can witness but not actually fully

understand we have a launching off point

for the story here but it is up to you

the viewer to become a player and use

information found in the short film and

surrounding it to take up the real bulk

of the project which is found online

once you get there you have a lot of

legwork to do putting clues together

going through bits of information

watching videos reading documents even

finding the sculptors clay ground video

in order to get the bigger picture and

complete the story which involves coming

to a conclusion of what it all means

based on the evidence provided to

experience this house has people in it

in full and come away with understanding

you need to play its game how about

another old crowd favorite and a Jain of

a field Marble Hornets this is

absolutely on fiction but it can be

chalked up to just a none fiction

webseries despite all the codes and to

the art videos with or without you

Marble Hornets was going to tell its

story and it had a written predetermined

ending we even had moments of je as a

character helping viewers solve codes

none of the important code breaking

moments would be left up to viewers to

progress the story

now compare that to cat ghosts which was

very heavy on the webserie side but had

a minigame component for every episode

released cat ghost can't be classified

as an Arg because at the end of the

series

well you might sort of get an idea of

what just happened you're going to be a

lot more in the dark than you would if

you had played the games take a notice

of codes and messages in series and work

through other interactive touches you

can enjoy cat ghosts on a video level

purely as a glass-half-full scenario but

she would need to play for the whole

experience going forward always ask

yourself this to determine if you've got

an Arg or a nonfiction project does it

need me to take deliberate actions to

truly understand or move this story

forward if the answer is yes to either

condition it's an alternate reality game

it is a reality you are interacting with

in a game-like fashion for a reward or

the continuation of a story that is a

game point blank anything else just call

it on fiction and then whatever helps

you make it specific unfix and webseries

on fiction experience on fiction story

you can even have unofficial albums

unfix and websites and unfix and twitter

if it's something like children of the

mirror though or chatham that's not on

fiction it's just art sometimes it's

weird art and it requires reading deeper

and coming up with conclusions but that

is the way of art if it stays within the

balance of its medium and in a line of

tradition all you have is art you've got

to remember the cardinal rule of unfix

in' this is not a game but this has been

another night mind video thank you for

coming by my office tonight to discuss

in fiction please know that I'm not

trying to write any rules here for a

field of free expression or B this end

all be all dictionary this video is

actually the result of talking to

several other broadcasters and content

explores here on YouTube who cover air

cheese and weird media with all of us

reviving the discussion of what to call

all of this stuff we made videos on and

keep finding because even as a group

covering different topics we found the

Arg label just did not work for it all

anymore the end consensus was that

bringing back on fiction was a really

solid idea but even beyond that

it was time to draw the distinction

between what is an alternate reality

game and what is not and if something

belongs in the box but is not an Arg

what he even call it as a community we

had to come together somehow or we don't

keep running our separate channels using

different terms in confusing the whole

world the more I thought about making an

introductory in history video based on

what we discussed since that

conversation the more I liked it the

ability to discern what is an Arg versus

what isn't and what to actually call

things that are not energies that's a

problem this field has had for a while

and as you can see it stems back for

years giving love and honor to the

legacy of unfix and while having a

really suitable one-word term that rolls

off the tongue that just seems right a

form of fictional storytelling that

utilizes varying measures of interaction

immersion or multimedia delivery beyond

the traditional bounds of the mediums

used to conduct an experience under the

role-playing premise this is not a game

if you'd like to see more explorations

and discoveries of unfixing projects hit

the subscribe button and if you really

never want to miss a new upload on my

mind tap that Bell icon - thanks to all

of you for viewing and all of you who've

supported the field of on fiction over

the years especially if you were ever a

member of the unformed a special shout

out to the websites that carry the torch

as well some of whom are still carrying

it to this day Arg net the argonauts

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detectives major thanks go out to my

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undergone in the last year stick around

to see the names of all these awesome

creatures of the night as for socials

and places outside of YouTube you can

catch me active at the following feel

free to check in anytime I'll be glad to

have you and that's it for now everyone

thanks for joining me in the talk again

this evening once more I

Nik nocturne and I'll be seeing you

again with coverage of on fiction

projects old and new real soon

until then slave sides

[Music]

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